Breaking News – South Sudan President Salva Kiir launches final construction phase of Juba – Nimule highway
SOUTH SUDAN STARTS TARMACKING OF JUBA – NIMULE HIGHWAY The project to lay tarmac on this crucial highway, linking the South Sudan capital of Juba with the northern Ugandan municipality of Gulu, has been formally launched last week when President Salva Kiir, the US’ Consul General in Juba and contractors’ representatives met for the ceremony. The highway […]
News update – Kigali International Airport gets security boost
ANOTHER AVIATION SECURITY COURSE SEES 22 MORE GRADUATE Information was received from Kigali overnight that another course initiated by the Rwanda Civil Aviation Authority, in conjunction with global body ICAO, has ended with the graduation of all participants. This dedicated security workshop and training session lasted two weeks and was aimed at members of […]
Breaking News – Seychelles invites naval ships to Victoria during ‘Carnival Festival’
CARNIVAL FESTIVAL INVITATION EXTENDED TO NAVAL SHIPS TOO The Seychelles’ first ever ‘Carnival Festival’ due to be held between 04th and 06th of March continues to attract attention from the traditional carnival countries, many of which have committed to send delegations to Mahe, but of late also from another quarter. The coastguard / navy of the […]
Breaking News – History Park planned at/near Olduvai Gorge
HISTORY PARK PLANNED AT OLDUVAI GORGE Major construction can be expected at and near the prehistoric sites of Olduvai Gorge, where the Leakey family made their famous discoveries of early mankind. More recent finds some 40 odd kilometres away in Laetoli include footsteps dated back over 3.5 million years, but those have until now been kept literally […]
Breaking News – Arabian Travel Market to dedicate seperate pavilion to Africa
ARABIAN TRAVEL MARKET DEDICATES PAVILION TO AFRICA The upcoming edition of the Gulf and Arab’s world most important tourism trade fare will have a new feature for its visitors, as an ‘Africa Pavilion’ will be established for exhibitors coming from the continent and aiming to tap into the hugely important expatriate and citizen travel potential from […]
Breaking News – Kenya Airways releases Q3 results (Oct-Dec2010)
KQ’S Q3 OPERATING PERFORMANCE IMPRESSIVELY IMPROVED Kenya Airways has just released its statistics on the current financial year’s 3rd quarter operating performance, covering the period between October and December 2010. Overall capacity provided during the period grew by 5.2 percent, across the network, which broken down by geographical regions translates into the following regionalised growth: […]
More ‘Spotlight’ workshops planned for JNB and CPT
HOUSTON MARKETING OFFERS ‘SPOTLIGHT’ WORKSHOPS IN JNB AND CPT Derek Houston has just announced that he will be holding more ‘Spotlight’ workshops in Johannesburg and Cape Town on 06th and 08th April respectively, during which East African tourism businesses can once again showcase their new products and itineraries to two key South African markets. Derek in an […]
RwandAir projects over 40 percent growth for 2011
RWANDAIR EXPECTS ANOTHER ‘BUMPER YEAR’ Traffic and passenger growth for RwandAir is expected to rise by over 40 percent in 2011 according to a source in Kigali. This quantum leap is attributed to the arrival of new aircraft and the addition of new routes – the first one this year being Brazzaville as of early […]
News update – Kenya Airways maintains Cairo flights as per schedule
KENYA AIRWAYS MAINTAINS CAIRO SCHEDULE The Kenyan national airline has throughout the political crisis in Egypt maintained their flights between Nairobi to Cairo, which operate daily via Khartoum. While Egypt Air, also flying daily to Nairobi, has been scaling back their operations, especially while an extensive curfew was in place in Cairo, it subsequently has rebooked […]
News from the Porini Conservancies in Kenya
For my 100th post this one was meant to be special and indeed it is – read on and enjoy! CONSERVANCY NEWS FROM PORINI The record breaking year in Kenya’s tourism sector has equally benefitted the camps in the conservancies owned by Porini / Gamewatcher Safaris with higher occupancies, and welcome news have been […]
