Seychelles along with other African countries is set to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine through a donation from the United States (US) under the COVAX programme. The American President, Joe Biden, announced last week that the United States will purchase and donate 500 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine produced in his country to 92 low and…
Namibia has introduced stricter COVID-19 regulations in the wake of increasing new infections, hospitalisations and deaths recorded over the past few weeks. Namibian President, Hage Geingob, noted earlier this week that the country, with a population of 2.5 million people, had surpassed the 1 000 mark of deaths attributable to COVID-19 infections. The country has the…
Delta Air Lines is set to make a return to South Africa on August 1, saying there is rapidly growing demand States-side for holidays in South Africa, which it sees as a highly sought-after destination. On June 9, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) moved South Africa from risk alert Level 4 to…
The coronavirus pandemic has brought with it great changes to the travel industry and Tanzania is no exception. Join the Tanzania Association of Tour Operators (TATO) for an interactive webinar highlighting the current situation in Tanzania and the steps the country is taking to get its tourism business back-on-track. This session will also feature an…
Departing travelers: Outgoing travelers must obtain a negative COVID-19 certificate in accordance with the trusted Traveler (TT) Initiative (www.africacdc.org/trusted-travel) and the PanaBios system (www.panabios.org). Travelers who intend to depart Kenya must first visit an authorized laboratory (according to the government of Kenya, all PCR COVID-19 testing laboratories are now part of the TT system), obtain a…
Ethiopian Airlines Group, Africa’s largest carrier, has started operating flights with fully vaccinated crew against COVID-19 to keep travelers safe in light of the pandemic. Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO Mr. Tewolde GebreMariam said “We are pleased to operate flights with fully vaccinated crew – a significant step in protecting our employees’ and customers’ health safety. We…
Tanzania has reduced the price of the Tourism Business Licence (TALA) for tour operators, as announced by Finance and Planning Minister Mwigulu Nchemba. The fee for local travel agents and tour operators will be reduced from TZS4.6m (€1 680) per year to TZS1.1m (€420) per year. The licence fee has been disputed by many local tour…
The pioneer Covid-19 specimen collection center at Serengeti National Park has started stimulating new bookings, key tourism players have reported. “For a month now, we have seen a surge of new bookings with our prospective tourists citing the pioneer Covid-19 specimen collection center at Serengeti as the factor that encourages them to book safari” says…
Mauritius will reopen to vaccinated tourists from mid-July, but South Africans, even if they have received their jabs, will still not be allowed to enter the island nation. As the global vaccination rollout continues to gather momentum, South African holidaymakers have hoped to see the easing of travel restrictions and a reopening of borders. But a recent…
World Oceans Day, commemorated on June 8, is used to raise awareness about the ocean, which covers over 70 percent of the planet, and its utmost importance to life on earth. It is our life source, supporting humanity’s sustenance and that of every other organism on earth. The ocean produces at least 50 percent of…
On June 7th the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) downgraded Malawi’s COVID-19 risk to level 1, which is the lowest possible level. This new positions Malawi to begin welcoming back American tourists and demonstrates the country’s success in combatting the COVID-19 virus.
The inbound travel trade celebrated today (June 9) following news that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has moved South Africa from risk alert Level 4 to Level 3. This follows the landing of the first daily United Airlines flight from New York Newark to Johannesburg’s OR Tambo on Friday (June 4).…
Seychelles has partnered with the Global Impact Network to encourage visitors to the islands to offset their carbon footprints with sustainable actions like tree-planting and buying locally made goods. In a short ceremony on Friday to coincide with World Environment Day, celebrated on June 5, Seychelles’ Tourism Minister, Sylvestre Radegonde, launched the initiative through a…
The Tanzania Association of Tour Operators (TATO) is struggling to convince the government to ease new COVID-19 restrictions to save its ambitious deal with Israel travel agents to bring thousands of high-end inbound tourists. Tanzania has elevated and enhanced prevailing preventive measures especially those with regard to international travel. Israel travel agents expect to bring…
Book your clients on Air Senegal’s new service between New York (JFK) or Washington DC (IAD) and Dakar (DSS) and take advantage of a limited time promotional fare, including two free checked bags. Flights start September 02, 2021 with a twice weekly service. From Dakar convenient connections are available to Ziguinchor (ZIG) in Senegal, Ivory…
Airlink is adding another new route to its expanding intra-Africa network with the launch of its Johannesburg-Entebbe service. Four flights a week will operate on the route from July 19, offering connections with Airlink’s domestic and regional network, which reaches across many Southern African destinations. The schedule will be made available at a later stage.…
Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni on Sunday re-imposed a strict lockdown that included the closure of schools and the suspension of inter-district travel to help beat back a surge in COVID-19 cases in the East African country. The new measures, which will be effective from Monday morning, include the closure of all educational institutions, some bans…
