News
18 November 2019
Atta Alert: URGENT - Spoof Email
AttaFurther to the memo sent on Thursday 14th November there has been another email sent to the primary contacts listed on the Atta website advising members to renew for 2 years to continue their membership for 2020. This is a fraudulent email and members are advised NOT to respond and simply delete the email. All membership correspondence will come from Angela Dizon using her email address. All other official Atta emails will come from an email address on the atta.travel domain as opposed to outlook.com. This has been reported to Action Fraud.
Read More15 November 2019
Disputed Western Sahara becomes kite-surfing hotspot
AttaDakhla, Western Sahara | AFP | In the heart of disputed Western Sahara, a former garrison town has become an unlikely tourist magnet after kitesurfers discovered the windswept desert coast was perfect for their sport. In Dakhla, an Atlantic seaport town punctuated with military buildings in Morocco-administered Western Sahara, swarms of kitesurfers now sail in the lagoon daily. “Here there is nothing other than sun, wind and waves. We turned the adversity of the elements to our advantage: that’s the very principle of kitesurfing,” said Rachid Roussafi. After an international career in windsurfing and kitesurfing, Roussafi founded the first tourist camp at the lagoon at the start of the 2000s. “At the time, a single flight a week landed in Dakhla,” the 49-year-old Moroccan said. Today, there are 25 a week, including direct flights to Europe.
Read More15 November 2019
Application for Membership - Bellingham Safaris
AttaBellingham Safaris has applied to join Atta. Their membership will be approved if there are not any objections lodged within the statutory 10 day period. (See objection procedure below).
Read More14 November 2019
Malawi receives 17 black rhinos from South Africa
AttaSeventeen black rhinos have been released into Malawi’s Liwonde national park after arriving from South Africa as part of conservation efforts aimed at keeping the local population of the endangered species healthy and safe. By moving the beasts, in one of the biggest international relocations of its kind, conservationists hope to ensure wild black rhinos remain genetically diverse to better fight off disease. Peter Fearnhead, Chief Executive of African Parks, a private conservation trust that runs game reserves in Malawi, said the relocation also reflected local efforts to keep rhinos and other wild animals safe. Anti-poaching measures in Malawi have included deploying British troops to patrol the reserves.
Read More14 November 2019
Application for Membership - Dolphin Tours & Safaris
AttaDolphin Tours & Safaris has applied to join Atta. Their membership will be approved if there are not any objections lodged within the statutory 10 day period. (See objection procedure below).
Read More13 November 2019
How this conservation group is successfully fending off human threats in Africa’s degraded parks
AttaIn 2010, at the invitation of the Chadian government, a private organization called African Parks (AP) took over management of Zakouma, and the trend came to a sudden stop. Founded in 2000 by a small group of conservationists concerned with such hemorrhagic losses of the continent’s wildlife, the nonprofit AP contracts with governments to restore and run national parks—with the stipulation that it will exercise full control on the ground. AP presently manages 15 parks in nine countries, bringing outside funding, efficient business practices, and rigorous law enforcement to some of Africa’s most troubled wild landscapes.
Read More13 November 2019
Rwanda Is Building a Low-Footprint, Luxury Tourism Industry From Scratch—and Succeeding
AttaInspired by the likes of Bhutan and Botswana, the government has chosen to promote exclusive, low-footprint travel that will protect the environment and benefit local communities. The mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park are a key part of the strategy: Only 80 trekking permits are issued daily to meet them, and in 2017 the cost for each permit was doubled to $1,500. In a hugely successful revenue-sharing scheme, 10 percent of all tourism revenue from national parks is pumped back into surrounding villages by building schools and hospitals and improving sanitation. The government also plans to reinvest in the park by buying more land, which will increase the gorillas’ habitat and thus their numbers. One guide told me there’s even a fund to compensate farmers whose produce is eaten by golden monkeys, another primate group in the park that has the habit of venturing beyond its borders. Such policies have increased support among villagers for the long-term benefits of saving wildlife rather than the lucrative temptations of poaching.
Read More12 November 2019
KQ hits 75 per cent passengers capacity on New York route
AttaKenya Airways has completed 594 flights to and from New York since the launch of inaugural flight on October 28 last year. Speaking during a one-year anniversary celebration in New York, KQ chairman Michael Joseph said at least 105,084 passengers have been flown on the route in the past one year. During the launch, the Kenyan carrier known internationally as KQ deployed a Boeing 787 Dreamliner jet with a capacity of 234 seats for their daily flight to New York.
Read More12 November 2019
Groundbreaking publication from African People & Wildlife and National Geographic advances community engagement in conservation
AttaThe support and active engagement of local communities is a critical component of securing a healthy future for our planet—including all beings, human and wild. Community, Conservation, and Collaboration: A Framework for Success—created by African People & Wildlife in partnership with the National Geographic Society—provides lessons, strategies, and best practices to anyone working to engage and empower communities in the process of enhanced conservation and natural resource management. Developed from the experience of over 50 organizations across eastern and southern Africa, the framework and its associated toolkit go beyond theory to address the very important question of "how."
Read More11 November 2019
Birders’ paradise: 11 new bird species discovered in Uganda
AttaBird watchers coming to Uganda are getting more than what they bargain for. This follows confirmation of 10 new bird species sighted within the last four years. According to Achilles Byaruhanga, the executive director of Nature Uganda, the scientists also confirmed a species that were first encountered in Uganda in 2012. Byaruhanga said that the ardent bird watchers also known as birders keep on encountering birds they have not seen before every year. “We keep on adding new species nearly every year,” he said. He added that the scientists' reports on the new species have to be reviewed by their peers and the committee of eminent ornithologists based in East Africa.
