African tourism news – Seychelles makes waves at IIPT Conference in Lusaka

SEYCHELLES MAKE WAVES AT IIPT CONFERENCE IN LUSAKA

Wherever the Seychelles Tourist Board and delegation goes, expect ‘big waves’ and a lasting impact, as now seen at the IIPT Peace for Tourism Conference in Lusaka / Zambia. This Pan African Tourism Conference, under the theme ‘Meeting the challenges of climate change to tourism in Africa and the developing world’ brought together hundreds of senior private and public sector tourism stakeholders, looking at a variety of measures the industry can take to reduce its carbon foot print and become sustainable in coming years.

President Rupiah Banda personally greeted the conference participants and was saying ‘Zambia recognises the important role that tourism can play in the economic and social development of Africa and the developing world. Tourism also helps to foster peace in the world as every traveller is essentially a peace ambassador’. True words spoken by Zambia’s President and reflecting exactly what he already emphasized two years ago when granting an interview to this correspondent during an African Union meeting at the lake side resort of Munyonyo in Kampala.

Seychelles Tourism Board Chief Executive Alain St. Ange was invited to the conference by organizer and IIPT President Louis D’Amore and will speak to the delegates on the topic of ‘Developmental, Cultural and Partnership Perspectives’. Few of course are more qualified than Mr. St. Ange, whose fame at home in the archipelago but notably across the world rose exponentially as he steered the Seychelles tourism industry out of the doldrums, when the global financial and economic crisis hit in 2008 and the tourism sector stared into the abyss.

Aided by a change in government policy at the time in Victoria, the Creole archipelago’s capital city on the island of Mahe, the country’s tourist board was quasi ‘privatized’ and the entire private sector threw their weight behind St. Ange and his team’s proposals how to counter the downturn, give the destination a ‘new face and identity’ and rescue the economy of the country, heavily if not entirely depending on tourism and fishing receipts.

Since then a new marketing strategy was unveiled and is being implemented,  ‘Brand Seychelles’ was created, the air capacity to the islands was nearly doubled, new world class resorts opened by leading brand names in the global hospitality industry and yet environmental protection and conservation were deliberately advanced alongside economic development to protect the most important assets the island offers to tourist visitors, clean, clear ocean water washing up on pristine white beaches with a marine life second to none.

The Seychelles, as an Indian Ocean island state, is particularly keen to negotiate, conclude and enforce global agreements against climate change, as their long term survival depends in part at least in keeping the rise in ocean waters in check to safe low lying islands and atolls like Aldabra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Undoubtedly will the text of St. Ange’s address be made available via the IIPT website www.iipt.org but according to the feedback from participants this particular address is keenly awaited by the delegates, both on the subject itself but also to hear from one of Africa’s tourism gurus who has turned plans into action, action into progress and put the Seychelles on the global map.

Watch this space and follow proceedings in Lusaka again on the IIPT website where regular updates are being posted.

Kenya conservation news update – Sniffer dogs now for port of Mombasa too

SNIFFER DOGS TO BE DEPLOYED AT MOMBASA PORT

Information was received overnight from Nairobi that the Kenya Wildlife Service is now set to use sniffer dogs at the seaport of Mombasa too, besides already deploying the canine detectives at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and the Moi International Airport in Mombasa. Recent seizures of blood ivory hidden in cargo containers or checked baggage at Nairobi’s international airport are largely attributed to the vigilance of the four legged ‘sniffers’ who have a high success rate in their ability to detect ivory, rhino horn and other illegal animal products like skins and bones.

However, indications are that increasing amounts of blood ivory are being hidden in ordinary shipping containers too, which leave the country through the sea port of Mombasa and as an added measure of prevention and detection the dogs are now going to be based at the port too together with their specially trained handlers. This measure follows the recent confiscation of blood ivory in Thailand contained in a frozen fish container shipped out of Mombasa, which yielded over two tons of ivory.

In a related development, but not yet formally confirmed, was it learned that Kenya was once again setting an example for other African countries in the fight against poaching, by publicly burning confiscated ivory stocks to take the contraband permanently out of the market, a sharp reminder that other countries, including Tanzania, ought to follow such splendid examples instead of seeking permission from CITES to export blood ivory.

Expect confirmation and date here shortly, so watch this space.