Cheryle Velsor, previously with South African Airways Vacations, joins Alluring Africa and brings with her more than 42 years of travel industry experience to become their Travel Trade Relations Manager, a dedicated resource to the travel advisor community. Starting out as a “front line” travel agent, Cheryle owned a successful travel agency, before moving on to the tour operator side…
A day after announcing that Seychelles would reopen to all South African travellers, the destination has overturned its own decision and is once again prohibiting travellers from South Africa from visiting the islands. “The advisory was updated yesterday on June 1 and visitors from South Africa are not allowed to enter the Seychelles,” confirmed Seychelles…
South African Tourism (SAT) and United Airlines held a joint webinar on Thursday to announce the inauguration of daily nonstop flights from Newark to Johannesburg beginning June 3, and to talk about South Africa’s positioning as a destination while the world recovers mobility, and travelers who have been pent up for a year are released. The…
Malawi Airlines has plans to resume full operations by mid-June and already has a schedule for June of six flights a week between both Lilongwe and Blantyre and Johannesburg’s OR Tambo. The airline’s two shareholders, the Malawian government, which holds a 51% shareholding and Ethiopian Airlines, which holds 49%, have agreed to recapitalise the central African carrier after…
The Kenya Association of Travel Agents (KATA), Rwanda Development Board (RDB), Rwanda Chamber of Tourism (RCT) and the East African Tourism Platform have signed a partnership that will see the development of business and leisure travel in the East African community. The framework of the agreement is expected to enhance co-operation between the parties and…
Namibia has introduced new travel restrictions, with effect from tomorrow (June 1), advises independent regional airline, Airlink. All travellers entering Namibia will need to produce a negative SARS COVID-19 PCR test result (valid for seven days from the date of collection). Antigen Rapid Diagnostic Test results will no longer be accepted for entry into Namibia…
A total of R537 million (€32.4m) has been earmarked for investment in tourism infrastructure projects by the Department of Tourism. This was highlighted by the Minister of Tourism, Mmamoloko Kubayi–Ngubane, during her Budget Vote address to the National Council of Provinces yesterday (June 1). “To effect the implementation of these projects, the Department entered into a partnership…
The World Bank says it has approved $150 million for a project to help increase access to high-quality broadband internet services in Tanzania. It’s one of a number of Tanzanian projects receiving World Bank financing that are aimed at improving not just connectivity but rural roads and the learning environment. The Digital Tanzania Project (DTP),…
Travellers from South Africa will be able to visit the Seychelles from Tuesday 1 June onwards, after being barred from accessing the island nation since the start of 2021. In a bid to reinvigorate the island’s embattled tourism industry, which is responsible for 65% of its GDP, the Seychelles announced the full reopening of its…
Portman Square Limited has signed an agreement with Marriott International to debut the Four Points by Sheraton brand in Uganda. The development is expected boost the continued gradual resurgence of the local hospitality industry and bookings currently at 28% from a near zero at the height of the lockdown last year. Scheduled to open in…
Uganda Airlines is set to make its maiden flight to South Africa’s capital Johannesburg. The flight will enhance connectivity to and from the airline’s current network which includes Nairobi , Dares salaam , Kinshasa Juba, Mogadishu Bujumbura , Zanzibar , Mombasa and Kilimanjaro. Ochieng also says as UTB, they are equally interested in ensuring proper…
South African Tourism and United Airlines will host a Zoom webinar today at 11am ET to discuss the return of United Airlines to South Africa and re-opening of the destination. There is no need to sign up for the webinar, you can join using the following link at 11am ET on Thursday 27 May. https://finnpartners.zoom.us/j/99147902720?pwd=YTlOUzAvSDl3QU9sNzAzRVdjQ1NPdz09…
Sun City Resort, just a two-hour drive from Pretoria, is now open daily for day visitors after months of gradually easing access. Guests can take a quad bike or mountain bike through the Letsatsing Game Park or get lost in the largest permanent maze in the Southern hemisphere, The Maze of the Lost City. The…
Kenya Airways and Airlink have signed an interline agreement that will extend the airlines’ reach in the Southern African and the East African regions respectively. The new agreement will offer customers travel to over 40 cities across Africa. Under this latest agreement, Kenya Airways customers flying to South Africa will be able to connect with…
Rawan Dakik became the first Tanzania woman to successfully reach the last peak of Mount Everest (8,850meters). Rawan was the only Tanzanian in the list of those who made to the World’s highest peak. Apart from Rawan the other 22 climbers who made it alongside Rawan were from USA, Sweden, Nepal, South Africa, Canada and…
Bird Island, Seychelles will be opening on 15th July 2021. Our opening comes with some exciting changes to our accommodation as we evolve with these unprecedented times. The island now features 6 two-bedroom villas and 1 three-bedroom villa, in line with our move to become a self-catering establishment. Each villa comprises of a newly built…
While most aviation companies have felt the heavy impact of the Covid-19 outbreak, some entrepreneurs in the space have taken the crisis as an opportunity to embark on new ventures. One of the most notable in recent months is Nigeria’s Green Africa Airways, a brainchild of a serial entrepreneur Babawande Afolabi, which has announced it…
