Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Motorists heading to the city Saturday have been caught up in traffic for hours as it turns out Kampala Road has been sealed off for the opening day of the Jumiya ya Afrika Mashariki Utamaduni (JAMAFEST) festival. The number of motorists stuck on roads …
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 …
Read More »Kagame calls for good environment for Africa tourism
Kigali, Rwanda | THE INDEPENDENT | Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame on Aug.29 called on African economies to provide favorable environment that would boost the growth of tourism industry on the continent. He was speaking at the official opening of the 41st Annual World Tourism Conference that kicked off on Aug.28 in Rwanda’s capital …
Read More »PICTORIAL: Kwita Izina, gorilla-naming celebration
PICTORIAL #KwitaIzina2017: Kwita Izina, gorilla-naming celebration Kigali, RWANDA | RDB | Thousands came together in Musanze District- Kinigi to celebrate Rwanda‘s success in conserving mountain gorillas at the 13th Kwita Izina ceremony on September 1. This year, 19 baby gorillas were named under the theme “Conservation and sustainable tourism – a foundation for future generations” adding to the 239 …
Read More »Rwanda to invest in education and training to boost tourism sector
Kigali, Rwanda | THE INDEPENDENT | President Paul Kagame has said Rwanda, like other countries on the African continent, was keen to convert its favourable demographics into economic growth and prosperity. Speaking at the opening on Tuesday of the three-day global 41st Annual World Tourism Conference organized by the Africa Trade Association in …
Read More »All set for Kwita Izina, gorilla-naming celebration in Rwanda
Kwita Izina ceremony set for September 1 Kigali, Rwanda | GORILLAFUND.ORG | Naming infant mountain gorillas has become an important annual nationwide tradition in Rwanda since 2004. The naming ceremony, called Kwita Izina and organized by the Rwandan Development Board, is based on a historic Rwandan cultural practice for naming …
Read More »Vule Airways set to take off at Entebbe International Airport
But can the carrier survive with its low cost flights in East Africa and beyond? Kampala, Uganda | ISAAC KHISA |A low-cost carrier, Vule Airways, is set to fly out of Entebbe International Airport starting November subject to regulatory approval from the Civil Aviation Authority. Robert Mwesigwa, the co-founder and …
Read More »Fewer buyers for S.Africa’s first online rhino horn, organiser
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South Africa’s first online auction of rhino horn — held his week amid outrage from conservationists — attracted fewer buyers than anticipated, lawyers for the organiser said Saturday. John Hume, owner of the world’s largest rhino farm, organised the controversial three-day selloff which ended on …
Read More »RWANDA: Bisate lodge opens
Offers man and gorilla a touch of luxury |Anne Quito| The most glamorous mountain gorilla “education center” has opened in Rwanda. Built in a remnant of an old volcano crater, the Bisate Lodge offers guests the opportunity to learn about the critically endangered apes in their natural habitat, while staying …
Read More »South Africa online rhino horn auction delayed by two days
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | A controversial online auction of rhino horn set to open Monday has been delayed by two days after a legal challenge delayed the South African permit for the sale, the organisers announced. Outraged conservationists say the three-day auctoin could undermine the global ban on rhino …
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