News
25 March 2019
Uganda Tourism Board sets sight on water transport tourism
In her first public speech since being appointed Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) chief executive officer Lilly Ajarova has said she will make water transport tourism a priority resource as government seeks to build on the gains so far reached. Speaking during the launch of the MV Vanessa boat in Entebbe, Ms Ajarova said water bodies in Uganda, especially Lake Victoria were under-utilised in terms of tourism. "This is the beginning of utilising Lake Victoria and other water bodies for the benefit of Ugandans and the international community," she said.
Read More25 March 2019
Introducing Atta's Crisis Management Advisor
Colin McGregor is Managing Director of tranquilico a specialist consultancy offering health, safety and crisis management services primarily to the travel, leisure and education sectors. This includes tour operators, travel agents, adventure holiday companies, independent schools, youth, student & school travel organisations and sports teams and their tour companies.
Read More22 March 2019
Gabon: Africa's Last Eden
Lying on the Equator, Gabon is covered in an amazing 85 per cent of rain forests and is also rich in oil and minerals. This Central African nation offers a spectacular array of wildlife in its dense rainforests and open savannah to nature enthusiasts. In 2011, Gabon strongly promoted eco-tourism by advertising itself as a great destination. In 2017, Gabon’s National Parks agency signed the country’s first Conservation Tourism Concession Agreement. This was the culmination of several years of work and represents a significant master in the implementation of a major pillar of Gabon’s national development plan. In 2002, former President Omar Bongo designated a staggering 11 per cent of Gabon’s land mass to National Parks.
Read More22 March 2019
Introducing Advisory Board Member: John Corse
John Corse is a Tanzanian businessman with extensive experience in the tourism sector, currently the managing director of Serengeti Balloon Safaris. He grew up in Kenya, was educated in the UK, has an honours degree in Economics and served as an officer in the British Army for 6 years before returning to Africa. He has been involved in Nomad Tanzania since 1998, was its managing director from 2007-2015 and remains on its board to this day. In addition, he has managed a fast-moving consumer goods business and the low-cost airline, Fastjet. John was previously a board member for Atta from 2012 to 2014 and is a governing council member of the Tanzania Association of Tour Operators.
Read More21 March 2019
Kenya’s SGR train service ferried 1.7m passengers in 2018
Kenya’s Standard Gauge Railway train service ferried 1.7 million passengers in 2018, the national statistics bureau said on Wednesday. The figure is more than double the passengers the train service, dubbed Madaraka Express, carried from mid-2017, when it started, till the end of 2017, the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) said in a report. “In 2017, the train transported 699,055 passengers between June and December, with the number rising to 1.67 million in 2018,” the report said.
Read More21 March 2019
Travel and Tourism is Zambia’s fastest-growing national economic sector for 2018
The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) is getting ready for its Annual Summit in Seville next month, and Africa will be happy. Report after report is confirming enormous growth potential for the African Travel and Tourism industry. Travel and Tourism is Zambia’s 2018 fastest-growing national economic sector, contributing US$1,846.9MN (ZMK19.4 billion) to national economy, reported WTTC, and 318.9 thousand jobs to the Zambian economy in 2018 while posting a +6.3% Gross Domestic Product (GDP), making it the fastest and bullish economic sector in the country.
Read More20 March 2019
Kenya Airways and Alitalia Sign Codeshare Deal
Italian largest airline Alitalia and Kenya Airways have entered into a codeshare partnership to offer their customers more travel options at their hubs in Nairobi and Rome. The deal which became effective last Thursday, will see Alitalia's code placed on Kenya Airways' flight beyond Nairobi to Mombasa and Kisumu in Kenya, as well as to a further 19 African destinations including Abidjan, Accra, Addis Ababa, Antananarivo, Brazzaville, Dar es Salaam and Douala.
Read More20 March 2019
Africa's Travel Indaba set to introduce the Green Stand Awards
Africa’s Travel Indaba, which recognises the importance of high value-low impact tourism and preserving the environment through innovative solutions, will be taking place between 2-4 May, 2019 at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Convention Centre (Durban ICC). For the first time, Indaba will introduce the Green Stand Awards to recognize exhibitors who go that extra “green” mile to build and design stands that are environmentally and socially sustainable.
Read More19 March 2019
Cyclone Idai hits areas of Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi
Atta have been in touch with members on the ground in Southern Africa to get a sense of the true impact that Cyclone Idai has had and how things are developing in the areas worst affected. The storm crossed the coast of Mozambique close to Beira in Sofala Province, developing into a tropical storm and moving over neighbouring countries; Zimbabwe and Malawi, which have been hit by heavy flooding as a result. Atta members to the north and south of here have not been affected and have reported business as usual. Great efforts are under way to assist the communities in Zimbabwe that have been affected by Cyclone Idai.
