Kenya banks on continental chairmanship to drive MICE industry.

Kenyatta International Convention Centre CEO James Mwaura has been elected chairperson of the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) –African Chapter for a two-year term following a competitive process.

This is the first time Kenya has won the position.

ICCA is an international body which represents the world’s leading suppliers in handling, transporting and accommodating international meetings and events.

It comprises of 1,100-member companies and organizations across the world and specializes in the international association’s meetings sector in 100 countries.

The African chapter has about 50 members and plays a pivotal role in developing and growing the local meetings and events industry and enhancing the global competitiveness of the continent.

As the new chair, Mwaura will work with his colleagues in the ICCA Africa chapter to position Africa as a prime business conferencing destination and showcase the potential of the continent to host big events.

Africa has a great deal of potential in the meetings and conference business and his efforts will be dedicated in helping Chapter members exploit this potential to increase the number of meetings that Africa hosts, KICC saidn in a statement on Thursday.

Kenya expects to gain from the position through the strategic influence Mwaura will have in hosting of rotational conferences.

Mwaura expressed his gratitude to the Africa Chapter members for believing and voting for him.

Commenting on his new role, Mwaura said he will use the influential post to further position Kenya as an attractive destination for conference tourism also known as Meetings, Incentives, Travel, Conferences and Exhibition (MICE) Tourism.

“Key will be to showcase Kenya and the continent’s capabilities to host large conferences and events.  Africa is ready to do business with the world. With the right in-country partnerships, member countries can host major events and as ICCA Africa Chapter, we will work to ensure we raise this profile,” said Mwaura.

He further commits to deliver on his promises to grow the Chapter.

“I will push for strategic Chapter involvement that provide valuable business and learning opportunities for Africa, develope initiatives that foster greater participation and networking among Africa Chapter members, as well as mobilise new members to the chapter,” Mwaura said.

The post will enable Kenya gain access to valuable industry data, research, and insights that can inform the country’s MICE strategic decisions.

It will also give the country increased global visibility and recognition through strategic business speaking opportunities in international ICCA forums.

Mwaura has further committed to leverage on the position to influence the growth and development of Kenya’s meetings and conventions industry on a global scale.

“Kenya will possess the potential to successfully secure leads for conventions to be held within the country,” Mwaura added.

Further, the position will give Kenya an upper hand in collaborating with teams of experienced professionals and support from ICCA’s resources and infrastructure. 

Some of the objectives of the African Chapter as the voice of Africa in the global meetings world include increasing Africa’s market share of the global meetings industry.

It is also focused on extracting more business between countries on the continent, growing and nurturing the people within the industry and creating a positive image about Africa as a unique and inspiring destination for international meetings and events.

 Source: The Star.  

Uganda Airlines announces flights to Nigeria, Zambia.

Starting September 2024, Uganda Airlines will begin flights to Abuja in Nigeria, Harare in Zimbabwe, and Lusaka in Zambia.

These new routes will join the airline’s existing destinations, including Nairobi, Mombasa, Dar es Salaam, Bujumbura, Johannesburg, Dubai, Zanzibar, Lagos, Kinshasa, Mumbai, Mogadishu, Juba, and Kilimanjaro.

According to a press release, the flights to Abuja will start on September 12, 2024, operating every Sunday and Thursday with the A330-800 aircraft. This service extends the existing flights to Lagos, which run on Sundays, Mondays, and Thursdays.

For Lusaka and Harare, services will start on September 25, 2024, with four times-a-week flights on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday using the CRJ-900 aircraft. While launching the routes, Jenifer Bamuturaki, Uganda Airlines chief executive officer (CEO), said that these network additions increase Uganda’s connectivity to the rest of Africa and bring more choice and convenience to travellers.

“The creation of an air bridge to West Africa and Southern Africa will bring convenience to travellers across the continent with direct flights and seamless connectivity and enable multiple opportunities in business, trade, tourism, and socio-cultural linkages. We are open to bookings, and intending travellers can book through their travel agents, our ticketing offices, or online via the Uganda Airlines app and website,” Bamuturaki explained.

“These new routes mark the second phase of our network development and support our mission to offer affordable air travel for business and leisure. This expansion also sets the stage for future routes to Europe and Asia,” she added.

The launch of these new routes enhances intra-African travel, providing direct flights and seamless connections for business, trade, tourism, and cultural exchanges. Bookings are now open through travel agents, ticketing offices, or online via the Uganda Airlines app and website.

