KATA urges travellers to be wary of rogue travel agents

The Kenya Association of Travel Agents has warned travellers against engaging agents that are not accredited by any authority.

KATA CEO Ms. Agnes Mucuha stated that this will ensure that travellers are not conned of their hard-earned money by unscrupulous people posing as legitimate travel agents.

This comes in the wake of a case where a tour operator is accused of obtaining Ksh 426,000 from a businessman by promising five air tickets to South Africa.

It is alleged that on the day of travel, the travellers presented the tickets at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in order to be presented with boarding passes and instead they were informed that the tickets were not valid.

The agent denied the charges before a senior principal magistrate and was released on a cash bail of Ksh 200, 000.

Many such cases, Ms. Mucuha stated, have been reported but the Association’s hands are tied since they are not KATA members and we have no avenue to seek redress for the victims. The best they can do is report the matter to the police for action to be taken.

“KATA members adhere to a strict code of conduct and professional standards. As the national umbrella body of travel agents in the country, we can assure travellers booking holidays and travel with our agents of utmost professionalism and integrity” she said.

Rogue travel agents who swindle unsuspecting travellers have raised the government’s concern. In August 2019, Tourism Cabinet Secretary Mr. Najib Balala put tours and travel firms offering fake packages to unsuspecting people on notice as they also pose a risk to the country’s image as a tourist destination.

Our Source: Kenya Association of Travel Agents (KATA)

Kenya’s second president Daniel Arap Moi passes on

Daniel Toroitich Arap Moi, Kenya’s second president passed away on February 2, 2020 at Nairobi Hospital. He was 95 years old.

The retired president who ruled the country for 24 years is currently the longest serving president Kenya has had.

He took over presidency after the death of the late Mzee Jomo Kenyatta in 1978. Mr. Moi joined politics in 1955 after working as a teacher for almost 10 years.

He was Minister for Home Affairs in 1964 before becoming Vice President in 1967 a position he served in until he became president in 1978.

He also served as Mp Baringo North from 1963. He later served as MP Baringo Central from 1966 until his retirement from presidency in 2002.

The Kenya Association of Travel Agents (KATA) joins Kenya and the rest of the world in mourning his demise.

Our Source: Kenya Association of Travel Agents (KATA)

Kenya Airways and Alitalia Expand Codeshare Partnership

Kenya Airways has signed with Alitalia an enhanced codeshare agreement creating additional connectivity to the networks of the two airlines.

This new partnership is bound to boost business travel and tourism between African points into Europe, the Far East and South America, giving tourists and businessmen additional travel options and better flight schedules when traveling to Central and Southern Africa to the other continents through the two airlines’ hubs in Rome and Nairobi.

Thanks to the codeshare agreement, Alitalia is widening its codeshare network in Africa, by placing its “AZ” flight code on Kenya Airways’ service to Malindi. Kenya Airways launched flights to Malindi in June 2019 specifically to connect with the Italian market.

Similarly, Kenya Airways will expand its offer by placing its ‘KQ’ flight code on Alitalia’s services from Rome to Tirana, Podgorica, Santiago, Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Seoul.

“The expansion of this partnership after such a short period reflects the opportunities that have been unlocked since the inception of the Nairobi to Rome flight and serves as a testament to our continued commitment to creating access for travelers to Africa,” said Kenya Airways Chief Commercial Officer, Ursula Silling.

Thanks to the codeshare agreement, customers can fly seamlessly to their desired destination with a single ‘unique’ ticket, checking-in at the airport of departure, and collecting their checked-through baggage at the end of their trip in the arrival airport.

Our Source: http://aviationtribune.com/airlines/europe/kenya-airways-and-alitalia-expand-codeshare-partnership/

Airlines suspend flights to China indefinitely as Corona Virus continues to claim lives

Concern continues to grow over the rapid spread of the deadly Corona Virus that has to date claimed over 600 lives.

The deaths have risen to 638 with 31, 481 infected people, 4, 824 being in critical condition.

About 1563 people have however recovered from the highly contagious virus.

The Kenya Association of Travel Agents (KATA) through the Chief Executive Officer Ms. Agnes Mucuha urged travellers to exercise extreme caution when travelling to China and to put off non-essential travel until the disease is contained.

‘’KATA travel agents are jointly advising their clients on precautionary measures in line with the directives issued by the government, should travel become necessary as instructed by the Ministry of Health. We care about our clients and choose life, better safe than sorry, “said Ms. Mucuha.

Airlines have also suspended their flights to China indefinitely until the disease is under control in a bid to protect passengers and crew. Kenya Airways announced that starting January 31, they had suspended all flights to and from Guangzhou in China.

