TOURISM

ATC News by Wolfgang H. Thome Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Tourism Mr. Najib Balala has officially launched the construction of a dedicated cruise ship terminal at the Port of Mombasa. The estimated cost of 350 million Kenya Shillings, equivalent to about 35 million US Dollars, will be funded in part …

Banjul, Gambia | AFP | The cocktails keep flowing by the pool on the tourist strip, but in The Gambia’s markets many African migrant traders are packing up their businesses and heading home. The international community is piling pressure on President Yahya Jammeh to leave power after 22 years and …

Where tourists learn firsthand about Rwanda When tourists come to Rwanda, they want to experience something different. That is why we have come up with different programs to ensure visitors who come to us go back with something they are going to remember for a long time, writes Joseph Ondiek …

PICTORIAL: The European Union Ambassador to Uganda Kristian Schmidt gave Ugandan tourism a big boost by scaling the country’s highest mountain, the Rwenzori. Together with several colleagues, they on Thursday reached the summit of  Magherita (5109meters), the highest point in Uganda.   The European Union team that spent 8 days …

Paris, France | AFP | Wild giraffe numbers have plummeted by 40 percent in the last three decades, and the species is now “vulnerable” to extinction, a top conservation body warned Thursday. The population of the world’s tallest land mammal dropped to below 100,000 in 2015, mainly due to shrinking …

  Geneva, Switzerland | AFP |  The aviation industry is set to post record net earnings this year and is expected to remain profitable in 2017, despite rising oil prices and global political turbulence, its trade association said Thursday. “Airlines continue to deliver strong results. This year we expect a …

ATC News by Wolfgang H. Thome Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has marked its first year of operations in Tanzania, as it continues to support the growing two-way flow of business and leisure travellers flying between Dar es Salaam and the UAE capital, Abu Dhabi. Over …

Tanzanian based -lowcost carrier Fastjet has announced plans to cut flights in East Africa starting this month as part of a route rationalisation exercise meant to match frequencies and customer demand. Fastjet, which launched direct flights between Dar es Salaam and Entebbe International Airport in 2014, says “rationalisation” of its …

Paris, France | AFP |  Ugandan traditional music, which is dying out partly because it requires materials from endangered species, has been placed on UNESCO’s protected “Intangible Cultural Heritage” list, along with Portuguese pottery and Ukrainian Cossack songs. A UNESCO world heritage committee, meeting in Addis Ababa Tuesday, decided to …

Sydney, Australia | AFP |  Foreigners in Australia on working holidays face paying a 15 percent levy on every dollar they earn after the government Monday compromised on a controversial “backpacker tax”, dumping plans for a higher rate. Canberra had initially sought a revenue-raising 32.5 percent tax for seasonal workers …