KENYA
JKIA Transit Passengers Hit 1.25M As Cargo Increases 18 pc
East Africa Travel And Tourism NEWS – Kenya’s major airport registered a growth of transit passengers last year, highlighting Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) as a favourite transiting hub for international travellers. Recent data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics indicate that the number of international passengers in transit increased by 2.7 per cent from 1.2 million in 2016 to 1.25 million last year.
JKIA is a major hub for passengers connecting to Europe, US or even the Middle East.
Overall, Kenya’s major airports recorded an increase on the number of passengers who used different ports in the period under review.
“The total number of passengers increased by 3.5 per cent from 9.8 million in 2016 to 10.1 million last year,” says the KNBS in a recently released Economic Survey.
The number of passengers handled at the JKIA increased by 2.2 per cent to 7.3 million while those handled at the Moi International Airport (MIA) remained at 1.2 million during the review period.
The Moi International Airport handles aircraft coming from outside the country because of its tourism status, unlike some airports that only handle domestic airlines.
Commercial cargo handled at the JKIA increased by 18 per cent to 273,000 tonnes with MIA recording an increase of 20 per cent to 3,500 tonnes.
According to the KNBS, domestic landings and takeoffs increased by 1.5 per cent to 207,831 in 2017, as more airlines moved in to tap the high demand for flying.
Local airlines have been expanding to new routes as demand for air travel in parts of the country that do not have a developed air transport takes root. This is a boost to Kenyans who are now enjoying low fares due to increased competition.
In the last couple of months, airlines have launched new routes that include the far flung Wajir region that have been lagging behind in air transport.
Jambojet is currently flying to Wajir and it charges Sh4,200 for one way ticket.
This is the latest local route that they have introduced in their schedule.
Local airline Silverstone Air Services introduced Kisumu and Mombasa routes last year, targeting tourists on the Western and Coastal circuit.
The airline launched commercial flights from Nairobi to Kisumu and Ukunda, having previously operated as a charter-only carrier.
Silverstone is currently operating five planes on its local routes, consisting of two Dash-8 planes and three Fokker 50 aircraft.
The airline launched daily flights to Lodwar in January, raising the competition for customers on the route that is also served by Fly540, Safarilink and several other carriers.
Silverstone is charging Sh8,500 for one way ticket to Lodwar, the same amount that Skyward Express ticket costs on the same route.
The plans to put up a second runway at JKIA are underway after the country secured funding from African Development Bank (AFDB).
This marks a major starting point for the expansion of the airport that has for a long time been operating with a single runway.
The single runway has been blamed for delays in takeoffs and landing of the aircrafts at the facility.
The project is expected to commence in the second half of 2018 and is expected to ease delays at the facility once it is commissioned.
News Source KATA
Kenya Tourism Board Signs Partnership Deal With Cycling Race Organizers
The Kenya Tourism Board has partnered with cycling events organiser, Ngong Hills Individual Time Trial (NHITT) to promote domestic travel by undertaking three mountain bike races countrywide beginning this weekend.
The first bike race dubbed “Arabuko Sokoke Forest Challenge with Tembea Kenya” is set for this weekend in Kilifi county. It has attracted the participation of hundreds of local and international cyclists.
The 64 kilometres bike race will take place in the largest and most intact coastal forest in East Africa. Arabuko Sokoke forest has 20% of Kenya’s bird species, 30% of butterfly species and at least 24 rare and endemic bird, mammal and butterfly species. The race is also part of the campaigns geared towards conservation.
KTB Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Betty Radier has said that the sporting event provides a new and exciting experience especially for the young and middle-aged segment of the population which is increasingly seeking out an active lifestyle, both for leisure as well as for fitness and networking.
“Kenya is a perfect destination for biking safaris due to the favourable weather throughout the year. The outlying touristic attractions along the competition routes attract the spectator audience which follows the riders” said the CEO.
Dr. Radier has further said that adventure tourism is fast growing with millennials developing more interest in authentic experiences through travel.
“Our aim is to showcase the attractions in the selected regions and push the adventure segment of travel that is increasingly attracting interest among the millennials”, she concluded.
Other biking challenges have been lined up for the months of June and July in Machakos and the Great Rift Valley.
Speaking while thanking KTB for its support, NHITT CEO, Alex Tibwitta has said that the planned cycling events will provide an opportunity to showcase Kenya’s diversity as a destination while promoting cycling as a means of keeping fit.
The partnership comes a week after KTB concluded a month-long series of training workshops across the country targeted at domestic travel agents across the country. The training sessions sought to equip them with first-hand experiences of what Kenya has to offer to the domestic segment.
According to the KTB CEO, KTB will continue to explore partnerships and collaboration with industry players in order to reap maximum benefit from the domestic segment.
The CEO further noted that the domestic tourism segment has continued to cushion the sector during low seasons and that its performance is on the increase.
In 2017, domestic tourism recorded a total of 4.05 million bed nights being taken up by Kenyans compared to 3.5 million in 2016, denoting a 15.9% growth.
