News – Page 54 – Kenya Association of Travel Agents

Avia cargo: International Air Transport Association says African airlines reported 6% decline in cargo volumes in March 2023

International Air Transport Association (IATA) has said African airlines saw overall cargo volumes decline 6.2 percent in March 2023 compared to March 2022.

The latest update of the global aviation body indicated that capacity was 4.1 percent below March 2022 levels.

According to logupdateafrica.com, “This was an improvement in performance compared to the previous month (-7.4 percent). Notably, Africa to Asia routes experienced significant cargo demand growth in March.” Global demand, measured in cargo tonne-kilometres (CTKs), fell 7.7 percent in March compared to March 2022 (-8.1 percent for international operations).

“This was a slight improvement over February 2023 performance (-9.4 percent) and half the rate of annual decline seen in January and December (-16.8 percent and -15.6 percent, respectively). At this point, it is unclear if this is a potentially modest start of an improvement trend or the upside of market volatility. Irrespective of this, March performance slipped back into negative territory compared to pre-Covid levels (-8.1 percent).”

Capacity (measured in available cargo tonne-kilometres, ACTK) increased 9.9 percent YoY. “The strong uptick in ACTKs reflects the addition of belly capacity as the passenger side of the business continues to recover.”

Willie Walsh, Director General, IATA says: “Air cargo had a volatile first quarter. In March, overall demand slipped back below pre-Covid-19 levels and most of the indicators for the fundamental drivers of air cargo demand are weak or weakening. While the trading environment is tough, there is some good news. Airlines are getting help in managing through the volatility with yields that have remained high and fuel prices that have moderated from exceptionally high levels. Looking ahead, with inflation reducing in G7 countries, policy makers are expected to ease economic cooling measures and that would stimulate demand.”

Regional performance

Asia-Pacific airlines saw their air cargo volumes decrease by 7.3 percent in March 2023 compared to the same month in 2022. This was a slight decrease in performance compared to February (-5.4 percent). “The drop in demand suggests that air cargo traffic in the region has not yet stabilised following China’s reopening in January. Available capacity in the region increased by 23.6 percent compared to March 2022 as more belly capacity came online from the passenger side of the business.”

North American carriers posted the weakest performance of all regions with a 9.4 percent decrease in volumes compared to the same month in 2022.

“The transatlantic route between North America and Europe saw traffic declining at an accelerated pace throughout March. Capacity increased 0.4 percent compared to March 2022.”

European carriers saw the most substantial improvement in demand in March over the previous month. Airlines in the region saw volumes decrease by 7.8 percent in March 2023 compared to the same month in 2022. This was an improvement in performance versus February (-15.9 percent). “Airlines in the region continue to be most affected by the war in Ukraine. Capacity increased 8.8 percent in March 2023 compared to March 2022.”

Middle Eastern carriers experienced a 5.5 percent year-on-year decrease in volumes in March 2023. “This was also an improvement to the previous month’s decline (-7.1 percent). The demand on Middle East-Europe routes has been trending upward in recent months. Capacity increased 9.7 percent compared to March 2022.”

Latin American carriers had the strongest performance of all regions in March despite posting a decline in performance over the previous month. “Carriers in the region reported a 5.3 percent decrease in cargo volumes in March 2023 compared to March 2022. This was a drop in performance compared to February which saw a 2.9 percent decline. Capacity in March was up 12.9 percent compared to the same month in 2022.”

International Air Transport Association (IATA) has said African airlines saw overall cargo volumes decline 6.2 percent in March 2023 compared to March 2022.

The latest update of the global aviation body indicated that capacity was 4.1 percent below March 2022 levels.

According to logupdateafrica.com, “This was an improvement in performance compared to the previous month (-7.4 percent). Notably, Africa to Asia routes experienced significant cargo demand growth in March.” Global demand, measured in cargo tonne-kilometres (CTKs), fell 7.7 percent in March compared to March 2022 (-8.1 percent for international operations).

“This was a slight improvement over February 2023 performance (-9.4 percent) and half the rate of annual decline seen in January and December (-16.8 percent and -15.6 percent, respectively). At this point, it is unclear if this is a potentially modest start of an improvement trend or the upside of market volatility. Irrespective of this, March performance slipped back into negative territory compared to pre-Covid levels (-8.1 percent).”

Capacity (measured in available cargo tonne-kilometres, ACTK) increased 9.9 percent YoY. “The strong uptick in ACTKs reflects the addition of belly capacity as the passenger side of the business continues to recover.”

Willie Walsh, Director General, IATA says: “Air cargo had a volatile first quarter. In March, overall demand slipped back below pre-Covid-19 levels and most of the indicators for the fundamental drivers of air cargo demand are weak or weakening. While the trading environment is tough, there is some good news. Airlines are getting help in managing through the volatility with yields that have remained high and fuel prices that have moderated from exceptionally high levels. Looking ahead, with inflation reducing in G7 countries, policy makers are expected to ease economic cooling measures and that would stimulate demand.”

