Uganda aviation news – Emirates announces new destinations for Ugandan travelers
EMIRATES TO CONNECT UGANDANS TO MORE DESTINATIONS A regular source at the Emirates office in Kampala has confirmed that the airline will continue to introduce more destinations for travelers on their daily service from Entebbe. Dallas and Seattle will join the existing US cities of New York, Houston, Los Angeles and San Francisco in 2012 […]
Tanzania tourism news – Ngorongoro Serena ‘crowned’ Tanzania’s best lodge at World Travel Awards
NGORONGORO SERENA IS TANZANIAS BEST SAFARI LODGE The recently concluded World Travel Award ceremony in Sharm el Sheik has crowned Serena Hotels Ngorongoro Safari Lodge as Best in Tanzania, a well earned accolade and not the first but one of many Serena has captured over the years. Attention to detail from the very moment the […]
Rwanda news – OECD gives Rwanda an ‘A’ rating
RWANDA GETS AN A FOR USE OF FOREIGN AID FUNDS Another feather in the hat it was when results of a survey conducted by the OECD, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development were published on the global use of aid funds in 78 countries earlier in the week. Some years ago Rwanda had requested […]
Tanzania news update – Joint venture signing between Serengeti District Council and Grumeti Reserves ‘bounces’
SERENGETI COUNCIL DEFERS SIGNING OF GRUMETI DEAL It was learned from a source in Arusha that the Serengeti District Council has after all not signed a joint venture agreement with Grumeti Reserves of American businessman Paul Tudor Jones, causing consternation and frustration amongst the companys executives but at the same time raising hopes that now […]
Seychelles news update – Campaign ends, elections now just two days away
ELECTIONS ARE IMMINENT, CAMPAIGNS END The long awaited general election is now imminent in the Seychelles, due to commence on the 29th September and ending on the 01st October. The campaign, almost invisible for tourists staying on the islands except for the party posters, has now drawn to an end as there is a mandatory […]
Seychelles tourism news – ‘Sustainable Tourism Label’ launched on World Tourism Day
SEYCHELLES SUSTAINABLE TOURISM LABEL LAUNCHED ON WORLD TOURISM DAY The Le Meridien Fishermans Cove Resort in Bel Ombre was the venue today for the launch by the Seychelles Tourism Board of the Sustainable Tourism Label, organized in conjunction with the Global Environment Facility, in short GEF and the Government of Seychelles UNDP Programme Coordination Unit. […]
Seychelles tourism news – President Michel’s message on World Tourism Day
PRESIDENT MICHELS MESSAGE ON WORLD TOURISM DAY Seychelles President James Michel, who is also holding the portfolio as Minister of Tourism, underscoring the ranking of the sector within government, has on the occasion of the globally celebrated World Tourism Day sent this message to the tourism fraternity and Seychellois at large: This years world tourism […]
Seychelles aviation news – New Civil Aviation board members appointed.
NEW SCAA BOARD MEMBERS APPOINTED Following the retirement two weeks ago of two key members of the Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority, after their appointment by President Michel to the board of Air Seychelles, did new faces join the remaining SCAA board members, when the Minister for Home Affairs, Environment, Transport and Energy the Hon. Joel […]
Aviation news – How the Dreamliner fiasco might hold back the future of new aircraft designs.
THE HIDDEN CONSEQUENCES OF THE DREAMLINER FIASCO The global aviation fraternity took a deep breath last week and then must have muttered a combined worldwide finally as Boeing prepared to hand over the first B787 Dreamliner going into commercial service to Japans ANA. Passengers of ANA will look forward to the improved inflight comfort like […]
Kenya aviation news update – ‘Turf war with Eritrean, what turf war?’