The Nest Collection – a new hospitality management solution for owners and managers of boutique accommodation establishments – launched this month. Its aim is twofold: to bring together a bespoke collection of distinctive, individual, boutique properties to create a quality travel ecosystem, and to offer an array of solutions for those properties to help them…
United just added another popular African city to its long-haul route map! On Friday, the carrier began year-round service between Washington, D.C. (IAD) and Accra, Ghana (ACC). United 996 departs IAD at 6:15 p.m. on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, returning at 11:45 p.m. as United 997 the following day. It’s the first of two routes…
The Biden administration said on Thursday it was lifting Ebola-related travel restrictions for U.S. visitors who have recently been in Guinea, effective Friday. In March, the Department of Homeland Security ordered that travelers who had been in Guinea and Democratic Republic of the Congo within the past 21 days had to fly into one of…
South African Airways (SAA) aims to resume flights in July or August, but the restart date will depend on how the COVID-19 pandemic progresses and whether the airline can resolve a pilot dispute, its chief executive said on Friday. State-owned SAA, which was put into administration in December 2019, has not flown commercially since September,…
The UAE and The Seychelles have announced the establishment of a new travel corridor for vaccinated holidaymakers, said Emirates news agency Wam. From Thursday, people will not have to quarantine on arrival in either country as long as they have a recognised vaccination certificate approved by the health authorities in the two nations. All travellers must continue…
A new wellness resort, Kisawa Sanctuary, has launched on Benguerra Island, Mozambique. The 14 bungalows, which include grouped bungalows, accommodate two people each and have their own beachfront, private infinity pool and day area, with an outdoor kitchen, cabana and a dedicated service team. Grouped bungalows feature larger swimming pools, decks and day areas. The…
Sky Bird Travel & Tours’ tours division, Sky Vacations, has added three new North Africa tours to its exciting collection of tour packages. Sky Vacations’ expertly crafted itineraries are known for delivering the best and most diverse experiences a destination has to offer, and it’s no surprise that people are reaching for its packages to…
Zimbabwe President, Emmerson Mnangagwa says the city of Victoria Falls has now achieved herd immunity following the vaccination of over 77 percent of its residents in the ongoing countrywide mass COVID-19 vaccination programme. Statistics released by Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Health and Child Care show that more than 19 243 people, against a target of 25 000, had received…
A new airline, Skylink Airways, has been established with the aim of filling the vacuum left by South African Airways (SAA). AeroTime Hub reported that Skylink Airways was founded by South African entrepreneur Clarence Andrea Steyn. Steyn told Aero Telegraph he has received backing from Russian and South African investors and has started hiring former SAA…
Only about two dozen trees from the Karomia gigas tree exist in its wild Tanzanian habitat. Its new flower is a hopeful sign for its survival. As far as the plant scientists at the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis know, the tiny purple-and-white flower that recently grew in their greenhouse has never before been…
South Africa has taken steps to end its multimillion-dollar lion-breeding industry, which supplies cubs for tourism, lions for trophy hunts, and bones for traditional medicine. In a statement on May 2, Barbara Creecy, the minster of South Africa’s Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, acknowledged the “view that the captive lion breeding industry did not contribute…
Botswana and Zambia have inaugurated a road and rail bridge linking the two countries, marking the completion of a multimillion-dollar project aimed at easing congestion at border crossings and boosting trade. Stretching for 923 metres (some 3,000 feet) over the Zambezi River, the curved Kazungula bridge provides a long-needed alternative route for hauliers. “This will…
Tourism players are upbeat following heightened negotiation between Kenya and Tanzania that aims at bolstering trade between the two nations. Stakeholders said that apart from Kenya which has been cooperating with Uganda and Rwanda on tourism, Tanzania has had a frosty relation with Kenya. They said the recent state visit by Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan to…
City of Cape Town Mayor, Dan Plato, has approved a R3.9bn (€229.6m) expansion to the V&A Waterfront’s Canal District. The mixed-use development will lead to the creation of at least 1 100 jobs during the construction phase. This announcement follows the recent approval of the R14bn (€824.1m) mixed-use Harbour Arch Development, which will include the construction…
Ultimate Safaris has shown incredible talent and innovation in bringing to life camps that stand apart from the rest, and their newest, Onduli Ridge, lives up to their high standard. The planning for Onduli Ridge was undertaken with the intentional absence of engineers, architects and interior decorators, allowing nature and its boundaries to determine the camp’s…
In an exclusive interview with the Seychelles News Agency on Monday, the head of state of Seychelles – President Wavel Ramkalawan – said the island nation remains a safe destination for visitors and that the archipelego’s world-leading vaccination campaign has proven to be effective. President Ramkalawan said the Seychelles – 115 islands in the western…