East African air travel update – Turkey eases Visa requirements
TURKISH AIRLINES CAUSE CHANGE IN VISA POLICY The Turkish national airline has reportedly prevailed upon their immigration service in changing Visa rules for African citizens, flying with Turkish from the airline’s growing network across the African continent, connecting in Istanbul for their final destination. A source close to the airline in Kampala confirmed, while discussing […]
Seychelles breaking news – Emirates Holidays crowns STB as ‘their champion’
EMIRATES HOLIDAYS CROWNS SEYCHELLES TOURIST BOARD Awards for the Seychelles seem to chase each other these days, in recognition of the outstanding value and appeal the destination now commands around the world. In India the Seychelles were given ‘Best promising destination’ as more and more passengers connect with Emirates from their Indian gateways via Dubai […]
Uganda news update – All roads lead to the Sheraton for a Turkish Food Festival
ALL ROADS LEAD TO SHERATON FOR ‘TURKISH FESTIVAL’ When the culinary mind strays to the subject of food festivals, especially here in Kampala, Oktoberfest would probably be first on the list of options, but again the Sheraton Kampala took the lead by organizing an authentic Turkish Food Week, coming up between May 16th to 21st. […]
Weekly roundup of news from the Eastern African and Indian Ocean region, First edition May 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 via Twitter @whthome or on my blog: www.wolfganghthome.wordpress.com First edition May 2011 Africa News SOMBRE MOOD IN NAIROBI AND DAR ON NEWS […]
East Africa news update – Osama death news received in sombre atmosphere
SOMBRE MOOD IN NAIROBI AND DAR ON NEWS OF OSAMA DEMISE Hundreds of families and thousands of friends of those who perished in the 1998 bombings of the US Embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam, as well as those of victims of other Al Qaida inspired terrorist acts in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, showed relief on […]
Seychelles news update – Royals on a Creole paradise honeymoon?
SEYCHELLES’ BEST KEPT SECRET? Information is starting to appear that the recently married royal couple of Prince William, now Duke of Cambridge and his wife Catherine, will after all enjoy their honeymoon in the tropical Creole island paradise of the Seychelles. It is understood, though not independently confirmed at this stage – even the best […]
Uganda news update – HTTI graduates nearly 600 students
HTTI STUDENTS GRADUATED – FINALLY Last week saw the graduation of several hundred students at the Hotel and Tourism Training Institute in Jinja, based at the Crested Crane Hotel. Presiding over the function was the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, Trade and Industry Ambassador Onen who stood in for his minister. HTTI was […]
Uganda news update – Parliament clears new Entebbe road highway financing
OUTGOING PARLIAMENT APPROVES FUNDING FOR NEW ENTEBBE HIGHWAY The parliamentary session in Kampala yesterday of the soon to be retired outgoing house – when it makes way for the newly elected members – made a landmark decision to approve the proposed funding for the Entebbe highway. Government is now able to conclude a loan agreement […]
Kenya tourism news update – New Tourism Bill passes final hurdle
KENYAN PARLIAMENT PASSES NEW TOURISM BILL Last weekend news reached that the parliament in Nairobi has finally voted for the new tourism bill, which will bring long overdue new regulatory bodies and a new organizational structure for the public sector of the tourism industry into place. Now only awaiting the anticipated presidential assent to make […]
East Africa news update – Inflation still rising
INFLATION KEEPS RISING The latest data released by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics makes grim reading, given another rise of month on month inflation for April to now 14.1 percent, three percent up from March and well more than double compared to even February this year. Drought related food prices, combined with the escalating cost […]
Kenya conservation news update – Ol Pejeta excells again in community relations
COMMUNITY CONSERVATION TAKEN SERIOUSLY Ol Pejeta, one of Kenya’s leading mixed conservancies – they are rearing cattle side by side with an impressive array of wildlife, including predators – has just completed another community support project, harvesting rain water. Ol Pejeta’s community outreach programme has in recent weeks distributed and installed about 40 water tanks […]
Tanzania conservation breaking news – The corridor of destruction from the coast to the lake
THE CORRIDOR OF DESTRUCTION – FROM THE COAST TO THE LAKE A fuller picture is starting to emerge about the extent of the Tanzanian government’s plans to ‘modernize’ the country on the fast track, after looking at seemingly unrelated but upon closer review very directly related and interlinked projects. When breaking the news a […]
Seychelles news update – Archipelago wins joint claim to extended sea bed
SEYCHELLES WIN JOINT CLAIM TO SEABED AREA The United Nations’ Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea has now formally recognized the claims jointly made by Seychelles and Mauritius over the ‘ownership’ of the seabed along the ‘Mascarene Plateau’, adding a total area of almost 400.000 square kilometres to the control exercised […]
Tanzania conservation news – Tourism minister speaks out against poaching
WITH POACHING IT IS FOREIGNERS TOO ‘Foreigners’ seems to be one of the key word these days in Tanzania when it comes to apportioning blame for a range of assorted crimes and society ills, as the Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism has learned too. He blamed the increase of poaching, as seen in Tanzania […]
Rwanda tourism news update – New record first quarter for Rwanda tourism
RWANDA’S TOURISM INCOME SHARPLY UP COMPARED TO 2010 The first quarter results of tourism’s sectoral performance were released yesterday and the earnings confirmed by government sources are in the region of US Dollars 56 million, compared with a figure of only 43 million US Dollars last year, which ended as the best ever nevertheless. Visitor […]
