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ARCOS HEADQUATERS SHIFTED TO KIGALI
The Albertine Rift Conservation an organization based in UK has shifted its headquarters that had been in Kampala Uganda to Kigali the capital city of Rwanda. Anew head office of $350,000 has been constructed in Kigali and the discussions between the organization and the government of Rwanda have been finalized. The UK office has also been shifted to a new location and the NGO has an aim of maintaining biodiversityAIR UGANDA TO INCREASE ITS DAILY FLIGHTS TO DAR
Uganda’s national airline Air Uganda has increased its flights from Entebbe to Dar es Salaam from six times per week to 7 times per week adding on Sunday which had not been on the schedule. The airline flies to Nairobi three times a day, two times to Juba a day, 3 times to Kigali in a week via Bujumbura and flies three times a week to Mombasa till Zanzibar. Air Uganda turned down the code share agreement with RwaUWA RECEIVES RESCUE EQUIPMENT
Climbing Mt.Rwenzori which is one of the highest mountains in the Africa has been made easier because the Uganda Wildlife Authority has received rescue equipment incase a tourist is stuck up in the mountains. The equipment includes a cascade litter when a patient is hurt and unable to move, rescue pulleys, climbing and descending ropes among other and they are from the United States Agency for International DevelopAMBASSADORS ADVISE ON TOURISM MARKETING
Tanzania has elected five ambassadors and they have said that for successful support of tourism, the park fees have to be increased and improvement of infrastructure to improve national income from the sector. They said the country lacks such measures and this has led to low revenue in the park and only two out of the fifteen national parks create profits and these include Serengeti and Kilimanjaro. Most of the parKENYA’S TOURISM REVENUE EXPECTED NOT TO RISE IN 2012
According to Kenya’s tourism records, the country received 32% of revenue in 2011 after the country had attracted a number of tourists from new market but according to the tourism minister Najib Balala, the European crisis might affect the growth in 2012 so the growth for this year is expected to be the same as that of 2011. Travel advisors by the European government and US plus the economic crisis in these countAIRLINES OBJECT THE INCREASED NAVIGATION FEES
The Ministry of Transport in Kenya has told the local, Kenya Civil aviation Authority (KCAA and international airline operators to form a committee to decide on the increased air navigation charges introduced last year. The Operators said if the charges do not decline, the country’s international and domestic airline travel will be the most expensive in the East African region therefore reducing its competitiveneINCREASED POACHING IN VIRUNGA WORRIES STATES
The increase in poaching in the Virunga area has increased fears among countries that share the environment that is a home to the rare mountain gorillas. Early February, the park rangers in the Virunga Massif have found a body of a mountain gorilla and that of an elephant that had been killed by poachers. Maxime Nzita Nganga, the Deputy Secretary in charge of community relations in the Greater Virunga TransboundaryAIR UGANDA CANCELS CODE SHARING AGREEMENT WITH RWANDA
Air Uganda has cancelled a Code Share agreement with Rwanda Air that had been signed in June 2010 and the Rwanda Air’s Chief Executive Officer, John Mirenge said there revenue will not be affected because they have already introduced a new flight in the route so nothing will be affected. He said the airline has a morning flight to Entebbe via Bujumbura and a direct evening flight. The signing of the code was to eSINGLE TOURIST VISA A CONCERN
The Secretary General of the East African Community (EAC) Dr Richard Sezibera has said the secretariat will work very hard to make sure the single tourist visa is completed this year. When the tourist single visa has been issued, international tourists will enter all member countries and this will improve regional tourism. Dr Sezibera said the use of national identity cards, a single tourist visa and the internatioTANZANIA BOOSTYS TOURISM
Tanzania is famous for its national parks like Serengeti National Parks, volcanoes, islands and nature filled craters and is one of the world’s top destinations famous for animal viewing. Long ago people knew only Botswana and South Africa but presently Tanzania has been regarded a peaceful country and tourism contributes 10% of the country’s income. The tourism has led to the development of infrastructuresTOUROPERATORS REJECTING THE INCREASED GORILLA FEE
Tour operators are crying foul over last week’s decision by Rwanda Development Board (RDB) to increase gorilla permit fees, stating that it has greatly affected their business. Last week, RDB announced that government had hiked gorilla permit rates by 50 percent with effect from 1st June, 2012. The charges for foreign non residents will increase to US$ 750 from US$500, whereas foreigners residing in Rwanda will bPRIVATE SECTOR NOT HAPPY WITH THE NEW GORILLA PERMIT PRICES