News update – Air Seychelles staff excel in studies, get Presidential recognition
AIR SEYCHELLES PRASLIN STATION MANAGER GETS PRESIDENTIAL RECOGNITION Last week’s graduation ceremony of the Seychelles Institute of Management saw two staff of Air Seychelles – attending courses to advance their academic credentials and pave the way for career advances – excel at the very highest level. The airline’s station manager in Praslin Norbert Lepathy in fact received […]
Kenya Wildlife Service faces changes, restructuring under new draft bill
KENYA WILDLIFE SERVICE HEADING FOR BREAKUP? The new proposed revision of the Wildlife Act, under which the KWS presently operates, foresees a major if not massive change in the way the organization is set up and works. Information from Nairobi speaks of as many as six different organizations which need creating and setting up, should […]
Rwanda bags ‘Wanderlust Travel Award’
WANDERLUST TRAVEL AWARDS PUT RWANDA ON TOP Rwanda came out on ‘top of Africa’ as THE emerging destination of the year, according to the just published results of the British ‘Wanderlust Travel Awards’. Thousands of readers of the magazine participated in the polling, putting Rwanda not just on top of the African rankings but also into […]
Breaking News – Rufiji River’s ‘Stiegler’s Gorge’ under threat from power station?
STIEGLER’S GORGE OF THE RUFIJI RIVER/SELOUS UNDER THREAT? While the controversy over the planned Serengeti highway continues unabated – especially in the light of Tanzania’s government decision to go ahead by hook or crook – another potential nail in Tanzania’s conservation coffin is gradually emerging in the public domain. Regular and reliable sources in Dar and […]
Rwanda’s forests – an asset for tourism
RWANDA TURNS FORESTS INTO TOURISM ASSETS ‘The land of a thousand hills’ as Rwanda is known by her friends from near and far, has in recent years enjoyed a boom in tourism arrivals, and before becoming a victim of its own success with only one major tourism product on offer, acted quickly and decisively to […]
News update – Kisumu airport construction work to end by May
KISUMU AIRPORT WORK TO END BY MAY The Kenya Airports Authority has provided information this week that rehabilitation, expansion and modernization work at the airport of Kisumu – Kenya’s lakeside city – will be completed by May or latest June this year. At that time the new expanded terminal building will become operational, designed to […]
News update – TANESCO under fire from hospitality businesses
HOSPITALITY SECTOR BLASTS POWER COMPANY The present increased ‘load-shedding’ in Tanzania has been blamed by sections of the country’s hospitality sector on ‘lack of forward planning’ and ‘excessive bureaucracy’. ‘The dwindling reserves in our hydro power dams was known for a while and overdue repairs and lack of maintenance causes turbines to break down which […]
Breaking News – Traffic data of Tanzanian government study leaked
STOP THE SERENGETI HIGHWAY FACEBOOK PAGE SHOCKS PUBLIC WITH TRAFFIC DATA In a not entirely surprising development earlier this week has the global conservation fraternity thrown its weight behind the ‘Stop the Serengeti Highway’ movement, when sources clearly opposed to the project in Dar es Salaam and Arusha made one of the Tanzanian government’s environmental impact […]
Breaking News – Air Seychelles gets UK MoD contract for Falklands renewed
AIR SEYCHELLES RETAINS UK MOD CONTRACT ‘Outstanding performance’ was according to a regular source one of the main factors for the Ministry of Defence in Britain to renew the contract for Air Seychelles to operate regular personnel charters and supply flights from Brize Norton air force base in the UK to the Falklands’ Mt. Pleasant […]
Breaking News – East African military stand by force to conduct exercises in South Sudan
EASTERN AFRICAN STAND BY FORCE TO EXERCISE IN SOUTH SUDAN Information was just received that the Eastern African Stand By Force has agreed to hold an exercise later in the year in South Sudan, most likely soon after the Independence has become a reality. Key member states of the group are of course also members […]
Breaking News – Councillors praising controversial Serengeti highway plans raise inducement allegations