Read More19 March 2019
Protected areas in East Africa flourishing
East Africa’s protected areas are largely successful at preserving important habitats, with nearly seven per cent turned into agricultural land, a study has shown. Protected areas, locations in which human activities are strictly controlled to allow endangered species to prosper, are a boon for local communities as they generate tourism income and help preserve ecologically important species. But as human population rises, agriculture and livestock farming begin to intrude on protected land, experts say. The study which was conducted by US-based researchers demonstrated that since 2001, protected areas in Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda have held fast, and are expanding in some regions.
Read More18 March 2019
"Source of the Nile" Bridge part of Global Greening for St. Patrick’s Day
The Embassy of Ireland in Uganda, in partnership with the Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) and the Uganda National Roads Authority, illuminated the “Source of the Nile” Bridge green ahead of Ireland’s national day, St. Patrick’s Day, which takes place annually on March 17. This marks the fifth year that Uganda has participated in the Global Greening initiative, an event that sees over 300 famous landmarks and iconic sites across the world go green for March 17. In the past, these have included the Great Wall of China, the Pyramids in Egypt, Table Mountain in South Africa, and the Equator Monument in Uganda, among others.
Read More18 March 2019
Egypt tourism ‘fastest growing’ in North Africa
Improved security helped Egypt’s tourism sector become the fastest growing in North Africa last year. The growth of 16.5% was linked to the improved security infrastructure, which has helped to attract international visitors back to Egypt’s shores. This has allowed major travel companies to resume operations in popular destinations such as Sharm el-Sheikh.
Read More15 March 2019
Cape Town continues to grow as top leisure destination for European tourists
While Johannesburg remains in high demand among corporate business travellers using Lufthansa Group's three key airlines servicing South Africa, the airline is pleased with a 20% jump in Capetonians using its airlines, Dr André Schulz, general manager for the group in Southern Africa, said on Thursday.
Read More15 March 2019
Application for Membership - Dream Africa
Dream Africa 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). Dream Africa is a tour operator based in Slovakia, offering adventure tours to almost all destinastions on African continent. We specialize on tailor made safaris at Eastern and Southern Africa, as well as Kilimanjaro treks with beach extensions.
Read More15 March 2019
Introducing Advisory Board Member: Stefano Cheli
Stefano has lived in Kenya all his life and started Cheli & Peacock Safaris with his wife Liz in 1985, doing high end mobile tented safaris and a boutique DMC. Over the next 30 years they grew the company to include a portfolio of boutique lodges / camps, designed and built by Stefano, they also had the management of Lewa Safari Camp, and won the tender to run tourism on the Loisaba Conservancy. They founded the Cheli & Peacock Community Trust (now rebranded the Land & Life Foundation). The Cheli’s sold their business to Elewana Afrika in 2014 but kept the ownership of Kitich Camp.
Read More14 March 2019
African tourism sector booming: second-fastest growth rate in the world
Travel & Tourism in Africa is booming, growing 5.6% in 2018 compared to the global average of 3.9% and the broader African economy rate of 3.2%. This places Africa as the second-fastest growing tourism region behind only Asia-Pacific. Such growth is partly explained by North Africa’s rebound from security crises as well as the development and implementation of policies that promote travel facilitation.
Read More14 March 2019
Application for Membership - Fred & Mildred
Fred & Mildred 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). Fred & Mildred Provides World-Class Sales Representation Services For Some Of The Finest Hotels And Travel Experiences Across The Globe.
Read More13 March 2019
Addis To Host Africa Hotel Investment Forum Hospitality
Attracting many prominent international hotel owners, investors, financiers, management companies and their advisers, the Africa Hotel Investment Forum (AHIF), is set to return Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The premier tourism and hotel investment conference in Africa, will take place at the Sheraton Hotel in the last week of September, 23-25, 2019. AHIF was previously held in Ethiopia’s capital city in 2014 and 2015; the following two years, the conference moved to Kigali and last year to Nairobi.
Read More13 March 2019
Application for Membership - TAASA Lodge
TAASA Lodge 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). The Lodge is perched on the edge of the Oldonyo Keri Hills in the North Eastern part of Tanzania within the Loliondo District at Ololosokwan Village. It is located in a private concession which borders the Serengeti National Park. There are 12 split-level luxury tents that can easily accommodate families, couples and solo travelers. We can configure the rooms with singles, doubles, or triples.
Read More12 March 2019
Tanzania Tourism receives a boost as tourists flock in
Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB) strategies have continued to bear fruits after a South African luxurious train with 69 passengers on board arrived in Dar es Salaam last weekend. Rovo, which is the second most luxurious train in the world, stationed at the Dar es Salaam's Tanzania Zambia Railways (TAZARA) at 10:00 hrs boarded, with tourists from different countries.
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