Bloomberg’s annual “Where to Go in 2019” list is out and of the 21 destinations featured, two are in Africa: Kenya and Chad. KENYA If you don’t have the flexibility for a long trip but have always wanted to watch 1.7 million wildebeests thunder across the Maasai Mara, this is the year to realize your…
RwandAir, the flag carrier airline of Rwanda based at Kigali International Airport in Kigali, announced plans to launch service to Ethiopian capital city of Addis Ababa in April 2019. RwandAir will operate five direct weekly flights from Kigali to Addis Ababa. The airline will use CRJ-900NG aircraft to operate the new route. With flights to…
Ethiopian Airlines, the Largest Aviation Group in Africa and SKYTRAX Certified Four Star Global Airline, is pleased to announce to its customers worldwide that it has fully implemented Self Check-in Initiative, enabling its customers to check-in using their mobile device and avoid queues at the airport. The new Self Check-in Initiative provides hassle free check-in…
Boeing and Lagos-based Green Africa Airways today announced a commitment for up to 100 737 MAX 8 aircraft, evenly split into 50 firm aircraft and 50 options, as the airline gears up to begin commercial operations. The total deal carries a list-price of $11.7 billion, the largest aircraft agreement from Africa, and will be reflected…
Our new Jenman Select Vehicle has been designed with the ultimate safari experience in mind. Passengers each have their own comfortable window seats with plenty of legroom available, as well as charging ports, air-conditioning vents, and reading lights. Besides a pop-up roof for optimal safari viewing as well as a tap providing filtered water on…
Ministry of Tourism is to establish five regional tourism councils in January next year as part of the Tourism Recovery Strategy. Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala says the five tourism council blocs that include in Rift Valley, the Lake Region, the Northern Region, Nairobi and the Coast will partner with the Kenya Tourism Board in promotion…
AVANI Seychelles Barbarons Resort and Spa has opened a new lounge at Seychelles International Airport. The CIP (Commercial Important Person) Payanke Lounge, named after the White-tailed Tropicbird, officially opened on December 6. According to David Savy, Chairman of the Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority, on average one million passengers pass through the airport each year on both…
Elewana Collection are proud to announce that Elewana Arusha Coffee Lodge have achieved the SAPLING Level Award in the Responsible Tourism Tanzania Awards 2018. Responsible Tourism Tanzania (RTTZ) is a non-profit organization to encourage and promote sustainable tourism within the industry. RTTZ was established in 2011 as a trusteeship with a governance and membership base…
South Africa is becoming more accessible for traveling families through updated regulations. The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) announced on December 1st, 2018 that they are relaxing some of the regulations for children traveling to South Africa. The announcement comes at a pivotal point for family travel as the Festive Season, a time when many…
The Okavango Delta is a freshwater wetland in northern Botswana that stretches some 1,200 to 3,000 square miles, depending on the season. It’s one of the most biodiverse regions on the continent, home to elephants, cheetahs, rhinos, endangered wild dogs, and hundreds of species of birds. Over the course of three weeks, three filmmakers joined…
This follows agreements signed between Turkish President Recep Edorgan and President Edgar Lungu during the former’s visit to Zambia in July. Zambian government has assured Turkish Airlines of all necessary support to its operations. Minister of Transport and Communications Brian Mushimba says government is providing airlines establishing new routes with incentives. The A330, configured in…
We are very excited to report that Andrea Hugo Associates are now representing Chilo Gorge Safari Lodge overlooking the Gonarezhou National Park in south-eastern Zimbabwe. Not only is it a fabulous product, it also adds a whole new dimension to our Zimbabwe offering. The Gonarezhou is an extremely pristine wilderness area, off the beaten path,…
Rwanda’s capital city Kigali will be home to a 134 hectare urban park in the city’s biggest valley in 2020. The Nyandungu Urban Wetland Eco-Tourism Park will conserve wetlands and habitat for wildlife while providing walking and cycling trails, fish ponds and botanical gardens for residents and tourists. http://www.ipsnews.net/2018/12/rwanda-build-ecotourism-park-kigali/
Set adjacent to the Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve, Rafiki Safari Camp is the perfect base when exploring the wilderness of Malawi. Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve is something of a birding mecca and this newly revitalised game park is now stocked with some of Africas favourite large vertebrates, making your safari holiday complete. Rafiki Safari Camp boasts spacious…
Air Botswana has procured a new Embraer ERJ170, and has resumed direct Gaborone-Cape Town flights. The flights operate on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. The airline suspended the flights in February, after the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) grounded CemAir flights due to CemAir’s alleged failure to submit credible proof of compliance to SACAA. Minister of Transport…
AirKenya and Safarilink both resumed operations into the Mara North Airstrip in the Maasai Mara, on December 8. The two airlines previously suspended services to and from the airstrip on October 30, due to its unserviceable condition. According to AirKenya, if passengers’ preference is to fly into/from Mara North Airstrip and they booked an alternative due…