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RWANDA
Rwanda’s Tourism Chamber And RTTA Holds Stakeholder Meeting At The New Onomo Hotel
60 private sector stakeholders are taking part in a workshop organized by the Rwanda Tours and Travel Association under the auspices of the Rwanda Tourism Chamber, learning about the massive change the industry has already undergone and will according to presenter Damian Cook continue to undergo in the future.
Already during the morning session did it become clear that the only constant in business in this day and age is change, and in many areas of the aviation, tourism and hospitality business is this change seemingly speeding up rather than slowing down.
Explained Damian that already nearly two thirds of bookings are now done already online, a trend likely to increase further, posing both challenges and opportunities to the travel fraternity.
Elements covered in the two day workshop will give the participants an overview and insight into what no doubt must be their course of action if they want to succeed in the future as ever new technologies become available and rapidly get integrated in the people’s personal and professional lives.
News Source
Rwandair Counts Down To Cape Town Launch
In two weeks time will RwandAir launch their next destination already, not long after the inaugural flight between Kigali and Abuja took off from the international airport in the Rwandan capital.
As Abuja will be operated in conjunction with onward flights to Accra / Ghana will Cape Town combine with Harare, another key destination for the airline and of growing importance again for tourism and trade traffic.
The combination with Harare is seen as an incentive for tourists traveling with RwandAir as both destinations are linked by fifth freedom traffic rights, allowing passengers to get off in Zimbabwe, explore the country and then fly to iconic Cape Town before returning home via Kigali.
Cape Town is Africa’s most important MICE city in terms of conferences hosted and Kigali, when the ICCA rankings are published in late May or early June, is expected to at the very least become Africa’s number three on its own, having outsold other cities ahead of them until last year. Rwanda too as a country is expected to rise in the ICCA rankings and best guess is that they will be number two after Cape Town on the African continent.
All eyes will however first be on RwandAir as the airline prepares to launch yet another key destination in Southern Africa before turning the attention to the ICCA ranking announcement late this month.
News Source
UGANDA
Dragon Boat Festival 2018 launched in Uganda
The Dragon Boat Festival is set to attract many local and international participants including those from China.
China’s ambassador to Uganda Zheng ZhuQiang said he was happy that dragon boat culture was being embraced in Uganda.
“Every year between May and June, many dragon boat festivals take place in China and in other parts of the world,” ZhuQuiang said.
The ambassador said this during the launch of the second edition of the festival in Uganda. The function took place at Arirang Hotel, Kampala.
At the function, the ambassador pledged that the embassy would contribute sh200m towards the organisation of the festival.
The event will take place on June 16 at the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre, Entebbe.
Godfrey Kiwanda, state minister for tourism, speaking on behalf of the Government, said Uganda was blessed with many fresh water bodies where the dragon boat races can take place.
Kiwanda said the Kabaka’s Lake could be used for boat racing and it could attract tourist.
“The Kabaka’s Lake is within the city and it could attract many visitors if it is used for sports tourism. When I was in Malaysia, I was driven for 300km to go and see a fresh water body and there were many people there.
“Uganda has so many lakes and rivers that can be visited by tourists,” Kiwanda said.
He hoped the festival would attract more tourists from China to visit Uganda and enable Uganda hit its target of getting four million visitors per year.
Uganda currently gets about 1,320,000 visitors per year.
The dragon boat festival has its origins over 2,000 years ago in China. It was intended to commemorate a patriotic poet Qu Yuan who was devoted to his country with heart and soul. It has grown into one of the most important traditional festivals in China.
Vincent Musubire, chairman of the organizing committee Dragon Boat Festival said during the festival there will many activities.
They include a cultural trade expo where Uganda and Chinese organisations will exhibit trade items and services themed under fashion, food, health and hospitality services.
There will be cultural games involving spectacular kite shows, martial arts, tug rope competitions, acrobatic displays, cultural dance competitions, language articulation. Other activities include; music and dance and tug rope competitions, cultural cuisines; Chinese and Uganda menu will be presented.
Musubire said there will be competitive boating race of teams. He said the dragon boats will be specially branded with a ‘dragon top’ and sticker of the competing team.
The rowing teams will be comprised of professional rowers, competing teams have the choice of using their team members as back up or hiring extra professional rowers.
The chairman of China Africa Friendship Association of Uganda, Eng. Benon Mugarura said the mission of the organization to carry out activities that will benefit Uganda and China private sectors in the people to people trade (exchange of goods and services) business investments, cultural and social interests.
“Through this festival we hope to go a long way to promote friendship and cultural exchanges between China and Uganda.
“The Dragon Boat festival strengthens bonds within families, communities it establishes a harmonious relationship between humanity and nature,” Mugarura said.
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TANZANIA
Tanzania Record 300 Tycoons Visit Serengeti
About 300 rich Australian traders are in the country on a game viewing experience of the country’s famous National Park, Serengeti.
Seronera Airstrip in Serengeti was over the weekend overwhelmed by nearly 50 four-wheel drive vehicles that were waiting to receive the 298 tourists from Australia who landed in the national park for extended three day tour.
