The NamibRand Nature Reserve is the only official Dark-Sky reserve in Africa. The reserve not only protects the unique wildlife of the southwest Namib Desert, but also keeps its light pollution reduced to the point where the Milky Way is visible to the unaided eye. The International Dark-Sky Association, which has recognised the reserve as…
Zimbabwe’s biggest annual trade expo, the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair – which includes the tourism sector – will be held in Bulawayo from July 20 to 23. The event was cancelled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The exhibition will be held under the theme, ‘Showcasing the New Normal for Business and Industry: Realities…
The National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) has approved in principle that tourism sector frontline workers should be prioritised for vaccinations. “We are now waiting on the National Economic Development and Labour Council (NEDLAC) to decide on how and when this will be rolled out,” said Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA) CEO, Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa, speaking to Tourism…
Turkish Airlines has returned to the sandy shores of Seychelles, landing in paradise on the morning of Friday, April 23, 2021. Restarting its COVID-safe international passenger services, Turkish Airlines A330-300 aircraft from Istanbul carrying 171 passengers was greeted by a traditional water salute upon arrival at the Indian Ocean destination. Contributing to the revival of…
A research study in South Africa further evaluating Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine in the field will resume on Wednesday, the health ministry said, after the study was paused over rare cases of blood clots in people given the vaccine. During the pause, it had been established that there is a one in a million…
Leopard Sands River Lodge by BON Hotels is set to open its doors on August 1. The lodge, overlooking the Sabi River, shares a border with Kruger National Park and is located only minutes away from the Paul Kruger Gate entrance to the park. Group Sales Director at BON Hotels, Lindi Mthethwa, told Tourism Update that international tourists…
Malawian inbound operator “Malawian Style” and Zambian inbound operator “Zambia in Style” have now rebranded as “Crafted Africa”. You can learn more at http://www.craftedafrica.com/
The directors of KARIBU-KILIFAIR regret to inform you that the ongoing developments of COVID-19 pandemic in our top source markets, have forced us to postpone the scheduled KARIBU-KILIFAIR 2021 to next year. The new date for KARIBU-KILIFAIR will be June 3-5, 2022. More info here
Boundless Southern Africa, the tourism marketing and investment promotion initiative for Southern Africa’s Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCAs), has developed a new e-learning tool for tourism in the region. The first courses on the Maloti-Drakensberg Transfrontier Conservation Area and the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area are now live online. What is a Transfrontier Conservation Area (TFCA)?…
A few months ago, APTA announced its new webinar tool. This is an excellent way to stay in front of our members, especially during these uncertain times. Corporate members, you can submit your webinar by logging into your APTA profile. Simply click “Add a Webinar” on your Dashboard and fill out all required fields. We…
Fire crews had largely contained a big wildfire on the slopes of Cape Town’s Table Mountain on Tuesday as the city started to come to terms with the damage caused by what officials described as one of the area’s worst blazes in years. About 90% of the fire had been contained, the Table Mountain National…
United Airlines will launch a daily Newark-Johannesburg service on June 3, subject to government approval. Last year, the carrier suspended its seasonal summer Cape Town flights and also postponed the original launch date of its daily flights to Johannesburg from March 2021 to June this year. United is also adding two new African routes from Washington Dulles, with services to Accra, Ghana, beginning next month,…
In celebration of its 20th anniversary, leading Uganda tour company, Great Lakes Safaris launches a new charitable arm of the business, Great Lakes Safaris Foundation, to provide community support and conservation of wildlife. And an exciting new 20 night immersive ‘Ultimate Uganda’ tour taking in the best the country has to offer. The Great Lakes…
The Seychelles Islands invite visitors around the world to take residence in the little corner of paradise through their Workcation Retreat Programme – a blend of work and leisure in a tropical getaway. The programme entices remote workers with an irresistible offer to relocate their office to the island destination for a long-term escape from…
Airlink has announced the resumption of its Nelspruit-Livingstone service from May 1. This will enable travellers to combine the Victoria Falls with the Kruger National Park and surrounding areas. The airline is also starting Johannesburg-Livingstone flights on May 26. The new service augments Airlink’s presence in Zambia, provided by its daily services between Johannesburg and…
JA Resorts & Hotels has opened its second property, JA Enchanted Waterfront Villas, in Seychelles. The oceanfront resort is on the east coast of Mahé and has 10 villas designed in a contemporary Creole style set against a backdrop of mountains. Each has a sheltered veranda overlooking a garden, and private infinity pool with ocean…
Egyptian archeologists have unearthed a 3,000 year-old lost city complete with mud brick houses, artifacts and tools from the times of the pharaohs. The mortuary city, in the southern province of Luxor, is being called the most important such find since the tomb of Tutankhamun. It dates back to the period under King Amenhotep III…
