Arusha’s hotels hope to benefit from ‘court tourism’
ARUSHA HOPES TO BENEFIT FROM ‘COURT TOURISM’ News broke overnight that the Arusha based African Court of Justice and Human Rights has issued an order for Gadaffi and his bunch of goons to appear before court and defend themselves against a series of charges brought against them over massive violation of human rights. An ‘Order […]
Mauritius hospitality news update – Constance’s Belle Mare Plage bags more awards
CONSTANCE’S BELLE MARE PLAGE BAGS MORE AWARDS The Belle Mare Plage on Mauritius has just added two more trophies to their swelling cabinet when the ‘Golf Journal’ handed them a bronze award for ‘Best Golf Course Worldwide’ followed by ‘Best Hotel Worldwide’. Taking over the ‘Best Hotel Worldwide’ prize from sister hotel Constance Lemuria Resort in […]
Uganda conservation news update – ‘Mary the elephant’ killed near Katunguru
WINDOW SHOPPING ELEPHANT POISONED The female elephant, recently risen to fame when pictures were published in the Uganda media about walking along the Katunguru roadside stores, was apparently poisoned and found dead. Local shop keepers are suspected to have had a hand in the elephant killing, robbing tourists of a magnificent attraction, being able to come […]
Uganda news update – Official statement from Chobe Safari Lodge about river accident
CHOBE BOAT ACCIDENT : 9 April 2011 Chobe Safari Lodge arranged a third familiarization trip for 26 local Travel Agents on 9th- and 10th April 2011. The purpose of the tour was to create awareness of the new property and its facilities, to enable the Travel Agents to promote the Lodge with more insight, […]
Weekly roundup of news from Eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean region – Second edition April 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 Second edition April 2011 GOOD SAFARI GUIDE SET TO HONOUR AFRICA’S VERY BEST […]
Uganda news update – Historical rock paintings found in Karamoja
NEW CAVE PAINTINGS FOUND IN NORTH EASTERN UGANDA The cultural aspects of tourism to Uganda have for long been underestimated and underexploited, inspite of some feeble attempts to organize regular tours to see the seats of the working kingdoms in Uganda or else make more of the pilgrimage potential of the annual ‘Martyr’s Day’ when […]
Seychelles news update – ‘Affordable Seychelles’ campaign to stay
AFFORDABLE SEYCHELLES CAMPAIGN TO CONTINUE The Seychelles Tourist Board remains fully committed to go on with its ‘Affordable Seychelles’ campaign, launched first when the world slid into the global economic and financial crisis and the tourism sector across the archipelago looked into the abyss. Since then of course the new private public partnership at the […]
Uganda news update – More Libyan managers ‘evicted’
UTL’S LIBYAN MANAGERS ALSO OUSTED As Uganda’s decision to fully apply the sanction and asset freeze regime mandated by the UN Security Council against assets in Uganda owned by Gadaffi and his cronies, more news emerged about how these activities ‘show teeth’ for the affected companies. Uganda Telecom’s Libyan Chief Executive – described by several […]
Aviation news update – Kenya Airways overwhelms competition with special ‘Easter Egg
KENYA AIRWAYS ‘EASTER EGG’ FULL OF GOODIES Kenya Airways has just announced that they will offer a one way fare, all taxes included, between Nairobi and Kisumu and Nairobi and their coastal destinations Malindi and Mombasa of 3.000 Kenya Shillings, twice that much for return. This is actually a match of their ‘normal’ stand by […]
Uganda news update – Four found, two still missing in Nile excursion mishap
NARROW ESCAPE AS NILE BOAT CAPSIZES While four passengers on a sundowner trip on the Nile, above Murchisons Falls, were found alive on a little rocky island last night two others appear to be still missing as this story goes to print. A combined rescue mission was called in through the Uganda’s Peoples Defence Forces, which […]
Aviation news update – Emirates to link Africa with South America
EMIRATES TO LINK AFRICA TO SOUTH AMERICA Come January 2012 Emirates according to a source at the Kampala office of the airline, will offer daily connections from their East African destinations, via Dubai, to Rio de Janeiro and then on to Buenos Aires, using a B777-300ER aircraft. The information was passed as part of a general […]
Uganda news update – Fuel shortages combine with run away prices
FUEL PRICES KEEP RISING The weakness of the Uganda Shilling combined with rising international crude oil prices have driven fuel prices to new record highs in the country, with petrol now costing in excess of 3.500 Uganda Shillings and diesel catching up fast, selling in some city stations already at 3.200 Uganda Shillings per litre. […]
Good Safari Guide Awards now just weeks away
GOOD SAFARI GUIDE SET TO HONOUR AFRICA’S VERY BEST On the eve of the annual INDABA tourism trade fair in South Africa, to be held this year on the 06th of May in Durban, the winners of Africa’s best resorts, beach hotels, boutique hotels, safari lodges and safari camps will be announced again, after the […]
Uganda news update – Loan approvals for Nile bridge and new Entebbe Highway rushed to parliament
‘NEW ENTEBBE HIGHWAY’ FUNDING GOES BEFORE PARLIAMENT The rush is now on to get as much work still done in parliament before its term expires and the ministry of works and transport handed the house a request to be permitted to borrow 350 million US Dollars from China for the financing of the new planned […]
Aviation news update – Air Seychelles promotes two as B767 captains
AIR SEYCHELLES PROMOTES TWO MORE FIRST OFFICERS TO CAPTAIN’S RANKS The national airline of the Seychelles has earlier in the week promoted two long serving Seychellois first officers to the status of captains on their B767 fleet, an occasion marked by a congratulatory message from President James Michel himself. The pair, Ronnie Ah-Shung and Paul Belle, […]
Uganda news update – UWA stands firm in struggle over concession rights