The private sector of Rwanda that is involved in tourism and hospitality industry has disagreed with the current increase of gorilla permit by 50% because it might endanger their business. The non residents will pay $750 from $500, Rwandan national will pay $50 from $33 and foreigners staying in Rwanda will pay $375 instead of $250. The Rwanda Development Board (RDB) has said starting from 1st June 2012, the gorillHOW LOCALS HAVE BENEFITED FROM TOURISM REVENUE
Uganda’s revenue has increased in the current years because of the increased number of tourists visiting the National parks and wildlife reserves According to the tourism statistics, In 2004,125,203 visitors were received in the national parks and in 2009 it rose to around 145,000. Because in 1999, tourists were killed in Bwindi, in 1998-2001, there were ADF incursions, in 2001, students from Jimmy Sekasi were muAKAGERA NATIONAL PARK IN RWANDA
Akagera National park is located at a relatively low altitude on the border with Tanzania. It could scarcely be more different in mood to the breezy cultivated hills that characterize much of Rwanda.Dominated scenically by the labyrinth of swamps and lakes that follow the meandering course of the Akagera River the most remote source of the Nile; this is archetypal African savannah landscape of tangled acacia woodBIRDING IN QUEEN ELIZABETH NATIONAL PARK
Queen Elizabeth National Park is one of Uganda’s most popular parks and is reported to have more than 610 bird species the most prevalent of any protected area in Africa. The main camp at Mweya is attractively positioned at a peninsular separating the channel from Lake Edward, the fine views of Rwenzori Mountains to the north and spectacular sunsets over the lake. The main species include shoebill, martial eagle,RWANDA’S GORILLA PERMIT INCREASE BY 50%
The Rwanda Development Board has said starting from 1st June 2012; the gorilla permit will be sold at $750 from $500. The added amount will be used to further improve measures for the apes, finance conservation efforts research and community outreach which all depend on the income created by tourists that come to view the gorillas. John Gara, CEO of the Rwanda Development Board said the increase has been as a resulAVIATION ACCIDENTS INCREASE IN TANZANIA DUE TO UNSKILLED PILOTS
The local airline industry in Tanzania has been employing unskilled pilots therefore leading to grave disasters in the countries skies. The ministry of transport has recorded three out of the 12 aircraft accidents that happened in 2011 because of the unskilled pilots. Pilots in the country have been allowed to speculate into the skies no matter the number of challenges including operational guidelines and obvious dWHAT NOT TO MISS IN THREE DAYS IN RWANDA
Rwanda is a small landlocked country known for the genocide in 1992 but with the presence of gorillas in the country, people will see why the country is important to be visited. The rare mountain gorillas Rwanda is one of the countries in Africa where the gorillas can be found. The apes are found in Volcanoes National park, in Uganda in Bwindi and Mgahinga National Park while in DR Congo in Virunga National Park. MRESIDENTS NEAR THE PARK NOT HAPPY WITH THEIR BENEFITS
According to the ministry of tourism, wildlife and heritage recordings, the revenue got from gorilla tourism and the whole sector at large, 20% of the entrance fee has been given to the residents and the rest to the national treasury. For the past 30 years in Uganda, the primates have become one of the top three tourist attractions in the country contributing $662 million in 2010 though it does not show any poverKENYA’S TOURISM SECTOR NEEDS SHS31BILLION FOR DEVELOPMENT
The tourism sector of Kenya has been searching for Shs 30 billion in the next coming years to increase infrastructures and tourism facilities in order to improve on the revenue. This means in the 2012 budget, the tourism sector needs more than Sh9 billion so that it can develop its products to compete with other countries in the whole world. Kenya has plans of developing three proposed Resort cities and reconstructNYUNGWE RAINFOREST IN RWANDA IN DANGER
Researchers from the National University of Rwanda have discovered that Nyungwe rainforest which is located in the Southwestern area of Rwanda a harmful plant scientifically called serochochys scadens The buffaloes and elephants have been eating the plant but currently only five elephants have recorded remaining in the Kamiranzovu swamp near the area and all the buffaloes have completely disappeared. The forest alsTHE SOURCE OF THE NILE
The source of the Nile in Uganda ,alluded to hazily in the ancient writings of Ptolemy,stood as one of the great geographical mysteries of Victorian Age. The desire to uncover the geographic holy grail inspired the epic journeys of exploration undertaken by Livingstone,Stanley,Burton and Speke.And it was the latter,John Hannig Speke,on a poneering 1862-3 expedition around Lake Victoria,who first controversially sDUTCH TOURISM INCREASE BY 30% IN RWANDA
