TOURISM

Beijing, China | AFP |  China will ban all domestic ivory trade and processing by the end of 2017, state media reported Friday, in a move hailed by activists as a “game changer” for African elephants. African ivory is highly sought after in China where it is seen as a …

Burning ivory, waging war: world battles poaching in 2016 Nairobi, Kenya | AFP |  It was one of the most momentous events in the battle against poaching: 11 giant pyres of elephant tusks going up in flames in Kenya as the world looked on. The largest-ever destruction of ivory, which …

Bethlehem, Palestinian Territories | AFP | Pilgrims on Saturday thronged Bethlehem for Christmas Eve as Europeans worked up some holiday spirit despite tight security in the shadow of the Berlin market attack. Crowds of Palestinians and tourists flocked to Bethlehem’s Manger Square near the Church of the Nativity, ahead of …

  When a group of endangered mountain gorillas from the Rwanda side of the Virunga Mountains which had migrated to the DR Congo side returned recently, one group of conservationists was overjoyed – and they showed it in a blog on Dec.5. The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, which protects about …

ATC News by Wolfgang H. Thome Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Tourism Mr. Najib Balala has officially launched the construction of a dedicated cruise ship terminal at the Port of Mombasa. The estimated cost of 350 million Kenya Shillings, equivalent to about 35 million US Dollars, will be funded in part …

Banjul, Gambia | AFP | The cocktails keep flowing by the pool on the tourist strip, but in The Gambia’s markets many African migrant traders are packing up their businesses and heading home. The international community is piling pressure on President Yahya Jammeh to leave power after 22 years and …

Where tourists learn firsthand about Rwanda When tourists come to Rwanda, they want to experience something different. That is why we have come up with different programs to ensure visitors who come to us go back with something they are going to remember for a long time, writes Joseph Ondiek …

PICTORIAL: The European Union Ambassador to Uganda Kristian Schmidt gave Ugandan tourism a big boost by scaling the country’s highest mountain, the Rwenzori. Together with several colleagues, they on Thursday reached the summit of  Magherita (5109meters), the highest point in Uganda.   The European Union team that spent 8 days …

Paris, France | AFP | Wild giraffe numbers have plummeted by 40 percent in the last three decades, and the species is now “vulnerable” to extinction, a top conservation body warned Thursday. The population of the world’s tallest land mammal dropped to below 100,000 in 2015, mainly due to shrinking …

  Geneva, Switzerland | AFP |  The aviation industry is set to post record net earnings this year and is expected to remain profitable in 2017, despite rising oil prices and global political turbulence, its trade association said Thursday. “Airlines continue to deliver strong results. This year we expect a …