Qatar Airways Group chief executive Akbar al-Baker, said: “The inaugural flight to the beautiful coastal city of Mombasa marks further growth and strengthening bonds between the State of Qatar and Kenya. We are thrilled to be the first Middle East airline to offer direct flights to Mombasa, our second gateway into Kenya. “The people of…
Ethiopian Airlines, the largest Aviation Group in Africa and SKYTRAX Certified Four Star Global Airline, inaugurated flights to Manchester, its second destination in the UK next to London, at a colourful ceremony graced by the presence of H.E. Mrs Susanna Moorehead, Ambassador of the UK to Ethiopia, Group CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, Mr. Tewolde GebreMariam,…
Jenman African Safaris has appointed Pierce Synnott as their marketing specialist dedicated exclusively to certain European markets. Pierce has relocated from South Africa to Ireland and will be personally looking after agents from France, Scandinavia, the Netherlands, Belgium, and the UK. This charming Irishman is fluent in both French and English as well as artful…
A real special of the crater is the black rhino. Rhino is hard to see in Tanzania, and black rhino is typically very shy – sticking to thick vegetation. This is not so in the crater, where they have a predictable routine of spending the night in Lerai forest, and the day in open grassland. Rhinos…
The Kenyan tourism board, in partnership with CornerSun Destination Marketing, kicked off their US roadshow this week with workshops in Boston on Dec 3rd and Washington DC on Dec 5th. The events are aligned with the launch of the new direct service on Kenya Airways from New York-JFK to Nairobi, which began October 28th. 13…
Ethiopian Airlines, the largest Aviation Group in Africa and SKYTRAX Certified Four Star Global Airline is pleased to announce that it has been crowned Company of the Year by All Africa Business Leaders Award (AABLA) on 29 November 2018 in Sandton, Johannesburg. Ethiopian Group CEO, Mr. Tewolde GebreMariam, has also been listed among the finalist…
We are proud to announce that we have been awarded South Africa’s Leading Tour Operator in the World Travel Awards held in Durban recently. The 2018 World Travel Awards, in its 25th year, acknowledges and celebrates excellence in the travel and tourism industry throughout the world. Other key winners included South Africa, voted “Africa’s Leading Destination”,…
African Parks a non-profit conservation organization has translocated nine Giraffe from South Africa to Majete Wildlife Reserve in Chikwawa. With the translocation, the population of Giraffes in the country has been increased to 30 as of now. Public Relations Coordinator for African Parks, Fran Read said the translocation was carried out through a partnership with…
Zimbabwe and Zambia are engaging regional counterparts Botswana, Angola and Namibia over the possibility of adopting the Kavango-Zambezi (KAZA) Uni-Visa to expedite the movement of tourists. The KAZA Uni-Visa was introduced as a pilot project between Zambia and Zimbabwe during the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) General Assembly, co-hosted by the two countries in 2013.…
Uganda has made it to the National Geographic Travelers Cool List for 2019; the magazine’s hotly anticipated list names the “must-see” destinations of the year and here is why Uganda couldn’t miss from the list Why now? When Rwanda doubled the price of its gorilla trek permits from $750 to $1,500 (£572 to £1,144) in 2017,…
Four activity vehicles to be used to transport tourists with mobility challenges for game drives were unveiled on Tuesday, December 4, by Lucy Nhlapo, GM: Marula Region of the Kruger National Park on behalf of KNP management. The 14-seat vehicles form part of the KNP Visitor Management Plan, and can lift a weight of up to…
We are very excited to announce that we have set up a permanent camera overlooking the water hole at Elewana Tarangire Treetops, offering you a ‘window’ to check out what is happening, any time day or night wherever you are in the world. If you are lucky, you may see a herd of elephants enjoying a…
Habitas plans to open its first hotel in Africa. The new hotel will be situated in Namibia, about an hour’s drive from Hosea Kutako International Airport. Oliver Ripley, CEO of Habitas, revealed that Habitas has reached an agreement with Comsar Properties to convert its property into a wildlife and nature conservation reserve, housing a 40-room…
Kenya Tourism Board, working in partnership with CornerSun Destination Marketing, has opened registration for the upcoming Kenya Travel Workshops to take place in Boston, Washington DC & New York City. Qualified travel advisors and tour operators interested in participating should register at the following links: Boston – December 3rd at the über chic, Liberty Hotel…
The New York Travel Show will be held on 27 January 2018 – 29 January 2018 at the Javits Convention Center in New York. This is the largest travel trade show of its kind in the US, and the largest consumer travel show in the country, attracting over 20,000 consumer attendees over 3 days. More…
Ethiopian Airlines, the largest Aviation Group in Africa and SKYTRAX Certified Four Star Global Airline is pleased to announce that it has won 2018 Best Airlines in Africa Award for the 7th year in a row from African Airlines Association (AFRAA). The award was given on November 27, 2018 in recognition of its exceptional financial…
Tour Operator iWorld of Travel has officially added Malawi to their portfolio of destinations announcing a special “Lunar Eclipse Spectacular” package for 2019. The program includes Lilongwe, Liwonde and Mangochi 7 Days / 6 Nights (January 17th – 23rd, 2019) Prices starting from $2,755 per person Journey Overview: View the lunar eclipse from Lake Malawi Experience…