In September 2024, the national airline will celebrate five years since it began operations in August 2019, by officially launching these new routes. According to Bamuturaki, the decision to add these routes aims to build an efficient regional market, enhance aircraft utilization, and create a robust network that supports long-haul routes.

She further states that “This strategic expansion is part of the airline’s 10-year plan and aims to connect East, West, North, and South Africa.”

With these new routes, Uganda Airlines hopes to improve connectivity, increase flight frequencies, and boost revenue growth. The network expansion positions the airline for promising profitability.

Source:   The Observer.

Opening New Pathways: Ethiopian Airlines Commences New Service to Warsaw, Poland

Addis Ababa, 02 July 2024

Ethiopian Airlines, Africa’s largest network operating carrier, is pleased to announce the commencement of its four times-weekly new flight services to Warsaw, the capital and largest city of the Republic of Poland, via Athens as of 01 July 2024. The flight departed from Addis Ababa Bole International Airport in a colorful ceremony attended by the Ambassador of Poland to Ethiopia, Ethiopia’s high ranking government officials and Ethiopian Airlines’ executives.

The new flight marks a significant milestone for Ethiopian Airlines’ network expansion in Europe, enhancing global connectivity and promoting commerce and tourism. The flight will continue operation according to the below schedule.

ET 764 Addis Ababa (ADD) – Athens (ATH) – Warsaw (WAW) Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun

ET 765 Warsaw (WAW) – Athens (ATH) – Addis Ababa (ADD) Mon, Tue, Thu, Sat

Regarding the commencement of the new route Mr. Mesfin Tasew, Chief Executive Officer of Ethiopian Airlines Group said, “We are truly pleased to establish yet another connection between Africa and Central Europe with the flight that we have commenced today to Warsaw, Poland. We are committed to enhance our passengers’ convenience in traveling across the globe in a seamless connection, and we are proud to take our African Flavored Ethiopian Hospitality services further to Poland.”

With the launch of this new flight, Warsaw marks Ethiopian Airlines’ 24th destination in Europe. This milestone underscores our commitment to meeting the growing demand for travel between Africa and Europe, reinforcing our mission to connect people, cultures, and economies across regions. Our dedication to providing an exceptional customer experience has earned us multiple accolades, further solidifying our reputation in the industry.

Ethiopian remains committed to service excellence, claiming international accolades along the way. Recently, Ethiopian Airlines achieved remarkable success at the SKYTRAX World Airlines Award 2024, winning in four prestigious categories: Best Airline in Africa for seven consecutive years, Best Business Class in Africa for six consecutive years, Best Economy Class in Africa for six consecutive years, and Best Economy Class Onboard Catering in Africa. Additionally, Ethiopian was honored with ‘Best Entertainment’ and ‘Best Wi-Fi’ in Africa at the 2024 APEX Passenger Choice Awards.

Travelers can now book their flights with Ethiopian Airlines through its digital channels and at its ticket offices, ensuring convenient access to our award-winning services.

About Ethiopian

Ethiopian Airlines Group (Ethiopian) is one of the fastest-growing airlines brand globally and the continent’s largest airline brand. In its seventy-eight years of successful operations, Ethiopian has become one of the continent’s leading carriers, unrivalled in efficiency and operational success. Ethiopian commands the lion’s share of the African passenger and cargo network operating the youngest and most modern fleet to more than 150 domestic and international passenger and cargo destinations across five continents. Ethiopian’s fleet category consists of ultra-modern and environmentally friendly aircraft such as Boeing 737s, 777s, 787s, Airbus A350-900 and De Havilland Q400. 

Ethiopian is also pursuing multi-hub strategy through hubs in Lomé, Togo with ASKY, in Lilongwe, Malawi with Malawi Airlines and in Lusaka, Zambia with Zambia Airways. Having achieved its strategic plan (Vision 2025) ahead of time, Ethiopian is currently implementing a 15-year strategic plan Vision 2035 that will see it become one of the top 20 most competitive and leading aviation groups in the world. Ethiopian has been champion in various coveted awards including Skytrax’s ‘Best Airline in Africa Award’ for seven consecutive years among others. The airline has been a Star Alliance member since 2011 and has been registering more than threefold growth in the past 10 years.