Najin and Fatu are the last two northern white rhinos on the planet and they are both female and cannot carry pregnancies. Scientists around the world are now in a race against time to save the species at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Laikipia in Kenya. “Having the last two northern white rhino is a…
The Mauritian government has expanded its COVID-19 vaccination programme to include all citizens, residents and long-term international visitors over the age of 18. Visitors holding the Premium Visa as well as residents of Mauritius holding a Work Permit, Residence Permit or Occupational Permit are eligible to receive their vaccinations free of charge. The expanded vaccination…
Fastjet Zimbabwe will increase its current schedule to daily services between Victoria Falls, International Airport and Johannesburg, OR Tambo International Airport, effective May 30. “The flight arrival times in Victoria Falls have been adjusted, offering customers the opportunity to minimise the time spent at the airport with a likely faster airport exit and more time at hand to enjoy…
Ethiopian Airlines on Thursday marked 75 years since it began commercial flights, with CEO Tewolde GebreMariam warning of ‘a serious challenge posed by COVID-19’. On April 8 1946, the company operated its first-ever commercial flight. It flew from Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital to Cairo, Egypt. The carrier’s initial fleet consisted of five C-47s acquired…
The Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) on Monday launched a digital tourism platform in an effort to increase the visibility of the island nation through the internet and support the local tourism industry with online and digital marketing. Called ParrAPI, the platform will serve to collect, store and distribute digital tourism information. The first four letters – Parr –…
Turkish Airlines has announced that it will be resuming regular flights to the Seychelles islands from its home base, Istanbul Airport from Friday, April 23, 2021. This is part of Turkish Airlines’ plans to restart COVID-safe international passenger services to several destinations including Seychelles, after the airline suspended its services to the island in March…
South Africa has signed an agreement with Pfizer Inc for 20 million dual shot COVID-19 vaccine doses, a government official told Reuters on Tuesday, boosting plans to start mass vaccinations from April. The deal is another fillip for the country worst hit by COVID-19 infections in Africa as it adds to the 31 million single-shot…
Tanzania’s new president Samia Suluhu Hassan said on Tuesday that her government would form a committee for scientific research into COVID-19, in a departure from the pandemic-sceptic policies of her predecessor John Magufuli who died last month. Magufuli, who Hassan said died of heart disease at 61, had dismissed the threat from the coronavirus pandemic,…
In a meeting held on Wednesday 31st March 2021, Cabinet discussed the resumption of cruise ship calls in Seychelles. The meeting approved the immediate re-opening of the cruise sector following the moratorium imposed in May 2020. This followed a stakeholder meeting held on 16th March, 2021 chaired by the Minister responsible for Tourism consisting of…
The World Heritage Committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has added the Egyptian Museum in Cairo’s Tahrir Square to its World Heritage Tentative List. Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities applied, last February, in accordance with the established criteria for registering such sites. Abdel Mohsen Shafi’i, Supervisor of the Central…
All provincial parks managed by Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA) are closed until an ongoing employee strike – which started yesterday (April 6) – has been resolved. “All MTPA offices are closed, as are all tourist facilities and parks,” said Senior Manager: Communications for MTPA, Kholofelo Nkambule, highlighting that tour buses were being turned away at…
Two years ago, Malawi became the first country in the world to introduce the malaria vaccine into its childhood immunization programme, followed by Ghana and then Kenya. The vaccine was introduced in a phased approach that targeted 11 districts in Malawi. Globally, more than half of childhood deaths occur in Africa, and malaria is a…
SOUTH AFRICAN TOURISM AND GOOGLE ARTS & CULTURE AND HAVE ANNOUNCED THE LAUNCH OF ‘SOUTH AFRICA: AN EXPLORER’S PARADISE’, AN ONLINE EXHIBITION WHERE VISITORS CAN EXPLORE THE COUNTRY THROUGH A COLLECTION OF 500 IMAGES AND VIDEOS, 55 STREET VIEWS AND 20 DIGITAL STORIES. The project marks the first phase in a long-term collaboration to celebrate…
Insurgents seized control of much of a town in Mozambique on Saturday, after a three-day siege that has left at least several people dead and hundreds of other civilians unaccounted for as government forces try to regain control, according to private security contractors in East Africa and news reports. Nearly 200 people, including dozens of foreign workers,…
Kenyan president, Uhuru Kenyatta, has rejected claims by local airlines that domestic flights for international tourists will be allowed. He reiterated in a statement: “All domestic passenger flights into and out of the zoned area of Nairobi, Kajiado, Machakos, Kiambu and Nakuru shall cease to operate until further notice. This includes international tourists on planned itineraries with tour…
Following an aggressive vaccination program that has enabled it to become the world’s first nation to achieve COVID-19 herd immunity, Seychelles has reopened to all tourists regardless of vaccination status as of March 25th 2021! Join the Seychelles Tourist Board for a one hour session reintroducing the Seychelles and all its 115 islands have to…
Effective May 1, Botswana local airline, Mack Air, is set to introduce flights in a new regional route linking Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe to Kasane, Botswana. Mack Air MD, Michael Weyl, said: “Victoria Falls is well known as a hub for tourist activity. Our new scheduled flight route brings neighbours closer together. Now, they can take in…