The children at Esiteti Primary School had a delightful surprise when internationally renowned Chinese violinist Zhang Zhang performed during a visit to Elewana Tortilis Camp in Amboseli. Zhang Zhang is one of the chief soloists of the Monaco Philharmonic Orchestra, and is currently travelling the world on a charity inspired sabbatical sponsored by Prince Albert.…
The Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) and African Parks made history in May 2017, when a small founder population of Cheetahs was successfully relocated to Liwonde National Park in Malawi, restoring the population of this threatened species at least 20 years after its extinction in the country. Now, history has been made again, as the first cubs have been born…
Our two new dhows, Zambezi Tribe and Zambezi Origin have arrived in Vic Falls and are going through the final phase of their induction – undergoing their finishing touches, soft furnishing, romantic lighting, and other amenities, as well as a test run on the mighty Zambezi River! The dhows will escort guests on a romantic…
Jenman Select has created a new eco-friendly experience for travellers who are looking to be wowed by breathtaking natural beauty and get away from the hustle and bustle of busy urban life. This package is especially unique in that it allows guests to dabble in beekeeping, surrounded by fields of fynbos that flavour the honey…
It is such a delight when you meet someone that is so passionate about what they do and is so full of life. The energy and enthusiasm that radiates from this young guide that works at Elewana Kifaru House in Lewa Borana Wildlife Conservancy is infectious. His knowledge of the bush and the animals that…
Saruni invites bookings for a 2 nights’ minimum stay at Saruni Rhino alone. We are delighted to announce that Saruni Rhino, our intimate camp in Sera Community Conservancy, Northern Kenya and the base for on-foot black rhino tracking, can now be booked independently from our other Saruni properties. Until now, a stay had to be combined…
We’re so proud to announce that Rhino Post Safari Lodge and Rhino Walking Safaris has been awarded the prestigious Kudu Award as the Business Partner of the year. Janine Raftopoulos, SANParks’ Head of Communications who stresses the importance of conservation and cultural heritage says that the Awards allow SANParks to honour those people whose “conservation…
The Pan African Hotel group, ONOMO Hotels chain, has opened its business in Rwanda, seeking to boost business tourism in Kigali and the rest of East Africa. ONOMO Hotels officially inaugurated their new hotel in Kigali, Rwanda’s capital city, in addition to their portfolio during an auspicious and glamorous event hosted late last week. The…
The Maputo–Katembe Bridge in Mozambique, Africa’s longest suspension bridge that costed a whooping US $750m has officially been opened to traffic. Financed by China and built by China Road and Bridge Corporation, the project began in June 2014. The entire structure is nearly 3km long, comprising a kilometre-long ramp on either side of a 680-metre span over Maputo Bay,…
Wilderness Safaris has introduced new fully serviced, privately-guided mobile camping safaris in Namibia. The exclusive safaris speak to adventurous travellers who want to “get back to nature and explore the vast and pristine wilderness areas”, with an expert guide, but with the comforts of a pre-setup camp. “The term ‘full serviced’ means that there is…
Lilongwe Wildlife Trust has launched a Malawi Conservation Experience, which gives participants the opportunity to work with animals and contribute to the country’s conservation drive. Feeding into the “travel with purpose” trend, the two-week experience combines hands-on work with rescued animals at Malawi’s only wildlife sanctuary, assisting with elephant and primate research, and spending time…
RIU Hotels has just opened the Riu Palace Boavista, which is its fifth hotel in Cape Verde and its third on the island of Boa Vista, following a total investment of 70 million euros. The five-star hotel is located by Praia das Dunas and it offers the exclusive all-inclusive 24-hour service of RIU together with…
Ethiopian Cargo & Logistics Services, Africa’s Largest Cargo operator, has taken delivery of its 8th B777 freighter aircraft in its cargo fleet family, on November 10, 2018 at its home base at Bole International Airport. Maintaining its trajectory of rapid growth and expansion in the global cargo industry, Africa’s Largest Cargo Service provider and largest…
The Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) alongside its partners will be the driving force behind the Seychelles Ocean Festival, an event that promotes marine-based tourism in the island archipelago. The event is an opportunity for STB to sensitize the local population about the role and importance of the marine world for Seychelles as a destination, the…
The Greater Kruger Card App, is a state-of-the-art tourist information system for those visiting the greater Hoedspruit, Panorama, Kruger National Park (KNP) and Lowveld regions in South Africa. It aims to improve tourist safety with live push notifications alerting users to any protest action or blockades, whilst providing up-to-date maps and information on activities, accommodation…
News Release 4 October 2018 FAIR TRADE TOURISM SIGNS PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT WITH TRAVELIFE FOR TOUR OPERATORS Fair Trade Tourism has signed a significant partnership agreement with Travelife, Europe’s biggest sustainability certification scheme for tour operators. The agreement sees the two organisations combine forces to offer sustainability training and certification for tour operators throughout southern Africa…
Kenya Tourism Board is increasing its efforts to promote travel to the country by appointing CornerSun Destination Marketing to support ongoing marketing efforts in North America. The move comes just a week after Kenya Airways began the first direct flights from New York’s JFK to Nairobi. CornerSun will begin its promotional campaign with a multi-city…