For more at: www.ethiopianairlines.com     

Email: CorporateCommunication@ethiopianairlines.com 

Contact: (251-11)517-8913/8165/8907    

Press-release-Opening-New-Pathways-Ethiopian-Airlines-Commences-New-Service-to-Warsaw-PolandDownload

Discover the Beauty and Potential of Eldoret with Kenya Airways

Renowned as the home of champions with beautiful lush highlands, natural beauty, and cultural heritage, Eldoret is now the 44th Kenya Airways destination. Kenya Airways recently relaunched its flight services to and from Eldoret effective March 25th, 2024.

Driven by its mission “To propel Africa’s prosperity by connecting its people, cultures, and markets.” Kenya Airways reintroduced its flights to connect Eldoret to the world and the world to Eldoret for tourism, trade, sports and culture. With 6 weekly flights, the schedule is perfect for sportsmen and sportswomen coming to train from abroad who want a seamless connection, for the business community who want to travel to explore opportunities, for students traveling to study, for family and friends traveling as well as tourists who want to explore the regions hidden wonders.

The service was first introduced with 5 weekly flights and in June, Kenya Airways responded to market demand and increased the flights to 6 weekly flights to provide customers with flexible travel options. The flights also offer seamless connectivity for international travel to and from other KQ destinations across the world. Guests travelling to and from Eldoret will also be eligible to earn Asante Reward points every time they fly with Kenya Airways.

New Schedule:

How Corporate Travel Managers Can Meet the Challenges of Continuous Disruption

Digital transformation has forced a litany of changes on both the buyer and seller sides of the travel industry. As Web 2.0 and cloud computing emerged, virtually all industries began to digitize, and corporate travel management was not immune. Then a global health crisis leveled its own brand of disturbance.

At the same time, travelers heightened expectations for customer service, and personalized experiences were going through their own step change.

Now travel distribution models themselves are shifting. Caught in the middle, travel managers have found themselves in an ecosystem of continuous disruption, the latest being new distribution capability (NDC) driven by airlines. How are corporate travel managers navigating the current wave of change and how can they best adapt and remain relevant, while keeping their travelers moving?

Are we using NDC?

In the past year or so since the airlines began to shift their distribution strategies via NDC in earnest, players at every link of the value chain have been adopting, piloting, adapting and connecting. The U.S. Travel Association has reported that 24% have experienced challenges with the rollout; and half of North American travel buyers (55%) say their programs have not even started to implement NDC. Just as hotels did a few years ago with dynamic rates, airlines are on a journey to take control of their content strategies to maximize their product merchandising and minimize distribution costs. Major players like American Airlines are shaking up the game, targeting business travelers directly, offering the best rates and tailored offers on their brand websites. And corporate travelers are responding, motivating travel management companies (TMC) to change their operational practices. The disruptions are not only a procedural headache but also require serious adaptations in servicing and technology.

APIs for direct connections

For brand carriers, the travel industry is all about creating and nurturing connections. This innovative new distribution technology connects airline brands directly with corporate travelers. It is basically an API (application programming interface) connection, many of which are already widely employed for online travel agencies and metasearch distribution and booking in the hospitality industries. However, when business travelers book rooms, cars and flights directly with suppliers, corporate travel managers encounter problems that go well beyond mere frustration.

Governance issues

Naturally, business travelers don’t care about acronyms, nor whether they get an NDC airfare, global distribution system (GDS) fare, OTA or direct rate. However, travel managers need their travelers to draw within the lines because if the company can no longer track purchases or authorize bookings, they lose visibility and control over supplier spend. If managers only get purchasing information once they have been submitted as expenses, they lose all ability to direct spend to preferred suppliers or optimize travel budget.

The whole process of off-channel bookings is fraught with problems of governance as managers need to know that employees are staying in the right hotels and importantly staying within the spending boundaries. Managers need to bring travelers back into the managed travel program for completeness of the approvals process, visibility, the payment of the trip, traveler tracking and enforcing policy controls.

Disruption management

In business travel, at least a third or more of all trips change. Travelers who make direct bookings for all or part of their trips still expect their company to be able to help with disruption or credit management. Travelers just want good fares within their budget and to maximize loyalty points; oblivious to the logistical complexity that comes with trying to get service or support from their TMC if they have no visibility over the booking.