KIDEPO LODGE DEAL ‘NOT IN ORDER’ As reported last year, the Uganda Wildlife Authority was given a directive from the Office of the President to hand over the derelict Grand Katarum Lodge inside the Kidepo National Park to a private developer who had found favour with the powers that be inspite of little if any proven experience of […]
Rwanda commemorates 17th anniversary of genocide
NEVER AGAIN As Rwanda commemorated the 17th anniversary of the genocide, with swept the country in April and May 1994, the message from Kigali was loud and clear: NEVER AGAIN. President Paul Kagame made it all but clear that his government would do all in their power, and be undeterred by criticism from revisionist forces […]
Aviation news update – Precision Air to double fleet over next 5 years
PRECISION AIR OUTLINES FLEET DEVELOPMENT PLANS Tanzania’s leading airline, Precision Air, has yesterday outlined their plans for the next 5 years in regard to additional aircraft acquisition. Presently operating a mixed fleet of 10 aircraft including ATR 42, ATR 72 and B737, Precision is set to more than double the number of planes on their […]
Uganda news update – The latest edition of The Eye is out
THE INSIDER’S GUIDE TO UGANDA IS OUT AGAIN The Eye, Uganda’s premier guide for what’s on and what’s up, where to go and how to get there, has just been released by the printers and is now available again at hotels, restaurants, leading shops, embassies and High Commissions and lots of other places around Kampala, […]
Uganda news update – 12th May announced as date of presidential swearing in ceremony
SWEARING IN OF PRESIDENT MUSEVENI SET FOR 12TH MAY Another public holiday is the making as it was announced that the public swearing in ceremony, due to be held at the Kololo Ceremonial Ground, aka ‘airstrip’ was set for Thursday 12th of May. A number of heads of state and heads of government from across Africa […]
Uganda news update – Kitgum gets war museum
WAR MUSEUM OPENS IN KITGUM The terrorist conduce of the ‘Lord’s Resistance Army’, aka LRA of one Joseph Kony, wanted by the International Criminal Court in The Hague for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity, is now well documented since a dedicated museum has been opened earlier in the week in Kitgum, Northern Uganda. The […]
Rhino conservation news – ‘Run for Rhinos Marathon’ London, Sunday, 17th April
RUN FOR RHINOS On Sunday, April 17th the dedicated ‘Rhino Marathon’ will be run in London to raise funds for rhino conservation projects. Another purpose is to create added awareness to the plight of rhinos, which in particular in Southern Africa have been slaughtered at an alarming rate. Last year 333 rhinos were butchered in South […]
Aviation news update – Qatar Airways to go ‘daily’ to Seychelles
QATAR AIRWAYS GOES DAILY TO SEYCHELLES Information received indicates that after Emirates decided to go double daily from Dubai to Mahe, Qatar Airways too opted to ‘up their game’ and move to daily flights between Doha and Mahe. Qatar, the self proclaimed 5star airline – travelers do seem to share this sentiment though according to web based review […]
Aviation news update – Fly 540 adds more Vipingo flights
FLY 540 ADDS EXTRA SERVICE ON VIPINGO ROUTE Information was received that Fly 540 will add an extra flight to Vipingo and Malindi effective 18th April until initially 30th of June, leaving Wilson Airport Nairobi at 4 p.m. on Mondays. Two additional flights will be put on over Easter with an extra Thursday 21st April flight […]
Seychelles news update – Tourist Board CEO advises investors
TOURIST BOARD CHIEF GUIDES INVESTORS An international investors forum in Victoria on the main Seychellois island of Mahe, benefitted from the advice of Seychelles Tourist Board Chief Executive Alain St. Ange earlier in the week, when discussing specifics of value addition and the creation of new attractions for the Creole islands. Amongst the recommendations give […]
Seychelles conservation update – Wildlife Club plays crucial role in beach conservation
WILDLIFE CLUB PLAYS CRUCIAL ROLE IN BEACH CONSERVATION The Wildlife Club of Seychelles had made an effort, jointly with officials of the environment department, to support measures against beach erosion such as replanting of trees and shrubs, erecting bollards to keep vehicles off the beach itself and educating people as to the goals of the […]
South Sudan news update – Tourism to be key economic sector for SPLM
TOURISM ‘KEY ECONOMIC SECTOR’ FOR SPLM LED POST INDEPENDENCE GOVERNMENT A week long economic review and strategy session by the SPLM’s National Secretariat on Finance and Economic Affairs took place recently in Juba / South Sudan. While all current ministries participated with presentations on the outlook of their respective sectors for the soon to be […]
Aviation breaking news – Air Seychelles drops Chennai stop
AIR SEYCHELLES DROPS CHENNAI STOP Not long after introducing Chennai as an enroute stop of the Air Seychelles flight to Singapore did news emerge yesterday that the airline was going to drop the Indian city again. It was not clear though it the failure to obtain full traffic rights as a code shared flight with their […]
Aviation breaking news – Virgin ups capacity on Nairobi route for summer
VIRGIN UPS CAPACITY ON NAIROBI ROUTE Following the upswing in demand for travel to Kenya, and from Kenya for that matter too, has Virgin just announced that they will effective ‘summer season’ this year bring a larger aircraft on the route, effectively increasing seat capacity by about 10 percent. The larger A340-600 version to be […]
Uganda conservation update – Don’t swim in Kitubulu Bay
DON’T SWIM IN KITUBULU BAY One of the favourite lake side ‘hang outs’ along the main road from Kampala to Entebbe, where the lake literally comes up to the road and where several restaurants have opened in past years, has turned into a smelly nightmare of late. Youths used to swim in the waters of […]