In 2011 between January and September, the Dutch tourists increased by 30% challenging the number of European tourists by 6% in Rwanda. The head of tourism and conversation at RDB, Rica Rwigamba said the increase in the number of Dutch tourists ha been the continued attending of the annual Dutch tourism exhibition in Vakantibeur which is found in Netherlands. The tourism exhibition for 2012 in Netherlands has beenSINGLE TOURIST VISA DELAYED
The use of a single visa in East African countries has been expected is fail as partner states have been hesitating on balancing the laws and regulations. The plan of using a single Tourist Visa had to be started in November 2006 but all this time the document has not been in existence. It has been discovered that the partner states have to set up a necessary infrastructure to assist EAC bound tourists to utilize tAIR UGANDA INCREASES FLIGHTS
The number of flights to a number of destinations have been increased by Air Uganda because of the increased love of passengers to travel in the East African region. The airline will operate on the Nairobi-Entebbe route three times a day during the week and those between Juba and Entebbe have also been increased .It has reintroduced direct flights to Zanzibar and Mombasa. The airline operates to five destinationsRWANDA’S TOURISM SECTOR SETS NEW APPROACHES
The Private Sector Federation (PSF) through its Tourism Chamber in Rwanda has held US$300,000 from Trademark East Africa to use it in the designing of an integrated approach that will improve and increase on the earning in the tourism sector. The new approach has been organized by the Quality Standards Task Force, which consists of Rwanda Development Board, The presidential task force on Tourism, Tourism ChambeUGANDA WILDLIFE AUTHORITY TO PREVENT HUMAN-WILDLIFE CONFLICTS
The government of Uganda has planned to build a fence around all the national parks to prevent more human-wildlife conflicts. The Uganda Wildlife Authority said the approach had aims to protect the villages near the parks from animals that have escaped from the park, to protect the angry locals from killing the animals and to protect the wildlife from poaching. The animals from the park destroy peoples crops mostlyKENYA’S TOURISM SECTOR NOT TO BE AFFECTED BY UK GOVERNMENT ALERT
Hotel owners at the coast have informed the tourists to believe the security alert that the UK government issued as an ordinary travel guide. The Mombasa and Coast Tourist Association chairman Mohamed Hersi said there is no need to ring an alarm because the situation is under control. They are working with the police and all security officials in the region to make sure all tourists enjoy themselves. ThRWANDA CLASSIFIES 30 HOTELS
30 hotels in Rwanda have been classified in 2012 after the long awaited grading. Nyungwe Forest Lodge which is owned by Dubai World and Kigali Serena Hotel have been classified as five star hotels in the country. Four hotels have classified as four star and seven have been graded three star.16 hotels received two star and one hotel received the one star title. Out of the 30 hotels, 18 are in Kigali and others in MuTANZANIA RANKED THE HIGHEST TOURIST DESTINATION IN AFRICA
Tanzania has been chosen the 7th among the 45 places tourists should visit in 2012 because it has turned into a fashionable safari destination which is a very important thing. The Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB) managing director, Dr Aloyce Nzuki, said they have a number of policies arranged to make Tanzania the best destination to be visited. The tourists increased because Kenya the neighboring country had been attacWHY SOME HOTELS WERE NOT RATED
During the classification of hotels by RDB, two hotels have been classified as five star leaving the rest to improve on their facilities so that their stars can change. Some hotels have not been classified like Umubano Hotel which is formerly owned by the Libyan African Investment Portfolio yet is considered on of the best hotels in Rwanda with more than 80 rooms than those that have been classified. RDB said hotelLESS AIR ACCIDENTS IN 2011
Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority has confirmed less air accidents in 2011 compared to 2010.in 2011, 12 air accidents have been recorded and two aircrafts crashed. In 2010, air accidents left 2 dead while 10 with serious injuries and a total of four aircrafts had to be written off. The improvement in the results has been due to the powerful training, maintence of requirements, following the airworthiness orEX POACHERS IN RWANDA BECOME PARK RANGERS
More than 550 former poachers in Rwanda have contributed a lot after reforming. They have been put in to 19 cooperatives under one association Amizero in the 12 regions surrounding the Volcanoes National Park to do tourism conservation activities, protect the mountain gorillas, practice agriculture,artcrafts,guard the park, build the park’s fence and participate in informing others against wild meat. One of the eFOREIGN TOURISTS TO PAY MORE FOR PARK ENTRY