The challenges in transitioning from legacy GDSs and EDIFACT to a fragmented technology ecosystem that connects to NDC is causing a disruption management problem for corporate travel departments. For now, at least, that generally spells operational friction for everybody involved.

Frictions and emissions

Travel managers must regain the ability to service and support travelers from door to door. And they must do so while simultaneously matching the frictionless, personalized customer experiences that hotels and airline brands are striving to provide. In today’s atmosphere of sharp regulatory scrutiny, compliance leaders must mitigate any corporate travel risks. Especially in large enterprises, business travel is a significant part of Scope 3 carbon footprints. GBTA’s Business Travel Industry Outlook Poll reported that 49% of travel buyers say they are either the lead decision maker or one of the decision makers when it comes to travel risk management. Travel managers must ensure that employees are making smart and sustainable travel choices.

The connected journey

To solve their pain points in 2024, travel managers need technology platforms that unify the entire travel experience in a single source of truth, no matter the content source. The right travel technology pulls together all travel channels in alignment with corporate policies. A unified platform keeps managers in the loop, ensuring they can keep their travelers safe and help in the event of changes, problems or emergencies. But the technology must preserve the all-important customer experience, giving them ease, choice and flexibility, so employees have no need to book any parts of their journeys outside the lines.

Moreover, AI tools now can automate and elevate the connected journey by efficiently offering personalized booking options for the traveler serving up a handful (instead of hundreds) of options that align with the traveler’s personal preferences, company policy and travel patterns. And travel managers get to see the entire picture, both at the individual traveler’s level and at the corporate level.

Technology has proven that it sometimes causes problems and sometimes solves them for corporate travel managers. Historically, about 30-50% of all hotel accommodations have gone outside of the travel program, direct to suppliers or OTAs, aka leakage.

Corporate travel managers have had to tolerate leakage, and they’ve really struggled to do anything about it because they haven’t been able to offer the choice and convenience travelers can get through other channels. Now with the advancement of platforms that can seamlessly integrate all of these diverse booking offerings, managers have the capability to make their jobs easier while keeping their travelers coloring within the lines.

Source: PhocusWire.  

Unlocking East Africa’s potential as a premier medical tourism destination

East Africa’s healthcare sector has been on a transformative journey, driven by a decentralized government system and expanding infrastructure. The region is poised to become a top destination for medical tourism, tapping into its potential to offer world-class healthcare services to both local and international patients.

In a recent interview on CNBC Africa, Rashid Khalani, CEO of Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya, discussed the advancements, opportunities, challenges, and collaborative efforts needed to unlock East Africa’s potential as a premier medical tourism destination. Khalani highlighted the strengths and opportunities that Kenya and the region possess in becoming a hub for medical tourism. He emphasized Kenya’s liberal visa regime, political and economic stability, excellent infrastructure, and investments in human resource capacity within the healthcare sector as key factors that position the country for success in medical tourism.

The CEO underlined the importance of quality healthcare services over just infrastructure, emphasizing the significance of skilled professionals and advanced technology in delivering superior patient care. When discussing the economic impact of medical tourism, Khalani pointed out that while there is no documented study on the exact figures, the potential for revenue generation in the industry is substantial.

Citing examples from countries like India, Turkey, and Dubai, where medical tourism contributes tens of billions of dollars to the economy, Khalani believes that East Africa, particularly Nairobi, could similarly benefit from this lucrative market. He estimated that the region could attract hundreds of millions of dollars annually through medical tourism, given the right investments and strategies.

However, Khalani acknowledged the challenges hindering East Africa’s path to becoming a top medical tourism destination, with a key focus on the lack of a robust manufacturing base for medical supplies and equipment. He emphasized the importance of building sustainable supply chains and investing in local manufacturing to reduce costs and enhance the region’s competitiveness in the global medical tourism market.

Khalani also stressed the need for ongoing investments in human resource capacity, particularly in subspecialized training for medical professionals, to elevate the quality of healthcare services and meet the diverse needs of patients seeking treatment in the region. Collaboration among East African governments was identified as a crucial component in advancing the medical tourism agenda. Khalani called for countries in the region to work together on joint manufacturing projects for medical devices and equipment, creating a tax-friendly environment to facilitate the seamless movement of goods and people across borders.