Aviation news update – AFRAA takes issue with EU ‘Blacklist’
AFRAA ATTACKS EU AIRLINE BLACK LISTING The African Airline Association, based in Nairobi, has come out strongly against the ban on LAM Mozambique in the most recent blacklist edition published by the European aviation oversight body. Citing a ‘flawless record’ since 1989 AFRAA questioned which rationale was used to include LAM in the list of […]
Kenya conservation news – Park communities denounce officials
PARK COMMUNITIES DENOUNCE OFFICIALS Community leaders around the Masai Mara, one of Kenya’s best known game reserves, have minced no words recently when denouncing the Narok County Council and other officials for perpetuating poverty amongst the people living near the park boundaries. While the Kenya Wildlife Service is in charge of most of the national […]
Uganda news update – My heart cries for my country
MY HEART CRIES FOR THE PEARL OF AFRICA Rent-a-mobs, assembled and allegedly paid for overnight, descended into the streets of Kampala on Friday morning, and in fact some other towns upcountry too, to do the bidding of their political master, cause chaos, loot and steal and make Uganda look bad in the international media. Alongside […]
Kenya conservation breaking news – Another Chinese nabbed with 100 KG of blood ivory
ANOTHER CHINESE NATIONAL NABBED WITH 100 KG OF BLOOD IVORY Airline security in conjunction with customs and police deployed at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi have last night arrested yet another Chinese national, transiting in Nairobi with blood ivory in his baggage. This latest find is again attributed to the increasingly alert officers […]
Sudan news update – Bashir threatens renewed war
KHARTOUM’S REGIME THREATENS RENEWED WAR Stung by an internal revolt last week leading to the sacking of his national security advisor, Khartoum’s regime leader Bashir, true to his colours finally shown in public again, threatened to go back to war to keep the disputed oil state of Abyei under Northern domination. This was learned overnight […]
Tanzania conservation news – MP blames ‘foreigners only’ for anti highway opposition
IT IS ONLY THE FOREIGNERS WHO ARE AGAINST THE HIGHWAY – OH REALLY The member of parliament for Ngorongoro, one Ole Telele, raised a storm of heated arguments yesterday in Dar es Salaam during a WWF – World Wide Fund for Nature – sponsored dialogue over the pro’s and con’s of the proposed highway across […]
Uganda news update – Libyan owned UTL suffers defeat in court
LIBYAN OWNED UTL IN DIRE STRAITS One of the frozen assets owned by Gadaffi Libya, Uganda Telecom, has suffered a severe blow in court yesterday, when the Commercial Court delivered judgment on a pending suit brought by telecoms giant MTN against UTL over ‘interconnection fees’. Once one of Uganda’s most promising companies, after being privatized from the former […]
Uganda aviation news update – Shell rockets AVGAS price to USD 2.71
SHELL RAISES AVGAS PRICE TO USD 2.71 Shell has been accused by sections of the aviation fraternity of blatant exploitation, with the word ‘racketeering’ not being formally spoken but certainly floating between the lines, when their latest price for AVGAS rockets to US Dollars 2.71, compared to Nairobi’s Wilson Airport, where the commodity sells at […]
Uganda aviation news update – Aero Club adds Twin Otter – 400
KAMPALA AERO CLUB TAKES DELIVERY OF TWIN OTTER – 400 Information was confirmed this morning that the Kampala Aero Club and Flight Training Centre, aka KAFTC, has taken delivery of their long awaited twin engined De Havilland Twin Otter – 400 aircraft, which is now being integrated into the growing fleet of the ‘charter only’ airline at […]
Seychelles news update – Tourism Academy set for expansion
COMMITTED TO SECTOR EXCELLENCE STA GETS NEW CAMPUS The Seychelles Tourism Academy remains at the centre of the governments’ efforts to increase the skills of the workforce in the tourism and hospitality industry, supporting the ‘affirmative action programme’ of absorbing more and more Seychellois citizens into the workforce. Tourism is the number one foreign exchange […]
Rwanda news/aviation update – RwandAir in Brazzaville exhibition
Aviation news update – Emirates starts A380 flights to Shanghai
EMIRATES’ A380 USE ON SHANGHAI ROUTE EXCITES TRAVELLERS Yesterday saw the first of now daily flights by Emirates from Dubai to Shanghai, using the sky giant A380 aircraft. The introduction of the world’s biggest passenger aircraft was welcome news to travelers from East Africa to China, where much of the continent’s business is now conducted and […]
Tanzania conservation news update – Serengeti highway plans get more ‘sycophant support’
MORE MOUTHPIECES FRONTED ‘IN FAVOUR OF SERENGETI HIGHWAY’ In the face of continued global lobbying against the controversial Serengeti Highway plans, which have considerably damaged Tanzania’s public image as a conservation minded nation, has the government in Dar es Salaam resorted once again to ‘fronting’ locals. A village chairman was this time round selected to […]
Seychelles aviation news update – Reorganization of HM continues
AIR SEYCHELLES CONTINUES RE-ORGANIZATION The Seychelles national airline has according to the latest reports from Mahe continued its drive towards becoming a more efficient organization with the introduction of ‘deputy directors’ positions for all of the presently eight directorates of the airline. The directors of flight operations, technical operations and ground handling services, freight, marketing, […]
Uganda news update – Libyan embassy ‘hunted by creditors’
BANKS AND CREDITORS NOW AFTER LIBYAN EMBASSY A notice has reportedly been served on the Libyan Embassy in Kampala about the imminent auction of top of the range vehicles financed by a local bank, and notably not the Libyan owned Tropical Bank, which assets were recently frozen by the Ugandan government and had a new […]
