Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Rwanda has bagged the World Travel and Tourism Council’s inaugural Global Leadership Award for its efforts to put tourism at the centre of economic and social development. The award, received on behalf of the country by Prime Minister, Edouard Ngirente, was presented at the …
Read More »Reconstruction of sh24 billion hotel, tourism centre in Jinja starts
Jinja, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A ground breaking ceremony has taken place today to kick start the reconstruction of the Uganda Hotel Tourism and Training Institute (UHTTI) also known as the Crested Crane Hotel in Jinja. The re-development of Uganda Hotel and Tourism Training Institute is, according to officials, …
Read More »Russia, Egypt resume direct flights two years after attack
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russia and Egypt are to resume direct flights on Wednesday following a more than two-year hiatus after a bomb downed a Russian charter over the Sinai peninsula in 2015. Moscow officials stopped direct flights citing security concerns after the attack, in a major blow for …
Read More »UN body names Messi responsible tourism ambassador
Madrid, Spain | AFP | The UN World Tourism Organization said Monday it has appointed FC Barcelona’s Argentine star Lionel Messi as an ambassador to promote responsible tourism. “During my travels I have had the opportunity to know other cultures and societies as well as other ways to see the …
Read More »Irish pubs open on Good Friday for first time in 91 yrs
Dublin, Ireland | AFP | Pubs in Ireland were open on Good Friday for the first time in almost a century after the repeal of a law banning sales of alcohol on the Christian holiday. The Intoxicating Liquor Act, passed in 1927, prohibited sales in shops and bars on three …
Read More »Uganda’s tourism revenue figures
Separating fact from fiction Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | According to official figures, tourism contributed up to US$1.35 billion into Uganda’s export basket in 2016, and was the single highest foreign exchange earner; contributing 23.5% of total exports. Based on those figures, the tourism lobby; which has advocates on …
Read More »Gambia apologises to Thailand for sex tourism slur
Banjul, Gambia | AFP | The Gambia Tuesday apologised to Thailand after its foreign minister said the Asian country was a haven for sex tourists, sparking a strongly worded protest from Bangkok. Hamat Bah said on state television in January that The Gambia, a sunny beach destination favoured by Western tourists …
Read More »Hundreds stranded in cable car accident on Malaysia’s Langkawi
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | AFP | Hundreds of tourists were stranded for hours after a cable car broke down on the Malaysian island of Langkawi, authorities said Monday, with some left dangling in cabins over a jungle-clad mountain as night fell. Over 1,000 tourists, including some Western and Chinese visitors, …
Read More »‘Welcome Mwandha, well done Seguya’
ATC News by Wolfgang H. Thome: Change at the helm of the Uganda Wildlife Authority Kampala, Uganda | WOLFGANG THOME | News emerging from Kampala indicates that Sam Mwandha has been selected as the new Executive Director of the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) as Dr. Andrew Seguya prepares to step …
Read More »Cambodia arrests foreigners for ‘pornographic dancing
Phnom Penh, Cambodia | AFP | Cambodia has charged 10 foreigners arrested for “singing and dancing pornographically”, officials said Sunday, as the kingdom cracks down on racy behaviour at popular tourist sites. The group appeared in court three days after police arrested them Thursday at a villa in Siem Reap, …
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