Latitude Hotel Opens in Uganda

Latitude 0°, part of the Latitude Hotels Group, will open in July in Makindye on the outskirts of Kampala. The hotel has 47 rooms, all with lake or city views, and is 45 minutes from Entebbe International Airport. Facilities include a restaurant, bar and lounge, a rooftop bar, spa, and fitness centre with an 18-metre…

Air Seychelles Launches Johannesburg Route

Air Seychelles launched a new daily service between the Seychelles and Johannesburg. Flight HM061 from Seychelles to Johannesburg operated by the airline Airbus A320 aircraft featuring 16 business class and 120 economy class seats departed the Seychelles International Airport on Monday morning under the command of Captain Archille Young and First Officer Bertrand Mein. The…

Namibia’s Desert Express Train Returns

The popular Desert Express will be operational again as of end of June 2019. Prior to stopping operations in 2017, the Desert Express Train travelled from Windhoek to Swakopmund, making a number of stops enroute to enjoy activities and experience beautiful Namibia. Schedules and details will be published at a later stage. Read More.  

Uganda Tourism Board Focusing on ‘Dark Tourism’

Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) has identified dark tourism – travel to places historically associated with death and tragedy – as a product it believes will not only help diversify Uganda’s tourism product offerings but also help the younger generation understand the journey of their country. Lily Ajarova, CEO of Uganda Tourism Board, says the country’s…

Malawi’s Majete Success Story

Majete Wildlife Reserve is situated in the south-western part of Malawi and is an incredible success story representing the rebirth of a dwindling wildlife reserve. Just 15 years ago the reserve was void of thriving wildlife and vegetation. Large mammals had been poached from the park and remnant populations of a few resilient species remained…

Botswana Lifts Ban on Elephant Hunting

After five years, hunting will now be allowed in Botswana, home to about a third of Africa’s savanna elephants. After a five-year suspension, the government of Botswana has decided once again to allow sport hunters to kill elephants, according to a statement issued on May 22 by the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resource Conservation and Tourism. Botswana…

New ‘Canopy by Hilton’ to Open in Cape Town

Hilton announced the signing of a management agreement with Growthpoint Properties, South Africa’s largest REIT, to open a hotel under its lifestyle Canopy by Hilton brand.  The 150 guestroom Canopy by Hilton Cape Town Longkloof is expected to begin welcoming guests in 2021 and will be the brand’s debut property in Africa. Canopy by Hilton…

New Luxury Lodge Opens in Uganda

Nile Safari Lodge, a new luxury lodge on the shores of the River Nile River in the north-west of Uganda, will open in August. The lodge is near Murchison Falls National Park and Budongo Forest, and will have eight self-contained en-suite rooms, referred to as bandas. The rooms are slightly raised from the ground and have…

Tanzania Plans Cable Car for Mount Kilimanjaro

Tanzania wants to boost tourist numbers by putting a cable car on Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s tallest mountain, and is in talks about the project with a Chinese and a Western company. Around 50,000 tourists climb Kilimanjaro annually. A cable car could increase tourist numbers by 50 percent by providing access to the mountain for those…

Air Madagascar Renews Flights to Johannesburg

Air Madagascar has announced the resumption of flights between Antananarivo and Johannesburg, effective June 17. The airline previously flew to South Africa’s main industrial and commercial center but halted flights in 2015 when continued operations stood on a knife’s edge at the time. The planned flight will be operated with a Boeing B737-800NG aircraft serving…

Robben Island Prices Increase

As of Saturday, 01 June 2019 Robben Island Museum (RIM) will implement two-tier pricing resulting in an unexpected price increase of over 50% for international visitors. The current standard rate is R 360 and is increasing to R 550 for non-South African adults, effective 01 June 2019. Based on annual financial analysis and consultation with its…

Craft Gin School Opens in Johannesburg

Towards the end of last year, the Indaba Hotel in Fourways partnered with Inverroche, one of South Africa’s most famous craft gins – now exported, to open the Gin School at Indaba Hotel. Under the expertise of the master Gin School host, guests can brew and distil their very own hand-crafted gin according to their own…

Kenya Airways to Re-instate Daily US Flights

From June, Kenya Airways (KQ) will increase its flight frequency from Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport NBO to New York’s John F Kennedy International Airport (JFK) from five  to seven days a week. The airline’s CEO Sebastian Mikosz says KQ seeks to cash in on the US summer high season. “The New York route continues to be…

WTM Africa Kicks Off in Cape Town

WTM Africa 2019 opened yesterday on a high note with thousands of travel professionals visiting from across the globe to attend the leading event for the travel industry in Africa.  BIG SHOW, BIG CONTENT Important discussions underscored the role of women in the tourism sector at the Women in travel Meetup, while Business Events Conference powered by IBTM Africa…

Malawi Tourism Sector Continues to Grow

The Department of Tourism in the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Culture is working on revolutionalising the tourism industry in Malawi. Director of Tourism, Isaac Katopola, discusses some of the highlights of 2018 and expectations for 2019 with DENIS MZEMBE. Excerpts: What have been some of the major highlights of the tourism industry in Malawi…

Special Offers to Cycle Malawi

Cycle Malawi currently have a collection of special offers on their tours and scheduled departures. With day trips such as the Zomba Plateau MTB Day Tour at only $90 per person, and 7-10 Day departures exploring the country from $1470 per person. There is limited availability, so enquire today for further information. Mount Mulanje is a dramatic towering…

New Flights to Link Mara with Uganda’s Gorillas

AirKenya will launch flights between the Maasai Mara and Entebbe, Uganda, starting June 1, via Kisumu for immigration purposes. AirKenya Reservations Manager, Catherine Kimwele, told Tourism Update that the flights would be daily, “initially starting with a Grand Caravan (11-seater), and will progress to an 18 or 50-seater, depending on the loads”. The flight will depart the Maasai…