The National Carrier further stated that they are working closely with the Ministries of Health and Foreign Affairs and would update as the situation develops. However, they added that flights to Bangkok from Nairobi remain operational.

Qatar Airways through a press statement dated February 1, 2020 also announced that they have cancelled flights to mainland China from February 3 until further notice due to significant operational challenges caused by entry restrictions imposed by several countries.

The airline further announced that a weekly review of operations will be conducted to reinstate the flights as soon as restrictions are lifted.

“As many Qatar Airways crew members have recently travelled to mainland China, these restrictions prevent the airline from scheduling crew on certain routes, limiting our ability to maintain scheduled operations elsewhere. As a result, the airline has no alternative but to unfortunately suspend its flights to mainland China from 3 February,” the statement read.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “We have been placed in a challenging operational situation where the airline cannot continue with its global operations as a result of these restrictions on anyone who has visited China. If we continue operations, the significant numbers of crew who would have travelled to China, would be limited to operate on certain flights, reducing our operational effectiveness. We will immediately resume our operations to China once the governmental restrictions are lifted.”

Emirates also suspended flights to China. The Dubai based airline is one of the world’s biggest long-haul airlines and flies to mainland China cities Beijing, Guangzhou, and Shanghai.

Major airlines like KLM, Egypt Air, Turkish Airlines, Lufthansa, RwandAir and British Airways have also suspended flights to China.

Ethiopian Airlines have however not cancelled their flights but stated that passengers willing to change their flights can do so free of charge.

According to a report from one of the local dailies, President Uhuru Kenyatta urged the airline to consider stopping direct flights to China in order to help stop a possible spread of the disease.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) identifies the Corona viruses (CoV) as a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). A novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans.

WHO states that common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death.

Standard recommendations to prevent infection spread include regular hand washing, covering mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, thoroughly cooking meat and eggs.

Avoid close contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness such as coughing and sneezing.

Our Source: Kenya Association of Travel Agents (KATA)

Kenya Airways suspends flights to Guangzhou, China over Corona Virus outbreak

Kenya’s national carrier has suspended flights to and from Guangzhou starting from Friday 31, 2020.

Kenya airways made the decision after the recent outbreak of the Corona Virus in China which has so far claimed over 130 lives.

The airline however clarified that their services between Nairobi and Bangkok remain operational.

“Our consultation with the Ministries of Health and Foreign Affairs will continue and we will provide updates as the situation develops.

Once again, our care and concern for our staff and customers remains at the centre of the decisions we are making about this situation and I would like to reiterate that the safety and security of our staff and passengers remains our highest priority.” 31st January 2020, the statement read.

Previously, KQ had issued waivers for passengers who had already booked tickets.

Following the Corona Virus Outbreak being experienced in China Kenya Airways Guests To

& From Guangzhou maybe offered the following options:

FOR WHOLLY UN-UTILIZED TICKETS:

  • Full refund is allowed
  • Refund penalties are waived
  • Refund application should be submitted on or before 29th February 2020

FOR PARTIALLY UTILISED TICKETS:

  • Refund less 70% of the return fare paid
  • Refund penalties are waived
  • Refund application should be submitted on or before 29th February 2020

REBOOKING:

  • Change of Reservation Penalty waived.
  • No show penalty waived.
  • The new travel dates must be made, and tickets reissued by 29th February 2020
  • Should the guest wish to make further changes, Normal ticket rules will apply.

Please Note:

This waiver applies to booked and ticketed guests travelling to/from Guangzhou between

17 th January – 31 st March, 2020. Rebooking must be complete by 29th February 2020.

Our Source: Kenya Association of Travel Agents (KATA) and Kenya Airways (KQ)

 

Exercise Caution When Travelling Warns Kenya Association of Travel Agents (KATA) to avoid contacting Corona Virus

The Kenya Association of Travel Agents (KATA) has urged travellers to exercise extreme caution when travelling to China to avoid contracting the deadly Corona Virus.

KATA through their Chief Executive Officer Ms. Agnes Mucuha, stated that that travelers should put off non-essential travel to China until the disease is contained.

Ms Mucuha asserted that Kenyans should avoid all travel to China but especially to Wuhan and Hubei provinces adding that the areas were a risk until fully contained.

This comes in the wake of the national carrier Kenya Airways halting the now very popular flights to

Guangzhou China to avoid contamination. Ms. Mucuha was speaking at her office in Westlands where she met with leading travel agents to chart a way forward.