Regional performance

Asia-Pacific airlines saw their air cargo volumes decrease by 7.3 percent in March 2023 compared to the same month in 2022. This was a slight decrease in performance compared to February (-5.4 percent). “The drop in demand suggests that air cargo traffic in the region has not yet stabilised following China’s reopening in January. Available capacity in the region increased by 23.6 percent compared to March 2022 as more belly capacity came online from the passenger side of the business.”

North American carriers posted the weakest performance of all regions with a 9.4 percent decrease in volumes compared to the same month in 2022.

“The transatlantic route between North America and Europe saw traffic declining at an accelerated pace throughout March. Capacity increased 0.4 percent compared to March 2022.”

European carriers saw the most substantial improvement in demand in March over the previous month. Airlines in the region saw volumes decrease by 7.8 percent in March 2023 compared to the same month in 2022. This was an improvement in performance versus February (-15.9 percent). “Airlines in the region continue to be most affected by the war in Ukraine. Capacity increased 8.8 percent in March 2023 compared to March 2022.”

Middle Eastern carriers experienced a 5.5 percent year-on-year decrease in volumes in March 2023. “This was also an improvement to the previous month’s decline (-7.1 percent). The demand on Middle East-Europe routes has been trending upward in recent months. Capacity increased 9.7 percent compared to March 2022.”

Latin American carriers had the strongest performance of all regions in March despite posting a decline in performance over the previous month. “Carriers in the region reported a 5.3 percent decrease in cargo volumes in March 2023 compared to March 2022. This was a drop in performance compared to February which saw a 2.9 percent decline. Capacity in March was up 12.9 percent compared to the same month in 2022.”

SOURCE: ATQ News

Ethiopian Airlines Launches Flights To Pakistan

The airline started service to the country nearly 60 years ago.

After a hiatus of nearly two decades, Ethiopian Airlines restarted service to Pakistan this week. With 110 passengers onboard, the flight arrived in Karachi on Monday, formally completing the prerequisites to re-launch the service.

The airline will operate multiple flights per week between Addis Ababa and Karachi. Jamal Bakir Abdullah, the Ambassador of Ethiopia, said the service promotes trade and tourism between both countries.

A warm welcome

According to SAMAA, Ethiopian officials, diplomats, and a trade delegation flew in on Monday’s flight that completed the prerequisites. They were welcomed by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and his team, as well as other Pakistani officials, including Sharjeel Memon, Nasir Shah, Ikramullah Dharejo, and Murtaza Wahab.

The new flights come as several foreign airlines have faced challenges operating in Pakistan. Ethiopian Airlines CEO Mesfin Tasew spoke about the airline returning to Pakistan.

Improving trade and the economy

The resumed service is expected to strengthen the relations between both countries and boost the economy. The airline will operate four flights per week, according to ARY News.

“As the only flight connecting Pakistan with Africa, the planned service to Karachi will have a significant contribution in strengthening the diplomatic and economic relations between the two regions,” Tasew said to ARY News.

Nearly 40 destinations in Asia

Ethiopian’s Foreign Minister will reportedly fly to Karachi on the first flight of the regular operation on Tuesday. Abdulla mentioned that Ethiopia is a significant market and attracts trade from several diverse sectors in Pakistan, such as pharmaceuticals, surgical instruments, etc.

To celebrate the resumed flights, Ethiopian Minister of Foreign Affairs Misganu Arega and the delegation will visit Pakistan for two days. During the visit, both Arega and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Hina Rabbani Khar, are expected to open the Embassy of Ethiopia from Islamabad, according to ARY News.

Karachi is the airline’s 37th destination in Asia. In March, the carrier finalized preparations to begin the flights. In July 1966, Ethiopian Airlines inaugurated service to Karachi and served the city until December 1971. Service then resumed in June 1993 and lasted until 2004. Currently, the carrier serves more than 145 domestic and international cargo destinations.

SOURCE: SAMAAH

Africa: Kenyan Govt. Seeks PPP For New Nairobi Airport Terminal And Runway To Increase Capacity

The Kenyan Government is seeking a Private Public Partnership (PPP), to build both a second runway and a new terminal building aimed at doubling the airport’s passenger handling capacity.

According to centreforaviation.com, slowly but surely Africa is starting to attract more external investment and management expertise into its airports, despite all the actual and perceived negatives about participating there.

Qatar Airways is involved with a new airport in Rwanda, and VINCI has multiple concessions across the Cape Verde archipelago. Chinese companies are thereabouts, always looking out for the main chance.

In Kenya the state airline tried to take operational control of Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, the continent’s 11th busiest, in 2022. As the airport is the airline’s main base, Kenya Airways must have been concerned that two separate attempts to build a second runway there had floundered, the second one supported by the African Development Bank.