By pooling resources and expertise, East African countries could enhance their collective capacity and attractiveness as a medical tourism destination. Reflecting on the current state of infrastructure in East Africa, Khalani acknowledged progress but noted that significant development efforts are still required. While individual healthcare institutions like the Aga Khan University Hospital have made substantial investments in technology and quality enhancements, there is a broader need for infrastructure development across the region to support the growth of medical tourism. Khalani’s insights shed light on the journey ahead for East Africa as it strives to establish itself as a premier destination for medical tourism.

By addressing challenges, fostering collaboration, and prioritizing investments in healthcare infrastructure and human capital, the region can unlock its full potential and offer world-class healthcare services to a global clientele.

Source:   CNBC Africa.   

Read more articles on Kenya’s medical Tourism: Business Dailyhttps://www.businessdailyafrica.com/bd/opinion-analysis/columnists/how-kenya-can-unlock-its-medical-tourism-potential–4667234

Travelport Launches New Ai-Powered Search Feature

Travelport launched on Wednesday an artificial intelligence-powered search feature that the global travel retail platform said will help agencies find “the perfect” trip match for travelers from among billions of options.

The Content Curation Layer (CCL) will use both AI and machine learning to provide a range of retail ready results by sorting through multi-source content that’s been aggregated. In turn, it provides search results at a faster rate than the average response time of an airline search, the company said.

“Travelport’s role in the increasingly complex travel industry is to take millions of pieces of disparate information and make it simple for both travel agencies and providers to understand, search, sell and service,” Travelport CEO Greg Webb said. “We believe AI and machine learning are powerful tools to do just that.”

The new tool will be on the Travelport Plus platform, which launched in 2021 as a unified platform to replace the company’s three legacy global distribution systems.

“The [CCL] will allow travel agencies to provide travelers the right range of normalized, enriched, bookable content at speed, via a singular search screen,” Webb added. “Used for all content sources … the CCL allows agents to compare apples to oranges in an apples-to-apples way.”

A key feature of the new tool, the company said, is the Content Optimizer, a Travelport Plus product that gives clients more control over content including NDC and traditional content. Agents can also use the Content Optimizer to refine search results, boost revenue optimization and fine tune content choice to prevent overload.

“Our travel agency partners know their travelers well, and Content Optimizer gives agencies the ability to set their own rules and customize the type of results that are prioritized,” Webb said. “This innovative product offers agencies more control of their content, with the support of AI to save agencies more time and money.”

Travelport made headlines in March for layoffs for agility purposes.

“Travelport is focused on driving revenue growth while operating as efficiently and effectively as possible,” Katie Cline, global head of external communications for Travelport, said in an email at the time.

The company’s move came after funding news in December, which bolstered its position with a $570 million investment.

Source: PhocusWire.  

Over 300 African BASAs compromised – IATA

Africa’s aspiration for a unified air transport market is facing significant obstacles as a recent analysis carried out by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) reveals a major roadblock: the poor implementation of the existing Bilateral Air Service Agreements (BASAs).

The study examined 607 BASAs across Africa and found that more than half are not being fully implemented by governments across the continent causing African Airlines to continue struggling with fragmented skies. BASAs are agreements that govern international air travel between countries, and they establish rules for designated airlines, including access to major airports. These BASAs are meant to regulate air traffic between countries, but their weak enforcement has continued to hinder the development of a strong internal air transport network.

The lack of compliance thwarts the plans for the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM), an initiative designed to remove restrictions on airline traffic rights across the continent by simplifying air travel regulations. The initiative has the potential to unlock economic growth through increased trade and tourism but the current situation with BASAs paints a worrying picture.

IATA’s Regional Vice President for Africa and the Middle East, Kamil Alawadhi, recently raised serious questions about the commitment of African governments to SAATM, saying in a recent statement that existing agreements aren’t being properly implemented.

“The Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) seeks to liberalise civil aviation across the continent by removing restrictions on traffic rights for African airlines. SAATM provides Africa with a ready-made mechanism to drive economic growth, but few governments have taken the steps needed for its implementation. Moreover, an IATA analysis of 607 bilateral air service agreements (BASA’s) in Africa revealed limitations on the development of intra-Africa connectivity because the implementation of over half of these agreements was being compromised.

“Non-compliance of by African governments BASA’s is a major obstacle to achieving seamless regional connectivity and growth in the African aviation sector. To develop economy-boosting intra-Africa connectivity, Africa’s governments must back SAATM with actions,” Alawadhi said.