Natural Resources and Tourism Minister Dr Hamisi Kigwangala said the government was thrilled to receive the visitors, saying more strategies are underway to boost the sector. “We have already launched the strategy to attract more tourists and open up new markets in various countries, the coming of Australian tourists shows that our strategies are working,” said Dr Kigwangala.
He said the sector expects 200,000 new tourists every year, adding that his office plans new strategy to introduce Tanzania tourism sector as ‘Tanzania, the land of the unforgettable’.
The Minister added that the ministry and Tanzanian Ambassadors abroad are doing everything in their capacity to attract more tourists in the country.
Tanzania National Park (TANAPA) Public Relations Officer Paschal Shelutete insisted that the Australians’ presence in the country was yet another confirmation that the tourism sector in the country was growing, thanks to ongoing efforts to advertise the country’s various tourist attractions.
The visitors jetted into the country aboard the Qantas Boeing 747 plane, branded the ‘Spirit of Australia,’ which landed at Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA) over the weekend. Mr Shelutete said the landing of the rich tourists has marked a new history in the Tanzania tourism sector.
“We always receive 100 up to 120 tourists at once, this time around we have received over 250 tourists at once, this is history,” he said. It was established that soon after disembarking from the large plane, the passengers did not waste time; they were driven into smaller aircrafts that flew directly into the ‘endless plains’ of Serengeti for the intended spectacular game viewing.
News Source All Africa
Tanzania Tourism Set To Take Wildlife Protection Through Paramilitary Training
Looking to protect wildlife and forests from poachers, the Tanzania government plans to change from civilian to paramilitary strategies in wildlife protection, aiming to equip rangers with better skills in combating poaching of wildlife and forests.
The special training to involve key personnel in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, will transform mode of operation for wildlife and forest institutions into paramilitary units to reinforce the anti-poaching drive.
Anti-poaching training to compose military intelligence strategic plans will target protection of wildlife, mostly elephants and rhinos living in protected areas and those roaming freely in areas outside wildlife parks and game reserves and forests.
The Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA), Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (NCAA), and Wildlife Division of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism are key government-controlled wildlife protecting units which have been equipped with the training.
TANAPA controls 16 national parks, NCAA operates independently as a conservation authority for the Ngorongoro Area which is comprised of the Maasai cattle herders, wildlife inside and outside the Ngorongoro Crater, and the Olduvai and Laetoli pre-historical sites.
The Wildlife Division controls 38 game reserves and open areas inhabited by wild animals within the boundaries of Tanzania.
Deputy Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism Mr. Japhet Hasunga said over 100 civilian staff members in the Ministry of Natural Resources were trained on paramilitary last month.
Mr. Hasunga said the new approach would equip the staff under his docket with skills to protect wildlife, forests, and historical sites threatened by poachers and vagabonds.
The conservation staff members include managers from key departments who have completed an intensive paramilitary training recently in the Katavi region in western Tanzania and where poaching of elephants has been frequently reported involving Burundian poachers.
Introduction of paramilitary training for wildlife rangers and managers was necessitated by changes which poachers have been applying through high-tech communications and the application of military equipment to kill elephants and other endangered species.
Infiltration to Tanzania of military weapons, mostly high-caliber guns from war-torn countries that neighbor to the Western Tanzanian regions of Katavi, Rukwa, and Kigoma has been a noted factor for rampant killing of African elephants in those areas.
The Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Dr. Hamis Kigwangala, said earlier that the Tanzanian government, through his ministry, has been planning to introduce paramilitary training in key units charged with wildlife protection.
Poaching is an increasingly serious threat to wildlife in Tanzania, in particular the poaching of elephants for ivory. Controlling this problem has proven difficult due to a number of factors including the sheer size of national parks and lack of clear boundaries, as well as limited manpower and equipment to monitor and manage activities within wildlife-conserved areas.
The latest aerial wildlife census has determined that elephant numbers in Tanzania has declined from over 120,000 in the early 2000s to about 50,000 just 2 years ago.
More than 17,797 kilograms of illegally-exported Tanzanian ivory (4,692 elephant tusks) were seized at overseas ports during the same period.
There were 350,000 elephants in Tanzania when this African destination gained its independence from Britain in 1961, but the wave of intense poaching between 1970 and 1987 has left only 55,000 jumbos alive.
A recent census of the Selous-Mikumi ecosystem, one of the country’s biggest wildlife sanctuaries, revealed the elephant population had gone down to just 13,084, from 38,975 in 2009, representing a 66 percent decline.
A recent wildlife conservation study by the Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute (TAWIRI) has indicated a decline in elephant poaching. The study attributed the decline in poaching in Tanzania as a result of the application of paramilitary strategies involving wildlife officers.
Research undertaken by scientists from WWF, the University of Vermont, and the University of Cambridge said there are economic losses that the current elephant poaching surge is inflicting on nature-based tourism economies in Africa.
The research shows that tourism revenue lost to the current poaching crisis exceeds the anti-poaching costs necessary to stop the decline of elephants in Eastern, Southern, and Western Africa.
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