Read More11 November 2019
London to Durban route enhances city's potential as holiday destination
AttaThe success of direct flights from Durban to leading international markets should encourage other international airlines to fly direct to Durban to position KwaZulu-Natal as a destination for tourists and business. This is the view of Economic Development MEC Nomusa Dube-Ncube after the announcement that the introduction of direct flights between London and Durban by British Airways a year ago is paying off for tourism in KZN.
Read More08 November 2019
Community tourism has potential to improve opportunities for African women
AttaCommunity tourism can improve opportunities for women in Africa, a session hosted by Women in Travel at WTM London has revealed. According to moderator Alessandra Alonso, founder of Women in Travel, 55% of all businesses in Africa are owned by women and 60% to 70% of employees in travel and tourism are female.
Read More08 November 2019
Uganda Airlines Mombasa flights to start
AttaUganda Airlines is set to make its maiden direct flight from Entebbe to Mombasa next week, a move authorities are banking on to help boost trade and tourism between Kenya and the neighbouring country. The carrier’s Bombardier aircraft is expected to touch down at Mombasa International Airport with 76 passengers on November 11 at 1pm, making it the seventh destination since it resumed operations in August 27 this year. Uganda Airlines will fly to Mombasa three times a week on Monday, Friday and Sunday.
Read More07 November 2019
Kenya announces effort to plant 2 billion tree seedlings by 2022
AttaKenya said Thursday it has stepped up efforts to foster public-private partnerships to boost ongoing environmental conservation efforts. Kariako Tobiko, environment and forestry cabinet secretary said such move guarantees the success of ongoing environmental conservation initiatives including increasing forest cover to at least 10 percent by planting two billion tree seedlings by the year 2022.
Read More07 November 2019
Sleeping wild dogs on a plane from SA to Mozambique is a sight to behold
AttaAviation company The Bateleurs and the Endangered Wildlife Trust undertook a translocation mission last week that saw 15 wild dogs transported from the Kalahari to Mozambique's Gorongosa National Park. The organisation provides free-of-charge aerial services to conservation organisations with the use of volunteer pilots.
Read More06 November 2019
Lufthansa expands long-haul network, introduces connection from Windhoek to Frankfurt
AttaThe Lufthansa Group has expanded its long-haul network, now connecting Namibia's capital with its largest hub in Frankfurt, in cooperation with Eurowings. The new connection is offered three times a week on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays departing at 9.30am from Windhoek and arriving at 7.05pm in Frankfurt (local time).
Read More06 November 2019
Defenders of the forest - Madagascar
AttaMadagascar has many wetland ecosystems including lakes, marshes, swamps and lagoons. Typically found in coastal regions, these habitats support a disproportionate amount of Madagascar’s bird life. The Island harbours lush rain forests, tropical dry forests, plateaus and deserts. Its more than 3,000 miles of coastline and over 250 islands are home to some of the world’s largest coral reef systems and most extensive mangrove areas in the Western Indian Ocean. This marks Madagascar as one of the world’s most important bio-diverse hotspots. The vast majority of its species of flora and fauna are unique only to the Island. The Indri, Spine frog, Lemurs, chameleons among other inhabitants of the rain forest are under threat from extinction.
Read More05 November 2019
African Parks and Zimbabwe Government partner to manage and restore Matusadonha National Park
AttaThe Government of Zimbabwe and conservation non-profit African Parks signed a 20-year agreement on Friday November 1st for the management of the iconic Matusadonha National Park. African Parks in partnership with the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority will implement management strategies to secure the park and restore wildlife populations, unlocking its ecological, social and economic value enabling communities to derive long-term benefits. "Zimbabwe is among the world's richest nations in natural resources and wildlife. These are assets which have drawn millions of visitors annually and form a vital base for our economy" said Mr. Fulton Mangwanya, Director-General of the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority. "Our public-private partnership with African Parks to restore Matusadonha helps to leverage conservation further as a sustainable mechanism for growth, promoting a tourism economy to benefit people while ensuring the protection of Zimbabwe's wildlife."
Read More05 November 2019
Ankle bracelets for hippos could keep them safe
AttaHippos and people have shared savannas of Africa for hundreds of thousands of years, but we know little about where hippos go, and why. “The lack of data on hippo movement has been a big blind spot in hippo conservation,” says Douglas McCauley, an associate professor in the ecology, evolution, and marine biology department at the University of California, Santa Barbara. “And if you don’t know where a hippo goes, how in the world can you design a thoughtful management plan for the species?” Primarily two factors drive hippo movement: water sources and food availability. They spend their days submerged in rivers and pools to avoid the harsh sun. At night, however, they move onto dry land to graze on the swaths of short grasses their wide mouths have adapted for mowing.
Read More04 November 2019
Mozambique: Tourism on the Increase, says Prime Minister
AttaMozambican Prime Minister Carlos Agostinho do Rosario said on Thursday that tourism to Mozambique is gradually increasing, and that in 2018 tourism earned the country 241.8 million dollars, compared with 196 million in 2015. Speaking in Maputo, at the opening of the seventh edition of the Mozambique International Tourism Fair (known as Fikani), Rosario said that, as a result of the reforms being implemented by the government in the sector, the number of international tourist arrivals has been increasing significantly. According to the government's figures 2.8 million tourists entered the country in 2018, compared with 1.6 million in 2015.
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