Domestic operators push for BASA renegotiations

In Nigeria, the situation is peculiar. Domestic airlines say that the BASAs signed by the country in the past have been unfair to them and unfavorable to industry. The Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) had earlier visited the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, where they presented a detailed proposal on steps the current administration should take to reengineer the sector.

The AON in its presentation to the minister argued that domestic airlines have not been well-represented in past negotiations, leading to huge revenue loss to the nation.

They said it was totally wrong to sideline domestic airlines when signing BASAs, saying the development has favoured the foreign operators who dominate the market.

“Bilateral (BASA) and Multilateral (MASA) Air Services Agreements are premised on the principle of Reciprocity. It typically provides for applicable conditions to designated airlines, typically include provisions for operations out of host country’s primary airport(s). Domestic airlines have not had major contributions in previous negotiations and the lack of domestic representation has resulted in huge capital flight and side-lining of the AON membership,” AON said.

The airlines advocated for a reversal to the air service agreements to create a more balanced environment that benefits domestic airlines and better reflect the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) principles, particularly reciprocity, which means airlines from each country get similar benefits. It also said that agreements should encourage investment in domestic airlines and their expansion into international markets.

The AON further proposed a restriction of foreign rights, which is the cancelation of extra freedoms (like carrying passengers beyond their destination) granted to foreign airlines and encourage them to codeshare with domestic airlines instead.

It said: “Renegotiate existing BASA’s & MASAs in line with the provisions of SAATM, with emphasis on the principle of reciprocity to encourage increased investments in the sector. There should be immediate cancellation of all existing 8th & 9th freedom rights allocated to foreign airlines operating within the country and encourage such carriers to codeshare with domestic airlines.

“We call for the immediate renegotiation of all existing BASA’s & MASAs in line with the provisions of SAATM, with emphasis on the principle of reciprocity in favour of domestic airlines aspiring to expand operations into the international and sub-regional markets. Constitute a committee with membership drawn from key industry stakeholders, headed by IATA to review and update the industry civil aviation policy document in line with global standards and trends, and develop an industry 15-year strategic development plan for Implementation.”

Source:The Sun.

Food Tourism is Dubai’s Next Sector to Watch, Here’s Why

Dubai is more than just big malls and shiny hotels, and its maturing restaurant sector proves that.

Earlier this month, the third edition of Dubai’s Michelin Guide was announced, a lavish, government-sponsored affair constructed to show the world Dubai means business when it comes to food. It was held at the One&Only One Za’abeel — a government-owned five-star hotel.

In fact, the entirety of Michelin in Dubai is effectively a government project. Dubai Tourism brought the Michelin Guide to the city in 2022 as the emirate sought to tap into gastronomic tourism for the first time.

For this year’s Guide, 106 restaurants made the list, with 15 having one-star distinctions and four restaurants given two stars. Dubai is yet to have its first three Michelin-star restaurant.

These 106 restaurants now serve as neat marketing tools for Dubai Tourism as it looks for new ways to pull travelers into the city.

In the UNWTO’s Second Global Report on Gastronomy Tourism, it suggested that food tourism should be placed “as a horizontal layer of … destination marketing and product development strategies instead of a vertical one.” Ideally, the report suggests that food experiences should be integrated within other experiences, and not “treat[ed] as a standalone product.”

Globally, Skift data In 2019 showed 98% of US respondents traveled for food, 42% of those did so for food as the main purpose of their trips.

Gastronomic tourism is one of Dubai’s newest branches of travel, and one the city is immensely focused on nailing. For years, luxury hotels and high-end shopping got all the attention of travelers. Dubai restaurants have recently been featured on Netflix as well.

Dubai boasts around 13,000 restaurants, and this year was declared by Time Out as the ninth-best city in the world for eating. Dubai Tourism’s own Gastronomy Report puts Dubai as the global capital of food (obviously) but the data set was 2,000 people already living in Dubai.

A Different Marketing Approach

Importantly, while Michelin itself tends to shine a light on high-end venues, Dubai’s focus on gastronomic tourism as a whole shows the city maturing and moving away from its reliance on promoting only luxury hotels and malls to tourists.

In the words of tourism CEO Issam Kazim, “Dubai is a victim of its own success.” The emirate pushed hard in the 2000s and early 2010s to build some of the most spectacular modern monuments in the world: The Burj Al Arab, the Burj Khalifa, and the Atlantis to name a few.

