Category: Uncategorized

Uganda hospitality news update – Sheraton hosts 500 orphans for Iftar feast

SHERATON GIVES IFTAR FEAST TO 500 ORPHANS 500 orphaned young children between the ages of 3 to 15 were treated to a traditional Iftar feast by the Sheraton Kampala Hotel a few days ago. Three orphanages run by Islamic charities were selected by the hotel to send their youngsters to the Sheraton to enjoy time […]

Zanzibar tourism news – Tourists threatened with arrest for eating during Ramadhan

ZANZIBAR TOURISTS THREATENED WITH JAIL FOR EATING DURING DAYTIME? Disturbing news emerged from Zanzibar overnight when it became known that a minister in the Zanzibari government had made public demands that police arrest anyone seen eating or drinking during day time during the current month of Ramadhan. ‘Anyone eating and drinking in public as well […]

Kenya aviation news – Etihad to use A320 for Nairobi flights

ETIHAD TO USE A320 FOR NAIROBI FLIGHTS It was confirmed overnight that Etihad, the national airline of Abu Dhabi, will use an Airbus A320 aircraft when daily flights commence between Abu Dhabi and Nairobi in April 2012. An airline source in Kenya made good of the promise to obtain and share this information, after initially […]

Uganda conservation news – UWA commission fails to play tourists

UWA COMMISSION LACK FUNDS TO PLAY TOURISTS A range of rather unprintable comments were received overnight when it became known that members of the commission of enquiry publicly lamented the lack of funds from the tourism ministry to ‘visit the national parks’, ostensibly to ‘carry out their mandate’. Commission chairman, retired Supreme Court Justice George […]

Kenya tourism news – Cheli & Peacock bag ‘Gold Rating’ from Ecotourism Kenya

CHELI & PEACOCK’S ‘ELEPHANT PEPPER CAMP’ GETS THIRD EVER GOLD RATING BY ECOTOURISM KENYA One of Kenya’s tourism success stories over the last 26 years, Cheli & Peacock, has yet more reason to be proud of their extraordinary achievements, now that Ecotourism Kenya has awarded their Elephant Pepper Camp a gold rating status, only the […]

Seychelles tourism news update – Archipelago’s tourism gurus drag ‘Vanilla Islands’ into the new media age

SEYCHELLES MARKETING INNOVATIONS EXTEND TO ‘VANILLA ISLANDS’ Information was received overnight that the exceptionally successful efforts of the Seychelles Tourist Board to market the archipelago across the world by using both traditional as well as social media have now finally been extended to the ‘other’ Indian Ocean islands, brought together under the tagline ‘Vanilla Islands’. […]

Uganda conservation news – Mabira 2.0 – reloaded

GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS FAIL TO FIND ‘DEGRADED MABIRA AREAS’ Following contradicting statements from State House officials, that ‘only degraded areas of Mabira Forest will be given away for sugar cane farming’ has an effort to show Ugandan journalists those degraded areas failed miserably, when a team led by the minister for environment failed to identify any […]

Uganda news update – CHOGM sins continue to haunt the perpetrators

CHOGM SINS CONTINUE TO HAUNT THE PERPETRATORS The scandal is simply not going away and CHOGM, once a darling word to boost hotel capacity and create infrastructure along the Entebbe to Kampala corridor of the greater metropolitan area, has become synonymous with corruption, police investigations and prosecutions by the Inspector General of Government. The latest […]

Tanzania aviation news update – Swissport profits nearly double

SWISSPORT PROFITS PROMPT CALLS FOR GREATER COMPETITION The announcement by Swissport last week of a 44 percent rise in profits for the first half of their financial year to approximately 2.6 million US Dollars has swiftly brought critics to the scene, demanding that new licenses be issued to applicants wanting to provide ground handling services […]

Mauritius news update – Isla Mauricia joins Africa Travel Association

ISLA MAURICIA JOINS THE AFRICA TRAVEL ASSOCIATION ATA last week accepted the membership application of Isla Mauricia, as the first private sector member from the island, and hopefully opening the door for more members to join one of Africa’s foremost promotional bodies, based in New York. That would lead to the option to create a […]

Kenya aviation news update – Tyre burst on runway again exposes JKIA’s vulnerabiltiy

TYRE BURST EXPOSES NAIROBI’S VULNERABILITY A burst tyre on a Jetlink plane coming from Eldoret in Western Kenya once again exposed the vulnerability of Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, as the jet ‘got stuck’ on the runway after landing. While passengers were swiftly and efficiently evacuated the plane was surrounded by emergency service vehicles, bringing […]

Mauritius aviation news – Air Mauritius posts losses for first quarter

AIR MAURITIUS POSTS MORE LOSSES Information was received during the week that Air Mauritius had to post another loss, almost identical to the same period of the last financial year, of over 11 million Euros or almost 16 million US Dollars. The airline reportedly blamed the repeat on slower than expected demand and the impact […]