‘’KATA travel agents are jointly advising their clients on precautionary measures in line with the directives issued by the government, should travel become necessary as instructed by the Ministry of Health. We care about our clients and choose life, better safe than sorry ‘, said Ms. Mucuha.

The recently appointed CEO was keen to add that KATA played gatekeeper on who travels when and where and was best placed to work with the government to contain unnecessary exposure.

The corona virus has so far claimed 213 lives all in china. Chinese health authorities said there were

7,711 confirmed cases as at 29 January.

Infections have also spread to at least 15 other countries.

The World Health Organization (WHO) have declared the virus a global health emergency.

Various countries have implemented evacuation and quarantine plans for nationals wanting to return from China, where the outbreak began in the city of Wuhan so far.

“Although Kenya is not yet directly affected, it is important to take caution and avoid unnecessary travel to China,” said Ms. Mucuha, adding that human-to-human transmission was a major concern.

Our Source: Kenya Association of Travel Agents (KATA)

Kenya Association of Travel Agents (KATA) Urges Travellers to Exercise Caution When Travelling to Avoid Contacting the Corona Virus

Nairobi, Friday 31 st January, 2020- The Kenya Association of Travel Agents (KATA) has urged travellers to exercise extreme caution when travelling to China to avoid contracting the Corona Virus.

KATA through the Chief Executive Officer Ms. Agnes Mucuha stated that travellers should put off non-essential travel to the identified parts in China until the disease is well contained.

She reiterated a statement by the Cabinet Secretary, Foreign Affairs who issued an alert asking Kenyans to avoid non-essential travel to Wuhan and Hubei Provinces in China until the outbreak of the acute respiratory disease is under control.

Ms. Mucuha stated that KATA travel agents are advising their clients on precautionary measures that they need to take, in line with the directives issued by the government, should travel become necessary as instructed by the ministry of health.

“The outbreak of this contagious disease that has led to loss of life is quite unfortunate. We should however not panic but instead take precautionary measures to avoid contracting the virus,” she said.

She advised travellers and the public to follow the laid down directives by the Ministry of Health on measures one should take in ensuring the reduction of risk of infection.

“KATA travel agents have the interest of their clients at heart and will advice their travellers on the best course of action to take in order to safeguard from contracting the virus,” she said.

Our Source: Kenya Association of Travel Agents (KATA)

Kenya Airways Waiver of Ticket Penalties for Guangzhou Guest

Following the Corona Virus Outbreak being experienced in China Kenya Airways Guests To&From Guangzhou maybe offered the following options:

FOR WHOLLY UN-UTILIZED TICKETS:

  • Full refund is allowed
  • Refund penalties are waived
  • Refund application should be submitted on or before 29th February 2020

FOR PARTIALLY UTILISED TICKETS:

  • Refund less 70% of the return fare paid
  • Refund penalties are waived
  • Refund application should be submitted on or before 29th February 2020

REBOOKING:

  • Change of Reservation Penalty waived.
  • No show penalty waived.
  • The new travel dates must be made, and tickets reissued by 29th February 2020
  • Should the guest wish to make further changes, Normal ticket rules will apply.

Please Note:

This waiver applies to booked and ticketed guests travelling to/from Guangzhou between 17Jan – 31Mar2020.

Rebooking must be complete by 29th February 2020.

For queries contact contactcentre@kenya-airways.com

Our Source: Kenya Airways

Kenya Tourism Federation Statement on Locust Invasion Kenya & Eastern Africa. 29/01/2020

Since the beginning of the year2020 Kenya has experienced an influx of Locusts in the Northern part of the country which borders Ethiopia and Somalia.

The Food &Agricultural Organization (FAO) arm of the United Nations did raise the red flag in July 2019 when the swarms were spotted in parts of Arabian Peninsula including Saudi Arabia and Oman then followed Eritrea and neighboring Ethiopia.

The desert locusts feed on vegetation posing no danger to human beings. The main effect is that they eat the pasture and invade farms. When they invade pasture it affects both domestic and wild animals with reduced pasture. The Kenyan government and African

Union, which is equivalent of European Union are pulling effort towards eradication of the swarms at early stages of egg incubation.

How does it affect Tourism & Travelling? One reassurance we have been given is that the said pesticide that is used is not harmful to humans or any other mammals hence does not pose any danger. In many places they are doing localized spraying on ground as opposed to aerial spraying. The localized ground spraying is targeting the places where the locusts have laid their eggs for incubation and the aim is to stop them from hatching.

We wish to also clarify that the said locusts invasion is not anywhere near our major tourist circuit areas of Masai Mara, Amboseli, lake Nakuru or Kenya Coast. Some swarms have been spotted in Samburu and parts of Laikipia but both national government and the county government are working round the clock to deal with the menace. We wish to confirm that these invasions have not affected the game drives, hence there is no reason for any agent or client to cancel their planned visit to Kenya. They equally do not pose any danger to flying since they are low flying insects.