Rwanda aviation news update – RwandAir adds more domestic and short regional flights

RWANDAIR EXPANDS DOMESTIC AND SHORT REGIONAL ROUTES

The national airline of Rwanda has confirmed that they are adding two afternoon flights on their domestic route between Kanombe International Airport / Kigali to Kamembe. The daily 08.30 departure, using the airline’s Bombardier Dash 8 aircraft, will now be supplemented with a Tuesday and Saturday 2 p.m. flight, following an upswing in demand and persistent requests by passengers using RwandAir on the route.

It was also learned that at the end of May the airline will start operating an onward flight between Kamembe and Bujumbura / Burundi as well as add a Kigali – Gisenyi flight, although traffic days and departure / arrival times are not yet available.

Check www.rwandair.com for this information which should be available on the website shortly. Happy landings.

Uganda breaking news – Ebola case confirmed

EBOLA REPORTEDLY STRIKES AGAIN

The Sunday Vision has confirmed rumours emerging late last week that a case of Ebola has been identified. The reported alpha patient is said to have died in the Bombo Military Hospital some 60 kilometres outside the capital Kampala, and about three dozen individuals are now said to be under quarantine and monitored for any signs of the outbreak of the disease. The case was confirmed when a blood sample was tested positive for Ebola at the Atlanta based Centre for Disease Control or in short CDC by mid last week, but the information itself had started spreading even before the results were in, prompting the Ministry of Health to immediately form a task force with the objectives to find the origin of the outbreak, identify contact persons and contain them in isolation units of hospitals or at home. The last outbreak in 2007 in Western Uganda, when some 37 people died out of almost 150 infected patients. The relatively low death ratio was attributed to the swift reaction of the Ugandan health task force in conjunction with their international partners which included staff from the WHO and the CDC at the time. Most outbreaks in the past have been originating in the deep of the Eastern Congolese rainforests and jungles and are being ‘brought’ to neighbouring countries out of ignorance by the infected individuals and the absence of any trained health personnel able to spot the disease and raise the alert.

Officials have already made it clear that tourist and business visitors do not need to worry as containment measures have been put in place several days ago already as they are in any case very unlikely to encounter anyone infected an not yet put into quarantine.

Watch this space for more news if you intend to come to Uganda in the near future or watch out for official statements being posted by government on the official Uganda website or the tourist board website www.visituganda.com where a separate statement is expected to be published very soon.

 

Seychelles news update – Tourists flock to the islands ahead of presidential elections

TOURISTS FLOCK TO SEYCHELLES AHEAD OF ELECTIONS

‘Brand Seychelles’ not only rules the Indian Ocean it seems when it comes to visibility and magnetic attraction for seekers of exotic holidays in near eternal sunshine on white powder sandy beaches, but has seemingly also trumped the upcoming general elections, which are being held this coming weekend and – due to the expanse of the archipelago – take place between 19^th and 21^st of May.

Ahead in terms of tourist arrivals by 9 percent already, compared with the all time record breaking year of 2010, there seems no stopping the trend, and here too the Seychelles appear to be setting their own unique way of things. Almost all countries in Africa – the Seychelles does geographically belong to the continent and is a member of the African Union – experience a dent in arrival stats when elections loom on the horizon, with some even going into near free fall as tourists and business visitors stay away to watch the outcome from the distance. Not so in the Seychelles however. While known for competitive politics which at times in the past could easily be described as almost fierce, the economic changes rang in by the government of President James Michel over the past years, which did include a complete overhaul of the country’s tourist board and the introduction of a real private public partnership, did much to keep the people of the Seychelles content with their political leadership. As any opposition anywhere, on the Seychelles it too plays a role of ensuring accountability of government but with President Michel at the helm of the country his policies have been seen as generally inclusive and blessed with the good fortunes of weathering the challenges of the 2007/8 world economic crisis better than many others there seems no stopping him from securing another term of office, when the results are published. He was well advised to nurturing and developing the two key sectors of the economy, tourism first and foremost and fishing, where the country’s robust anti piracy responses have won them much acclaim amongst the naval coalition. Intensified foreign relations have led to an investment boom on the islands and conducive Visa arrangements, NONE ARE NEEDED, allow visitors from around the globe to flock to the islands, only needed a confirmed hotel reservation, a return ticket and sufficient funds to pay for their expenses while in destination. Double daily flights by Emirates has now put the Seychelles one stop away from most population centres around the globe, giving the archipelago’s tourism sector an added ‘shot in the arm. This correspondent will be reporting live from the Seychelles, speaking with Seychellois going to the polls and also with tourists in the resorts about how they, if at all they know that elections are going on, feel about spending their holidays on the resorts of Mahe, Praslin, La Digue and the other islands while elections are being held.

Watch this space.