COUNCILS PRAISE FOR HIGHWAY ATTRACTS PROMPT ‘INDUCEMENT’ ALLEGATIONS No sooner had several councils enroute the controversial Serengeti highway made their support for Tanzanian president Kikwete known, did allegations enter the fray that they were given inducements and promises of ‘other goodies and big jobs’ were made, if only they’d come out loudly in support of the project. […]
Breaking News – Kenya Airways launches ‘Valentine’s fares’ to Mombasa and Malindi
KENYA AIRWAYS PULLS ANOTHER ONE ON RIVALS FOR VALENTINE’S DAY The ‘Pride of Africa’ has wasted no time to splash a ‘special Valentine’s Day Lovers Offer’ on the domestic market, selling two companion tickets for the unbelievable fare of KShs 9.999/- inclusive of all taxes, although there are strict rules on bookings and travel. The […]
Breaking News – 18MW hydro electric plant to be commissioned by President Museveni tomorrow
MORE ELECTRICITY FOR UGANDANS A small hydro electric power plant, located in the Western Ugandan Kamwenge district – formerly part of Kabarole / Fort Portal district – is being commissioned tomorrow by none other than President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni. The new facility will add a further 18 MW of power into the national grid and the president like no other […]
New Raffles’ Resort on Praslin/Seychelles adds value to gardens by planting the unique ‘coco de mer’ palm
RAFFLES’S GARDENS GET A BOOST Information was sent in this morning from the island of Praslin, that the new Raffles’ gardens just got a ‘boost’. Apparently 10 ‘coco de mer’ palms had been given to the resort to be planted at strategic points around their extensive gardens, allowing guests in the future to admire those […]
Breaking News – Seychelles install two more 8MW turbines to boost electricity output
NEW TURBINES TO PRODUCE A FURTHER 16 MW OF POWER The Seychelles government has just imported two additional turbines, bringing total electricity generation to now 73 MW, compared to the present peak consumption on the main island of Mahe of 42 MW. The move, welcomed by in particular hospitality businesses, will ensure that supply of electricity […]
Breaking News – Rwanda exceeds 2010 tourism targets
TOURISM ARRIVALS AND RECEIPTS FOR 2010 ‘WAY BETTER THAN FORECAST’ The Rwanda Development Board – Tourism and Conservation, yesterday released their arrival and related data for the year 2010. It was noted with not little pride that tourism brought over 200 million US Dollars into the country, up by over 14 percent compared to the […]
Breaking News – Kenya’s ‘Obamaville’ to get 25 bedroom hotel
‘OBAMAVILLE’ TO GET NEW HOTEL The paternal home village of US President Barack Obama, located near Kenya’s lakeside city of Kisumu, is due to get a 25 bedroom hotel built, after the Kenya Tourist Development Corporation has agreed to co-finance the project with an investor. Kogelo has risen to instant fame when Obama won the last […]
Kenya Tourist Board introduces new chairman Michael Joseph
KTB INTRODUCES MICHAEL JOSEPH The long expected ‘welcome’ party by the Kenya Tourist Board was finally held last week when KTB formally introduced their new chairman Mr. Michael Joseph to the tourism trade and invited guests. Joseph, long serving founder CEO of Safaricom in Kenya, retired late last year from Kenya’s most successful mobile phone company, […]
Kenya Tourist Development Corporation ‘ready to sell shares’ held on behalf of government in hotels, lodges and resorts
KTDC SHARES IN LODGES, HOTELS AND RESORTS TO BE DIVESTED THIS YEAR News were confirmed yesterday by sources in Nairobi, that the government has apparently decided to divest, finally, in 2011 of shareholdings presently held by the Kenya Tourist Development Corporation in hotels, resorts and lodges around the country. In many cases will the present […]
Breaking News – SSRC confirms 98.83 percent yes vote for South Sudan independence
REFERENDUM RESULTS CONFIRMED – INDEPENDENCE COMING The South Sudan Referendum Commission, known in short as SSRC, has yesterday confirmed the final results of the independence referendum held in the South Sudan but also in the north of the country, in neighbouring countries with substantial South Sudanese Diaspora populations and in fact across the world in […]