AVIATION SOURCE DISMISSES MEDIA CLAIMS OF TURF WAR A regular source from Nairobis aviation industry, close to Kenya Airways, has dismissed a media report in leading business daily of an imminent turf war between Eritrean Airlines and Kenya Airways as patently false pointing to the existing bilateral air services agreement between the two countries which […]
Weekly roundup of news from the Eastern African and Indian Ocean regions, Fourth edition September 2011
TOURISM, AVIATION AND CONSERVATION NEWS from the Eastern African and Indian Ocean region A weekly roundup of reports, travel stories and opinions by Prof. Dr. Wolfgang H. Thome Get daily breaking news updates instantly via Twitter by following @whthome or read the daily postings on my blog via: www.wolfganghthome.wordpress.com Many of these articles then also […]
Rwanda tourism news – Tourism quiz winners tour Nyungwe Forest on World Tourism Day
WORLD TOURISM DAY QUIZZ WINNERS TOUR NYUNGWE FOREST The Rwanda Development Board is hosting 24 winners of a radio quiz on Radio Rwanda and Contact FM, undertaken ahead of the World Tourism Day celebrations, to a guided all inclusive field trip to Nyungwe National Park, where they will have an opportunity to appreciate the conservation […]
Tanzania news update – No new ferry for Zanzibar to Pemba route anytime soon
NO NEW FERRY FOR ZANZIBAR PEMBA ROUTE ANYTIME SOON Information has come to light that the Zanzibar government is reluctant to purchase a new, state of the art ferry to allow islanders travelling between Unguja and Pemba islands a safe means to reach their destinations. The MV Spice Islander sunk a few weeks ago as […]
Seychelles hospitality news – Constance Lemuria bags three ‘World Travel Awards’
CONSTANCE LEMURIA / PRASLIN ISLAND BAGS THREE WORLD TRAVEL AWARDS In a remarkable show of sustained quality was the Constance Lemuria Resort on Praslin Island / Seychelles, once again voted the Best Indian Ocean Golf Resort for the fourth consecutive year. Not ending there however the Lemuria also won for the second year running the […]
South Sudan news – Khartoum’s dirty tricks campaign exposed
KHARTOUMS DIRTY TRICK CAMPAIGN EXPOSED The rise of commodity prices in South Sudan, while partly influenced by the economic situation around the world and more immediately in the wider region, has to an extent been worsened by reported economic strangulation by the regime in Khartoum, the Souths former slave masters. They have been making the […]
Rwanda news update – Senate elections take place today but it is ‘hakuna matata’ across the country
SENATE ELECTIONS IN RWANDA YET LIFE CONTINUES AS NORMAL Today will see the scheduled elections across Rwanda take place for the Senate, the upper chamber of the countrys parliamentary system of governance. The campaign for senatorial seats was generally calm and apart from meeting members of the electoral college and canvassing their votes hardly noticed […]
Rwanda aviation news – More flights on the drawing board between Kigali and Nairobi
MORE FLIGHTS PLANNED BETWEEN KIGALI AND NAIROBI With the arrival of a second brand new B737-800 by the end of next month RwandAirs fleet will have grown to 7 aircraft comprising a Bombardier Dash 8, two CRJ200s, two B737-500s and their latest acquisitions being two B737-800s. The new birds will be used to operated the […]
Uganda conservation news update – UWA Commission of Enquiry in ‘tatters’
UWA COMMISSION OF ENQUIRY IN DISARRAY The term of the commission has expired by end of August, the Minister has told the chairman to immediately wind up and submit his report and anything other than that is completely out of order now commented a ministry source on condition of strict anonymity when contacted over the […]
Uganda hospitality breaking news – Did the AYA brothers sell their Nakasero Hill hotel?
