UNESCO ISSUES CHALLENGE OVER SELOUS One of Tanzania’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the Selous Game Reserve, may be declared a ‘World Heritage Site in Danger’, should the Tanzanian government continue to recklessly pursue plans to open up a Uranium mine and build a dam at Stiegler’s Gorge it was learned yesterday. This will be the […]
Seychelles news update – Elections set for end September
ELECTION DATES SET The Seychelles will see a general election go underway, following the dissolution of parliament, over the three days of September 29th, 30th and October 01st. The first day of voting is set aside for individuals who will be deployed on official duty when the general population goes to the polls while the […]
Rwanda aviation news – Rubavu flights go daily
RUBAVU FLIGHTS NOW DAILY FROM KIGALI In an ongoing effort to make domestic flights in Rwanda more popular has RwandAir now commenced daily flights between Kigali’s Kanombe International Airport and the municipality of Rubavu. Flights were started earlier this year, using the Bombardier Dash 8 aircraft, and demand rose so sharply in recent weeks that […]
Weekly roundup of news from the Eastern African and Indian Ocean regions, Fourth edition August 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 Fourth edition August 2011 East […]
Rwanda aviation news – SAA signals a return to Kigali, via Bujumbura
SOUTH AFRICAN RETURNS TO KIGALI It was learned overnight that South African Airways intends to commence flights from Johannesburg to Bujumbura / Burundi and on to Kigali / Rwanda three times a week from sometime in October this year. The South African flag carrier had gone off the route a few years ago and had […]
Kenya tourism news update – Marasa Africa to spend 5 MIO USD on upgrades
MADHVANI GROUP / MARASA AFRICA INVESTS 5 MIO USD IN KENYAN PROPERTY UPGRADE Information was received overnight that Marasa Africa, the Madhvani Group offspring owning and operating their Kenyan properties The Ark, The Aberdare Country Club and Mara Leisure Camp, will invest at least 5 million US Dollars in refurbishments and modernization. Work at The […]
Seychelles news update – President Michel starts state visit to Australia
SEYCHELLES STATE VISIT TO AUSTRALIA GOES UNDERWAY The Seychelles Minister for Foreign Affairs, Jean Paul Adam, and the CEO of the Seychelles Tourism Board, Alain St.Ange, jointly chaired a Press Conference in Melbourne on Sunday, August 21, hours after their landing in Australia. Minister Adam and his delegation are part of the Official State Visit […]
Uganda conservation breaking news – Female rhino calf named ‘Malaika’
FEMALE RHINO NAMED ‘MALAIKA’ (Picture courtesy of Mrs. Angie Genade, ED / RFU and ZRS) The Rhino Fund Uganda / Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary have over the weekend confirmed that the most recent ‘addition’ to the rhino family on the sanctuary, has now been named. Aptly, the Kiswahili name ‘Malaika’ was chosen, which translates […]
Kenya tourism news update – Mombasa Air Safari chairman appointed to KTB
CAPT. CLEAVE MAKES IT ON TO THE TOURIST BOARD As a decades’ long acquaintance, from way back in the 1970’s, of Capt. John ‘Johnny’ Cleave it gives this correspondent particular pleasure to report here his appointment to the Kenya Tourist Board as a member of the board of directors. Capt. Cleave, Chairman of Mombasa Air […]
Seychelles hospitality news update – Desroches Island Resort opens new ‘Escape Spa’
DESROCHES ISLAND RESORTS ADDS WORLD CLASS SPA (Picture courtesy of STB sources) The Descroches Island Resort, the ONLY resort on the Amirantes island of Descroches, has over the weekend officially launched a brand new Spa facility, described by a source from the archipelago as ‘World Class’. Owned by the Island Development Company the resort, […]
African aviation news – AFRAA set for annual meeting in Marrakech
AFRAA CONFIRMS ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING IN MARRAKECHt African airlines will meet in Marrakech / Morocco between November 20th to 22nd this year for their AFRAA Annual General Assembly, hosted by Royal Air Maroc. Notably there will also be a meeting of key Chief Executive Officers of leading African airlines to discuss the increasing threats posed […]