Mauritius tourism news – More officials resign from tourism positions

TOURISM OFFICIALS QUIT OVER POLITICAL UPHEAVALS Two senior officials in the Mauritius Ministry of Tourism and Leisure, the Director General of the Tourism Authority and the Director of the Economic Intelligence Unit, resigned earlier in the week following the departure of the Mauritius Socialist Party from the coalition government and the resignation of the minister […]

East African aviation news – EAC meets aviation stakeholders in Kigali

AVIATION STAKEHOLDERS MEET IN KIGALI An East African Community sponsored meeting of aviation regulators and operators in Kigali was on Friday discussing the way forward to finally harmonize all regulations governing the industry and liberalise air transport across the five East African Community member states. Air operators have for long called the bluff of the […]

Kenya aviation news update – Etihad announces April 2012 date with Nairobi

LAST OF THE GULF GIANTS FINALLY ADDS NAIROBI Information was confirmed overnight that Etihad, the last of the airline ‘Big Boys’ from the Gulf region, is now finally also set to add Nairobi to their growing network, following in the footsteps of Emirates, Qatar Airways and Gulf Air. Etihad is due to commence daily flights […]

South Sudan news update – New ISD code for RoSS is ‘211’

NEW INTERNATION DIALING CODE / INTERNET DOMAIN FOR SOUTH SUDAN It was learned overnight that the International Telecommunications Union has allocated the country code 211 to the new Republic of South Sudan, which will become effective on the 15th of December this year. Until then the currently used 249 code will remain in place, which […]

Kenya tourism breaking news – KTB Chairman Michael Joseph ‘deserts’

KENYA TOURIST BOARD CHAIRMAN ‘DESERTS’ Michael Joseph, appointed less than 9 months ago as Chairman of the Kenya Tourist Board, was yesterday reported to have quit his job for ‘greener pastures’, after landing himself a World Bank appointment, richer in pickings for sure than serving Kenya’s tourism sector as chair of the tourist board. Joseph, […]

Uganda conservation news – Gorilla killers fined less than 20 US Dollars each

GORILLA KILLERS FINED LESS THAN 20 DOLLARS The Kanungu magistrate’s court has come into the cross hairs of conservationists from Uganda and further abroad, when in a misguided act of sentencing it fined three professed gorilla killers 50.000 Uganda Shillings each, which is less than US Dollars 20, yes TWENTY. Gorilla tracking is one of […]

Seychelles news update – Scandinavia gets closer to ‘Seychelles – Another World’

SCANDINAVIANS ‘GET CLOSER’ TO SEYCHELLES The start yesterday of nonstop flights between Dubai and Copenhagen by Emirates, Dubai’s award winning airline, has brought the Creole Island Paradise of Seychelles much closer to Scandinavian travelers. Copenhagen, easily accessible from across Denmark but also from Norway and Sweden, and not too far from Finland, will now every […]

Rwanda news update – Gadaffi’s Libya gets another ‘slap’

GADAFFI LIBYA GETS ANOTHER SLAP FROM RWANDA Gadaffi’s business empire in Africa faces yet further disruption when news emerged from Rwanda that government in Kigali is set to seek bids to sell the Umubano Hotel, formerly the Laico Umubano Hotel. Rwanda was one of the first countries in Africa to fully implement the sanctions imposed […]

Tanzania news update – TANAPA, Insanity or a case of tourism murder/suicide

    TANAPA’S LATEST – INSANITY OR A CASE OF TOURISM MURDER / SUICIDE Disturbing news emerged from Tanzania that scores of tourist vehicles were kept at gates earlier this week, while attempting to enter various national parks and that aircraft trying to take off from park airstrips were prevented to leave by TANAPA staff, […]

Kenya aviation news – Loki gathers dust as traffic shifts to JKIA

LOKI GATHERING DUST AS TRAFFIC SHIFTS TO JKIA Once the main gateway into occupied and wartorn South Sudan, a key supply base for the United Nations aid organizations and a multitude of NGO’s, Lokichoggio has since the signing of the CPA in January 2005 seen a remarkable reverse in fortunes. During the early years of […]

Kenya aviation news – What plans for ‘Jambo Jet’ by Kenya Airways

LET THE AIR WARS COMMENCE Kenya Airways confirmed earlier this week that they registered a new business name ‘Jambo Jet’, generally perceived to be the national airline’s answer to increasing low cost operations across Kenya and the wider East African region. KQ has already locked horns with companies like Jetlink or Fly 540 over their […]

ATCNews: 

Prof. Dr. Wolfgang H. Thome is the founder and publisher of ATCNews, Eastern Africa’s leading aviation, tourism and conservation news blog of its kind. Wolfgang has nearly 50 years of experience in the tourism, aviation and conservation fields in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, covering all aspects of safari-, hotel- and air-operations. 

The Managing Editor of ATCNews is Mrs. Esther C. Goossens.

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