Kenya Wildlife Authority has raised park entry fee for foreign non resident tourists by 33% from $60 to $80 therefore increasing for the second time. The conservation fees has an aim of encouraging visitation during the low season in most visited parks and to reduce congestion during the peak seasons to preserve the environmental integrity of wildlife zones. KWS said the new tariffs will be used in Amboseli,TANZANIA TO BECOME A DESTINATION FOR INDIAN TOURISTS
Indian tourists will increase this year because of a Mumbai company identified as Akqua Tourism Destinations Private Limited that will promote Tanzania’s tourism industry in India. The director of the company in India Jilesh Babla has been discussing with the two famous Indian film houses that will carry out video shooting in Tanzania’s tourist attractions mainly in game parks. He said the videos will be showedMORE GSU SQUAD SENT TO PROTECT TOURISTS AT MARA
Security has been increased at Masai Mara Game Reserve to protect tourists against the residents that have been protesting because of the introduction of an electronic system to improve on revenue collection. Joseph Nkadado the chairman of Narok County Council said the police officers will maintain peace in the area until the disagreement of the new system is resolved. The protestors have been demonstrating becauseNEW SYSTEM AT MARA DIVIDES LEADERS
The smart card revenue collection system at the gates of Masai Mara Game Reserve has led to a separation of local leadership. The MP of Narok South and his partner have disapproved the system in which the contract gave Equity bank permission to collect revenue on their behalf. Nkoidilas Ole Lankas said the system is very good but the residents have been against it because the agreement was signed with discretion. TTOURISM INCREASES DESPITE THE TRAVEL ALERTS
Over one million tourists have visited Kenya in 2011.because of the Al- Shabaab attacks and the economic crisis in Europe, the country has recorded 1,039,852 visitors by the end of October which is a 16% increase from the same time in 2010 where 896,228 visitors were received. The tourism industry earnings have been Sh81.9 billion this year compared to Sh56.7 billion last year which is a 44 % increase. There has beWWF PLANS TO BE AFFECTED BY MMP’S PROJECT
The plan for starting a baseline survey in Rufiji delta by World Wildlife Fund for Nature that will help residents to get paid through REDD has been affected because they have been refused by Mangrove Management Project officials to burn down the farm huts and cutting down the coconut trees. United Nations compensates communities for keeping the forests undamaged because they help absorb carbon dioxide from tUGANDA EXPECTED TO BE WORLD’S TOP DESTINATION
Bwindi National Park has been voted Africa’s number one birding site over South Africa’s well-known Kruger National Park and Cape Town’s ocean shores early this year by the African Bird club.Murchision Falls National Park carried the ninth place among the top 10 birding sites in the continent. In October 2011 Virunga volcanoes took the number one place out of the 20 places people should visit in 2012 in the NNAIROBI NP TO GET MORE ARCES OF LAND FROM THE KEEN FAMILY
Nairobi National Park has expanded by 100 hectares of land because John Keen and his family want Kenya Wildlife Service can control, manage and administer their inherited land as part of the park. The park has been shortened in with important migration routes across the Athi plains leaving the important DNA exchange through migratory arrivals to endure. The Keen family will maintain ownership of the land the easemeKENYA AWARDS DEAD CONSERVATION HEROES
A memorial site has been opened at the Kenya Wildlife service at the entrance of Nairobi National Park where all names of those that died during conservation and anti poaching operations have been listed. This is to show poachers that those who die during the fight are remembered and the organization will continue with the good fight. Dr Muntunga repeated that there is need to support wildlife enforcement laws andCONSTRUCTION OF A HOTEL NEAR VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK STOPPED
A five star hotel that belongs to Serena Group has been stopped by the government from being constructed at the edge of Volcanoes National Park because they think it will affect the endangered mountain gorillas. The investor has been given an alternative land 800 meters from the park for conservation purposes. The construction of the hotel on the edge of the park has been disagreed by the environmentalists and chosHERITAGE MINISTER SUPPORTS ELECTRONIC SYSTEM AT MARA GATES
The Heritage minister William Ole Ntimama has supported the electronic system that has been put at Masai Mara game reserve gates for collecting revenue because it will reduce corruption during the process. He said those in charge of the demonstrations that have been taking place at the gates of the park should be arrested because machines have been destroyed like the solar panels worth sh28 million that had beenMOTORISTS WARNED ON ROAD SAFETY DURING CHRISTMAS