Ethiopian aviation news – ET to train another 48 pilot aspirants
ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES TO TRAIN ANOTHER 48 PILOT ASPIRANTS Information was received over the weekend from Addis Ababa that Ethiopian Airlines has partnered with a Canadian company to create a new pilot training programme, which is in its first phase aimed to turn out 24 first officers for the Bombardier Q 400 aircraft, a turboprop commuter […]
Uganda news update – RVR’s commuter services, altruism or eviction tactics
COMMUTER TRAINS – ALTRUISTIC SERVICE OR EVICTION TOOL When news broke about the Ugandan arm of Rift Valley Railways intending to bring back commuter rail services into the capital city, the initial joy was soon joined by skepticism over the true motives of the proposed move. Last week purported landowners commenced the clearing and fencing […]
Rwanda aviation breaking news – RwandAir signs extensive agreements with Turkish
RWANDAIR AND TURKISH SIGN ADDITIONAL AGREEMENTS A delegation of senior Rwandan officials, led by the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure Hon. Alexis Nzahabwanimana, but also comprising the CEO of RwandAir John Mirembe and the Director General of the Rwanda Civil Aviation Authority Dr. Richard Masozera and other senior RwandAir staff was in Istanbul during the […]
Uganda tourism news update – Amuka Lodge / Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary now open
AMUKA LODGE NOW OPEN FOR BUSINESS Uganda’s latest addition to the safari circuit, the Amuka Lodge on the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, is now open for business it was learned during the week, as Johan Genade welcomed his first guests. Built with predominantly timber and local stone, the other ‘visible’ material is canvas, creating exactly the […]
Rwanda conservation news update – Akagara fencing work ahead of schedule
AKAGERA FENCE ‘AHEAD OF SCHEDULE’ Construction of the electric fence along the boundaries of the Akagera National Park in Rwanda is according to the latest reports proceeding ahead of schedule, as a recent inspection revealed. The work is carried out through the Rwanda Demobilisation and Reintegration Commission, which offers employment opportunities to army veterans and […]
Rwanda tourism news update – Virtual visits up by over 650 percent, ‘real visits’ up by nearly 30 percent
NEW RECORD ARRIVALS AFFIRM VALIDITY OF CONSERVATION POLICIES IN RWANDA The Rwanda Development Board’s Tourism and Conservation Division earlier in the week released their latest data on the trends the tourism industry has taken in 2011. It came as no surprise for informed observers that for instance TripAdvisor saw an increase of over 650 percent […]
Congo DR aviation news update – Hasty ‘Interim Report’ on Hewa Bora Kisangani crash blames pilots
HASTY INTERIM REPORT BY CONGOLESE CIVIL AVIATION BLAMES PILOT ERROR The unusual haste of publishing an interim report of the Kisangani crash of a ancient Hewa Bora Boeing 727 speaks volumes, at least for aviation observers, who have followed the history of the airline and kept an eye on the evolving investigation. Interim reports, leave […]
Seychelles aviation breaking news – Minister responds to allegation over TransAero saga
MINISTER FOR TRANSPORT RESPONDS TO TRANSAERO SAGA Predictably has the Hon. Joel Morgan, in one of his current capacities also Minister for Transport – besides holding the portfolios of Home Affairs, Environment and Energy – responded to public statements made by the Seychelles Hospitality and Tourism Association earlier in the week. The minister pointed out […]
Seychelles news update – Memorial service for shark attack victims taking place in Praslin
MEMORIAL SERVICE AT 2 PM TODAY ON PRASLIN BEACH The Anse Lazio beach, world famous as one of the best shorelines in the world, will today at 2 pm local time see a memorial service unfold, to pay tribute to the victims of two recent shark attacks. Both a Catholic priest as well as a […]