Do locusts attack Humans? Locusts do not attack people or animals. There is also no evidence that suggests that locusts carry diseases that could harm human or any other mammals if anything it is considered a highly nutritious delicacy.

Finally the invasion seem to be turning North West back to South Sudan away from Kenya and hopefully it stays that away. The map below from FAO has captured the route of the swarms clearly.

We shall keep you posted in case of any new development. Please do not hesitate to get in touch with KTF Safety Security Centre for any clarification or concern.

Mohammed Hersi

Chairman

Kenya Tourism Federation

Our Source: Kenya Tourism Federation

Airlines around the world are suspending flights to China as the coronavirus spreads

Airlines based in North America, Europe and Asia are canceling flights to China as authorities there seek to contain the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus.

British Airways, United Airlines, American Airlines, Air Asia, Cathay Pacific, Air India, IndiGo, Lufthansa and Finnair have announced plans to slash the number of flights they are operating to China or stop flying to the country entirely. Other airlines are offering customers refunds.

Airlines are taking action as the deadly coronavirus continues to spread. The virus has killed 132 people and infected over 6,000 people in China so far, with dozens more cases confirmed in places such as the United States, Japan, Germany and France.

British Airways, which is owned by International Airlines Group (ICAGY), said Wednesday that it has suspended all direct flights between Britain and China with immediate effect after the UK Foreign Office warned against all but essential travel to China.

The carrier operates two daily direct flights from London to China — one to Beijing (PKX) and one to Shanghai (PVG). The airline said it had suspended the flights until January 31 while it assesses the situation, but they were unavailable to book online through February 29. Passengers can still book BA flights to mainland China via connections in cities such as Hong Kong.

The carrier’s move comes a day after United Airlines (UAL) temporarily reduced its schedule between the United States and three cities in China.

The US airline said in a statement Tuesday that “significant decline in demand” had forced it to suspend flights from February 1 through February 8 between its US hubs and Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai.

In total, 24 round trips are affected: Hong Kong to San Francisco and Newark; Beijing (PEK) to Washington Dulles, Chicago O’Hare and Newark; and Shanghai (PVG) to San Francisco, Newark and Chicago O’Hare.

On Wednesday, American Airlines became the second US carrier to suspend some of its flights to China due to a drop off in demand. The airline said it is canceling flights from Los Angeles to Shanghai (PVG) and Beijing (PEK) from February 9 through March 27. It will continue to fly to Hong Kong from its Dallas-Fort Worth and Los Angeles hubs.

American Airlines (AAL), Delta Air Lines (DAL) and United all extended change fee waivers through the end of February.

The Hong Kong government said in a statement that four local airlines, including flagship carrier Cathay Pacific (CPCAY), would gradually reduce the number of flights between the city and 24 destinations in China from 480 flights per week to 240 per week. The reduction will be in effect “until further notice.”

Air Canada (ACDVF), which has 33 weekly flights to China, has also canceled select flights due to a reduction in demand.

A spokeswoman for Germany’s national carrier, Lufthansa, said it has canceled all flights to and from China until February 9, and suspended bookings until the end of February. These measures also apply to its subsidiaries, Swiss International Airlines and Austrian Airlines. Flights to and from Hong Kong continue to operate normally.

Air Asia (AIABF), which has flights from Thailand and Malaysia to Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, said it has suspended all flights to the city until February 29.

Air India said on Twitter that its flight between Shanghai (PVG) and Mumbai, which goes via Delhi, has been canceled from January 31 to February 14. IndiGo, its rival, has suspended flights from Delhi to Chengdu (CTU) from February 1 until February 20 due to a high number of cancellations by customers. The airline is also suspending flights from Bengaluru to Hong Kong starting next month.

Finland’s Finnair is canceling three weekly flights between Helsinki and Beijing (PKX) between February 5 and March 29, and two weekly flights between Helsinki and Nanjing (NKG) between February 8 and March 29, because of the suspension of group travel by Chinese authorities. It will continue to operate flights to Beijing (PEK), Shanghai (PVG), Hong Kong (HKG) and Guangzhou (CAN).

Qatar Airways and Malaysia Airlines have not suspended flights, but passengers and crew traveling from China will be subjected to additional screening at airports. Virgin Atlantic and Air France-KLM (AFLYY) said they are monitoring developments but continue to fly to China.

Our Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2020/01/29/business/british-airways-coronavirus/index.html