The assistant minister for roads Lee Kinyanjui has warned the passengers and motorists to take full responsibility during the festive season because it is a period where drivers are more careless. The traffic police, city Council of Nairobi and Kenya Urban Roads Authority set up a road safety operation with an aim of letting the motorists and pedestrians know the proper use of roads during the festive season. TTHE ONLY PYGMY HIPPO IN EASTAFRICA DIES AT NAIROBI SAFARI WALK
The first female pygmy hippo that has died at the Nairobi Safari Walk was donated by former Liberian President, the late William Tubman in the 1970s. The hippo has died from pneumonia at 29 years and according to the reports that have been prepared by Kenya Wildlife Service Veterinarian Dr Edward Kariuki, the animal might have got the bacterial infection at the animal welfare house. The Nile hippos are those that aTOURISTS FROM TURKEY TO INCREASE NEXT YEAR
The number of visitors from Turkey will increase next year because the Turkish government has decided to support Tanzania’s tourism sector. More than 10,000 visitors from Turkey have visited Tanzania in the previous years and the number will increase to 200,000 in the coming next years. The Turkish Ambassador Dr. Sander Gurbuz said he has convinced his home country to open an embassy in Tanzania which will help tZIWA RHINO SANCTUARY GETS NEW RATES
The Ziwa rhino sanctuary in Uganda has set up 2012 rates including a number of activities for the visitors. Visitors will be able to participate in activities like birding, guided walks and game drives and watch the rhinos after paying an amount at the head offices. The sanctuary has a number of accommodation facilities like guesthouses for budget travelers and Amuka lodge which is a luxury accommodation for luxuryFEW ITALIAN TOURIST S VISIT MALINDI DUE TO ECONOMIC CRISIS
The number of tourist arrival from Italy in Malindi has been affected this year because of the world economic crisis. The number has reduced by 50% compared to last year during the festive season. Mr. Phillip Chai the chairman of Kenya hotel Keepers and caterers association in Malindi,Kilifi said the hotels have depended on the Italians tourists but the recording have been few this year but those that have changedUNTAPPED ATTRACTIONS TO IMPROVE KENYA TOURISM.
Kenya’s 50th independence anniversary will be celebrated in style by putting an operation to name 50 unique attractions in the country. The project will be completed by 2013 intime for the independence celebrations. Kenya got its independence on 12th December 1963 from Britain and will be marking its first anniversary in two years. The project will be managed by the 50 resources of Kenya Trust together with KenyaKENYA TO REMARKET THE INDUSTRY IN EUROZONE
Kenya’s ministry of tourism has been looking for 450 million from the ministry of finance to renew market campaigns in Europe to ease effects of the Euro zone debt crisis which will lead to a decline in the tourist arrivals in the area. Minister for Tourism, Najib Balala said the treasury has agreed to give then 200 million in January 2011 to increase on the marketing budget. In 2011, the tourism, ministry has alSPECIAL POLICE FORCE TO PROTECT TOURISTS DURING THE FESTIVE SEASON
A special police force will be set up by Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) to protect tourists visiting the parks mostly during the festive season since al Shabaab rebels have been threatening to attack Kenya because of ending soldiers to Somalia to fight them. Julius Kipng’etich, the manager of Kenya Wildlife Service said the unit will be lively, highly qualified and mobile to prevent kidnappings and terrorism. The nHUMAN-ANIMAL CONFLICT IN MURCHISION FALLS NATIONAL PARK
People leaving near national parks in Uganda like Murchison Falls National Park has been affected the animals in the park. People, who had been displaced during the reign of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) war, have come back and have settled in the park without talking to the Uganda Wildlife Authority which has caused a number of human-wildlife conflicts. The parks have no fences separating it from the villagesPOOR ROADS AFFECT TOURISM IN MOMBASA THIS FESTIVE SEASON
The Mombasa and Coast Tourist Association has critized the poor state of roads in Mombasa because they have been a challenge to the tourism sector in the country. Millicent Odhiambo the MCTA executive officer said the hotels and lodges have complained about the urban roads in Mombasa. The Kenya Urban Roads Authority (Kura) and Kenya National Highways Authority (Kenha) had promised to repair the roads before the fesBWINDI IMPENETRATBLE FOREST NATIONAL PARK
Bwindi National Park is famous for gorilla trackingbut there are also hiking trails where you can see a large number of birds and primates.Trails begin at 08:30 am 14:15 daily. Bwindi NP has three parts,the northern part which is Buhoma in Kanungu district,the southern part Rubuguri in Kisoro district,the eastern part Ruhija in Kabale district. The Southern part has gorilla groups like Nshongi,Mishaya,Nkuringo and
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