Kenya aviation news update – ‘The Pride of Africa’ makes Kenyans proud
PRIDE OF AFRICA MAKES KENYANS PROUD Kenya Airways, with the widely recognized tag line ‘The Pride of Africa’ is indeed making Kenyans proud, as the latest survey undertaken by the Nation Media Group shows. Nearly a third of those polled have Kenya Airways their ‘thumbs up’ while runner up Safaricom ended up with a 20 […]
Seychelles tourism news update – Widow of shark victim speaks out in favour of Seychelles
SEYCHELLES NOT TO BLAME FOR SHARK ATTACK SAYS WIDOW Gemma Redmond, the grieving British bride who lost her husband in a shark attack in the Seychelles has upon her return home to Britain spoken to BBC Radio and said in a live broadcast: “The last thing I would want is for any of these events […]
Tanzania conservation breaking news – All trade in and exports of wildlife suspended
NOW GOVERNMENT SUSPENDS ANIMAL EXPORTS Stung by criticism in parliament over the allegedly illegal export of a range of wildlife and birds aboard a Qatar air force cargo plane last year has the Tanzanian government in a knee jerk reaction banned ALL exports of wildlife and birds for at least a year. The time will […]
Kenya hospitality news – KTDC finally told to sell key hotel shares
KENYA AGREES TO SELL SHARES IN INTERCONTINENTAL, HILTON AND MOUNTAIN LODGE News broke overnight that the Kenyan government had finally agreed to sell their stakes in the holding companies owning the InterContinental Hotel in Nairobi, the Hilton Hotel in Nairobi and the Mountain Lodge, presently co-owned and managed by Serena Hotels. It is understood that […]
Uganda conservation news – Now it is ‘war’ over Mabira …
MABIRA SAGA HEADING FOR CONFRONTATION President Museveni was reported to be in a defiant mood earlier in the week when he met a delegation from city traders and business, who had asked for meeting him to discuss a long list of grievances, over licenses, unfair competition by foreign nationals posing as ‘investors’ while engaging in […]
Kenya hospitality news update – Hoteliers denounce allegations by Water Authority chairman
COAST HOTELIERS DENY POLLUTION CLAIMS The Water Resources Management Authority chairman faced angry reactions from the coast branch of the Kenya Association of Hotelkeepers and Caterers following his allegations that over 90 percent of beach resorts were letting raw sewage ‘escape into the sea’. Individual hoteliers and association leaders denounced the statement as misleading and […]
Aviation news update – The B787 – an ongoing saga
DREAMLINER DELIVER TO ANA – EXTRAORDIARY EFFORT OR SMOKESCREEN When Japanese airline ANA is taking delivery of their first ever B787, being THE launch customer for Boeing, over three and a half years of delay after delay comes to an end. Often denied by Boeing executives, several of whom have since lost their jobs, probably […]
Seychelles aviation news update – SHTA demands traffic rights for TransAero
SHTA LAMENTS LOSS OF TOURIST FLIGHT FROM RUSSIA In a hard hitting statement, issued by the Chairman of the Seychelles Hotel and Tourism Association SHTA, has the private sector denounced the lack of permit for a planned air connection from Russia to Mahe. TransAero had applied for traffic rights to bring tourists on a nonstop […]
Conservation news update – CITES excludes NGO’s and civil society, then reverses decicion
CITES EXCLUSION OF CIVIL SOCIETY PERPLEXES OBSERVERS The unprecedented decision by the standing committee of CITES yesterday, to exclude civil society organizations and NGO’s, including WWF, AWF and others from its deliberations on the illegal trade in ivory has shocked the global conservation fraternity and prompted already a wave of protests from those affected. Suspicion […]
Seychelles news update – Mourning the victims and commiserating friends
MOURNING VICTIMS AND COMMISERATING FRIENDS Two shark attacks in the space of two weeks, after in fact not seeing the great white shark in the Seychellois waters for decades, have rocked the tranquil archipelago’s tourism industry. While the first deadly attack on a French tourist received little media attention, the second one yesterday on a […]