At Skift India Summit 2024, Kazim said: “We are a victim of our own success to a degree. The Burj Al Arab made us a sought-after destination, but people thought they couldn’t afford it. Yes, Dubai caters to high-end, but that doesn’t mean we don’t cater to all budgets.”

However, these locations led many to label Dubai as an unaffordable, overly-luxurious destination. In 2024, a wave of hip, new restaurants are changing the face of the city, showing tourists and locals the culture without breaking the bank.

Local restaurant company EATX is one such firm looking to showcase Dubai through its food spots. EATX Chief Operating Officer Nick Comaty told Skift: “I used to work in Miami, in New York and in Europe for a bit, but I think Dubai is the most competitive in terms of restaurants.”

“A lot of people who aren’t familiar with Dubai or moving here for the first time or visiting for the first time just have a surface-level idea but restaurants now are a lot more nuanced. Dubai itself is a multi-ethnic city. A few years ago, many people would just go to the malls in Dubai and think they’ve done everything. Now, restaurants are adding in so many new experiences into the city.”

A “Vegas Flair” in Dubai

According to Comaty, Dubai is a mixture of many major US cities when it comes to its food scene, including the “Vegas flair” you may find on the Strip.

He said: “Food is a driver for Dubai nowadays, people come here for the restaurants. It’s a mix of New York, Miami, and Vegas. Dubai has that fast pace, it has things happening all the time like New York; then it has the beaches of Miami; and then there’s that Vegas flair in terms of entertainment.”

A New Image

Comaty reflected: “In many ways, Dubai is already a gastronomic tourism destination. Dubai is in the top ten globally when it comes to dining. Hopefully one day it will be top three.”

“Dubai has multiple layers and that’s what people need to know. It’s not only the bling bling city. The rapid maturing of restaurants is helping change that image.”

Source: Skift.

Tourism boom as wildebeest migration roars.

It is all systems go for this year’s wildebeest migration at the Maasai Mara National Reserve as hotels experience up to 95 percent bookings.

A spot check by The Standard has revealed that investors are hopeful of reaping big from the phenomenon after devastating floods that wreaked havoc on some camps and lodges along rivers.

The peak season runs from July to September every year when millions of wildebeests spectacularly cross from the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania to the Maasai Mara Game Reserve in Kenya.

The spectacle attracts thousands of international and local tourists who book hotels and camps around the game reserve for the golden chance to watch the world’s eighth wonder.

The animals have to crisscross the Mara River several times in different spots where crocodiles prey on them.

This forms one of the highlights of the migration as the animals fight to cross the river in one piece.

Women selling beads at the Sekenani gate – the main entrance to the Mara- and artists are also reaping huge from foreign and local tourists.

“We are already reaping the fruits of the high season, as tourists have increased in number.

‘‘I now sell beads worth between Sh7,000 and Sh15,000 a day,” said Nayiarei Noonkipa.

The management of the reserve said they are expecting more than 100,000 tourists to witness the migration this year, which is to start by mid-July.

Mara Chief Park Warden Stephen Minis, on Saturday, said the number of tourists had increased tremendously in the past few weeks, and according to hotels inside and outside the reserve they are recording booming business.

Sarova Mara Camp General Manager Jane Kiragu is upbeat that the bookings were impressive despite challenges the tourism industry was facing locally following heavy rains that swept some tented camps and persistent demonstrations against the government.

Speaking to The Standard over the weekend, Kiragu said the hotel has 75 tents entry-level tents, 20 deluxe tents, 20 club tents and family tents, which are two-bedroomed, all fully booked for the next three months.

Kiragu said the experience in the hotel for their clients will be different as they are upscaling their tourism products and improving their tents to give their clients the experience of a lifetime.

“In Sarova, we are 95 per cent fully booked, and we are expecting more visitors.

‘‘We are currently trying to improve club tents, which are the hotel’s high-end tents, and the experience is quite different,” said Kiragu.

She said the difference is in the high-end tents since the hotel has introduced a private dining area dubbed ‘Olchani’ with a great experience in a woody area overlooking a little lake beside it, an open fireplace, a private heated swimming pool and a Jacuzzi.

According to their bookings, they have clients from all over Europe, with citizens of Spain, Britain, Germany, Dubai, India, and domestic market travellers.

Source: Standard Media.