London, UK | THE INDEPENDENT | Rwanda President Paul Kagame has recieved the 2017 World Tourism Award for visionary leadership. The award was presented to Kagame on the opening day of World Travel Market London on Monday. Inaugurated in 1997, the World Tourism Awards recognises individuals, companies, organisations, destinations and attractions for …
Read More »Saudi Arabia to begin issuing tourist visas
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | AFP | Saudi Arabia plans to start issuing tourist visas “soon”, authorities said Tuesday, as the ultra-conservative kingdom seeks to attract international visitors in a radical overhaul of its oil-dependent economy. Tourism is seen as a major driver of growth as the kingdom attempts to wean itself …
Read More »Amsterdam bans controversial ‘beer-bikes’
The Hague, Netherlands | AFP | Amsterdam will enforce a new ban on ‘beer-bikes’ this week after years of complaints by locals about rowdy tourists getting drunk and disorderly while pedalling along its famous canals. As from Wednesday “the beer bicycle may be banned from the city centre to stop it …
Read More »Kagame honoured for great tourism
Kigali, Rwanda | THE INDEPENDENT | Rwanda President Paul Kagame is to be honored with The World Tourism Award 2017 for Visionary Leadership. He will be awarded the honour on Nov. 06 on the opening day of World Travel Market London, at the Excel Center in London. This year, the …
Read More »Airbnb rentals boom across Africa
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | Rent-a-room giant Airbnb said Tuesday that it had provided accommodation for 1.2 million visitors to Africa over the last year — double the previous year as tourism expands across the continent. The website now offers more than 100,000 accommodation options in Africa, global public affairs …
Read More »Why Rwanda is the next luxury travel hotspot
Over 20 years on from the devastating genocide, pockets of Rwanda have found their groove, providing a mix of luxury and adventure for discerning tourists FEATURE | Debra Kamin | When Alissa Ruxin moved to Rwanda in 2005 with her new husband Josh, the nation’s wounds from its horrific 1994 …
Read More »MUSEVENI: Uganda is a world premier tourism destination
Kampala, Uganda | PPU | President Yoweri Museveni has said that there is no better place for tourism in the world than Uganda. The President made the remarks at the Uganda Giants’ Club Conservation and Tourism Investment Forum that took place at the Lake Victoria Serena Golf Resort and Spa Hotel …
Read More »Ghanaian villagers profit from monkey business
Tafi Atome, Ghana | AFP | The villagers of Tafi Atome, in Ghana’s Volta Region, grew up listening to tales of their spiritual links to the 1,000 or so mona monkeys that inhabit the surrounding lush forest. But they have also turned that reverence into revenue, by making the cheeky primates …
Read More »THIS WEEK: Rwanda, South African firms sign deal to boost tourism
Kigali, Rwanda | THIS WEEK | In an effort to promote Rwanda as a conference hub, a South African firm, Crystal Events Africa, has entered into an agreement with Ikaze Professional Conference Organisers to market the east African country as a top conferences centre and must-visit tourist destination on the continent. “The …
Read More »World tourism numbers post biggest first-half rise since 2010
Madrid, Spain | AFP | International tourist numbers grew 6.4 percent in the first half of 2017, the strongest half-year figures in seven years, with Mediterranean destinations posting double-digit growth, the UN World Tourism Organisation said Thursday. The number of international tourists surged to around 598 million between January and …
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