Although there have been delays in securing vaccine supplies, government was still confident in achieving its vaccination targets, said President Cyril Ramaphosa in his latest ‘family meeting’ address to the nation yesterday (March 30). He noted that South Africa had begun Phase 1 of its vaccination programme in February – the vaccination of health workers – which…
One year after Seychelles legally designated 30 percent of its territorial waters as marine protected areas 10 years ahead of international targets, efforts are now underway to develop a legal and strategic framework as well as a management plan for each of these sites. The principal secretary for the environment, Alain Decomarmond, said each site…
A total of 44 schemes with 10,468 rooms are due for completion in 2021, making this by far the busiest year in the near future. For 2022, another 29 openings with 6,179 keys are planned. In 2023, 18 hotels are expected to open their doors, bringing 7,282 additional keys into play. Another 25 launches are…
Mafia Island is a unique destination off Tanzania’s coast with secluded sandbars, nesting turtles and migrating whale sharks. It is much less known and definitely much quieter than Zanzibar, but it offers the most incredible diving experiences and embodies the real definition of barefoot luxury. Mafia is part of a small archipelago consisting of one…
It’s now over 5 years since African Parks took over the management of Malawi’s iconic Liwonde National Park. With animal translocations, community projects and committed wildlife protection, the reserve has come on leaps and bounds! Despite some restrictions, the African Parks team have been as busy as ever. Conservation success as wildlife thrive Into its…
The president of Seychelles said that he is confident in the national health measures taken to protect the island nation as the country reopens to the world on Thursday. President Wavel Ramkalawan added that the number of flights poised to come to Seychelles and their provisional bookings is very encouraging. The head of state spoke…
Mantis, a leading conservation-focused, hotel group with luxury hotels, eco-lodges, waterways and impact experiences located across the globe has announced its latest addition: the Siringit Migration Camp by Mantis, scheduled to open September 2021. The new mobile camp includes eight luxury guest tents (two of which can be inter-linked) as well as separate dining and lounge…
Paradise awaits on Saint Anne Island, in the heart of a protected marine reserve, at the brand-new Club Med Resort Seychelles. Beginning March 27, 2021, this all-inclusive eco-certified resort will be ready to welcome adults and children alike to experience a holiday in total harmony with the ocean and nature. Designed to promote well-being and inspire happiness…
Seychelles’ World Heritage Site the Vallee de Mai reopened for visitors last Monday after closing for three months due to COVID-19. The Seychelles Islands Foundation which manages the UNESCO site – where the endemic coco de mer grows in its natural state – has also announced the reopening of the Fond Ferdinand nature reserve, which it also manages. Both…
Africa Adventure Consultants is currently looking for a Journey Specialist and Safari Concierge to join their team. Job Title: Journey Specialist (Inside Sales) Job Description: Award-winning outbound tour operator seeks a qualified Journey Specialist to help us expand our geographical coverage and assist with current Africa business. The Journey Specialist is an inside sales position—working out of our Denver-based…
Seychelles expects to reopen its cruise ship season in August when cruise ships with a maximum capacity of 300 passengers will be allowed to visit the islands. Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism Sylvestre Radegonde announced the decision Tuesday following a meeting with partners related to cruise ships to discuss whether the country was ready…
President John Magufuli of Tanzania, a populist leader who played down the seriousness of the coronavirus pandemic and steered his country away from democratic ideals, died on Wednesday at a hospital in the port city of Dar es Salaam. He was 61. His death was announced on television by Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who said…
In a move to restart tourism, Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) have announced an extension of promotional pricing from March to June 2021. NATIONAL PARK FEES 50% discount on park entrance fees for Lake Mburo National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Kidepo Valley National Park, Murchison Falls National Park, Semuliki National Park, Toro Semuliki Wildlife Reserve,…
The iSimangaliso Wetland Park in KwaZulu Natal is preparing a R4bn (€224m) development and expansion of its tourism products. At an investors’ summit on August 26, the park will present 48 tourism offerings for privatisation as part of its commercialisation strategy. “We are very grateful to Tourism KwaZulu-Natal, who funded our commercialisation strategy,” said iSimangaliso…
CornerSun Destination Marketing has been selected by the Tanzania Association of Tour Operators (TATO) to lead its tourism recovery strategy amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The partnership is part of a concerted effort to revive Tanzania’s tourism industry and soften the long-term economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak following international travel restrictions and lockdowns. CornerSun will…
Fastjet Zimbabwe reintroduced its Victoria Falls-Johannesburg service yesterday, March 16. The flights, which resumed in December, were placed on hold again in January due to the drop in demand on leisure travel linked to the global pandemic. The flights operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, departing from Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport at 11h10, arriving…