NAZA GROUP OF MALAYSIA ACQUIRES KAMPALA PROPERTY The 5 year long attempt by the notorious AYA brothers to build and complete a Hilton Hotel in Kampala has apparently come to an end this weekend as news are breaking of Malaysias NAZA Group having acquired the incomplete property lock stock and barrel for a staggering 230 […]
Uganda hospitality breaking news – IHG and Kingdom Kampala announce details of new InterContinental Hotel
INTERCONTINENTAL KAMPALA BECOMING REALITY (An artists impression of the new InterContinental Kampala) The Intercontinental Hotel Group and owners Kingdom Kampala no relation to the Gulf based Kingdom Hotels Group it should be pointed out are imminently releasing a formal statement on their new property, which is being developed from the ground up at the Shimoni […]
Rwanda aviation news – RwandAir ‘shows off’ the new B737-800 across the region
RWANDAIR SHOWS OFF NEW B737-800 ACROSS THE REGION Entebbe, Nairobi, Kilimanjaro and Dar es Salaam and Brazzaville / Libreville all had a glimpse of RwandAirs latest acquisition when the aircraft was deployed on the regional routes in a one off showing the flag exercise, allowing passengers normally travelling on the airlines CRJ or B737-500 jets […]
Seychelles aviation news – ‘HM’ to return two B767-200 to ILFC
AIR SEYCHELLES TO RETIRE TWO B767-200 Information has come to light that the arrival of the airlines new CEO Bram Steller in Mahe Bram is due to take up his new assignment by 01st of October will also be marked by the retirement of the two oldest Boeing 767-200 aircraft. According to a source in […]
Seychelles tourism news update – ‘Affordable Seychelles’, myth or reality
AFFORDABLE SEYCHELLES MYTH OR REALITY Readers of my articles often challenge me to substantiate the Affordable Seychelles tag line I keep bringing up when reporting about the archipelagos tourism events and developments. Introduced at the height of the 2007/8 global financial and economic crisis, the invention by the Seychelles Tourist Board had two main objectives: […]
Rwanda news update – Going ‘Dutch’ to promote tourism, trade and investments
RWANDA GOES DUTCH Rwandas recent investment seminar and promotion in the Netherlands was used as a launchpad for the inaugural edition of Discover Rwanda and its Dutch version Ontdek Rwanda. Aimed to show Dutch travelers the tourism attractions the Land of a Thousand Hills holds for visitors it is equally aimed at attracting more investments […]
Kenya news update – New Thika highway due for completion by March 2012
SIX MONTHS TO GO FOR COMPLETION OF NEW THIKA HIGHWAY Information emerged from Nairobi overnight that Kenyas national highway authority has now set a completion date for the new highway from Nairobi to Thika as March 2012. The project is one of Kenyas major infrastructural investments in linking the capital to the countryside and decongest […]
Uganda conservation news – UWA commission of enquiry chair continues controversial utterances in public
UWA COMMISSION CHAIR JUST CANT SHUT UP In typical style, combative and controversial as ever, has retired Supreme Court Justice George Kanyeihamba, only days after it became known that he received directives from the Minister of Tourism to immediately wind up his commissions work and submit a final report, now taken aim at the UWA […]
Uganda conservation news – Re-forestation company in OXFAM’s cross hairs, but why?
OXFAM TAKES AIM AT NEW FORESTS COMPANY BUT FOR WHAT REASONS There is intense speculation over the real reasons why British charity organization turned political activist OXFAM let fly against the New Forests Company in a report published recently. It is alleged in the report that the New Forests Company was morally and ethically guilty […]
Mauritius tourism news – Government set to launch new tourism academy
NEW TOURISM ACADEMY PLANNED FOR MAURITIUS The government in Mauritius appears set to launch an international tourism and hospitality academy, according to the Minister for Tertiary Education who made the announcement earlier in the week when officiating at the start of a tourism sustainability conference. The meeting drew participants from 20 countries in the wider […]
Rwanda conservation breaking news – National Forest Policy rated ‘best in the world’
UN GIVES RWANDA FUTURE POLICY AWARD RECOGNITION Rwandas determined efforts, supported and spearheaded by none other then President Paul Kagame, has just won the country global recognition when the countrys national forest policy was chosen over all other 20 nominated contenders as the best in the world by the World Future Council, according to an […]
East Africa tourism news – EAC holds tourism and wildlife meeting in Mombasa
REGIONAL TOURISM MEETING IN MOMBASA DISCUSSES EAC TOURISM PROTOCOL A regional meeting is taking place in Mombasa under the auspices of the East African Community to discuss the advancing of articles 115 and 116 of the EAC Treaty, concerning greater integration and cooperation of the tourism and wildlife sectors. The stakeholders are set to prepare […]