Now the government is seeking partners in a PPP to build both a second runway and a new terminal building. But such a commitment might not be attractive to many potential investors when traffic numbers remain low by international standards, and while concerns about political opaqueness remain.

This is part one of a two-part report.

New terminal and second runway to be built at Nairobi’s main airport; government hopes for PPP agreement.

Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Roads, Transport, and Public Works Kipchumba Murkomen said that the government intended to construct a new ‘state of the art’ passenger terminal at Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).

Mr Murkomen added that the government was seeking a public private partnership (PPP) model for the works, which would include a new runway. The project will aim to double the airport’s passenger handling capacity.

Mr Murkomen said that this would solve the challenge facing the airport in terms of its capacity to serve passengers, which has led to “inefficiencies and breakdown in systems.” He also noted that it would “provide jobs, boost tourism, trade and investment, and enhance regional integration”.

He then went on to say that with the airport being a key port of entry for Kenya, it would be critical that the government worked on a PPP model that would facilitate the expansion of JKIA and “move to the list of the best airports in the world”.

He urged the board to work with the government, stakeholders and investors to achieve the plan, and asked the board to review the KAA Act 1991 so that it could “concur with current developments in the aviation sector”.

He concluded that there was a need to enhance security at JKIA and other airports in the country, both physical and cyber.

Need to reposition the airport as the main East Africa gateway and to tap into increased investor interest in the continent.

There are two factors in play here. Firstly, a need to reposition Nairobi Airport so that it can challenge others in East Africa – notably the existing and new Addis Ababa airports in Ethiopia – as the regional gateway, and secondly, so that it can tap into a small but viable increase in interest in investing in African aviation from outside the continent – such as Qatar Airways’ investment in the new airport at Kigali, Rwanda.

Steady traffic growth before the pandemic; capacity slowly recovering Passenger traffic grew steadily – if not spectacularly – at Nairobi from 2014 to 2019, before succumbing, like everywhere else, to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019.

Capacity has not yet retrieved the position of 2019 but is narrowing the gap. As of the week commencing 17-Apr-2023, it stands at around 88% of what it was in the same week of 2019.

Kenya Airways and its LCC are dominant, hence also SkyTeam. The national carrier Kenya Airways is the dominant airline, with 49% of capacity and between 46% and 50% of movements between peak and off-peak.

The second largest airline by capacity is its fully owned LCC subsidiary Jambojet (15%).

Jambojet was established to help meet rising competition in Kenya Airways’ core markets from new independent LCCs.

Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta International Airport: system seats by airline, week commencing 24-Apr-2023

The LCC model is better established in East Africa than in other regions of the country but even so, in Kenya only 2.7% of international seats are ‘low cost’ and the domestic market accounts for just 6.5% (Jan-Apr-2023). The figures are marginally higher in East Africa as a whole.

At JKIA 16.55% of seats are presently offered by LCCs, which is an unexpectedly high amount, but even so it is not a burgeoning demand for budget travel that necessitates a new terminal building and runway.

A broad north-south network but remains weak to the Americas and Asia Pacific.

As expected, most of the capacity is on East African routes, followed by the Middle East and Western Europe. Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta International Airport: network map for the week commencing 24-Apr-2023

The single international country with the highest capacity is the UAE, followed by Tanzania, South Africa, the UK and Ethiopia. That suggests quite a broad network at Nairobi, and that is certainly the case, or at least it is on a north-south axis as the below map details.

There are many routes in East Africa and the Middle East and an adequate network in Europe for passengers via the main gateways, and for cargo.

Within recent memory there were few east-west routes across Africa, often necessitating a journey to a European or Middle East transit point to get between the two, but Nairobi does now have five destinations in that region.

The weak links are undeniably the Americas – with only one trans Atlantic service, to New York – and Asia Pacific, with two services to India (Delhi, Mumbai) and two Chinese ones (Changsha and Guangzhou, which began in Apr-2023).

Despite the airport’s elevation, at over 5,000ft (1524m), the single 4,200m runway should be adequate to handle most long-haul flights out of Nairobi, and that is another reason why ‘a second runway is needed’ can be discounted.

On the other hand, there are concerns about what happens when that runway is closed, as revealed later.

The only substantially longer routes that might be flown (that are not now) would be to the west coast of the US and Canada, to South Korea and Japan, and to Iceland (the two countries are coincidentally connected by the fishing industry, Iceland selling its advanced technology widely to African countries).

So the two main concerns behind this expansion seem to be capacity and planning for future growth.

Current utilisation of existing facilities is high on most days

Where capacity is concerned, usage is high. The chart below is for Thursday 27-Apr-2023 and shows all but one of the 24-hour blocks in use for departing and/or arriving flights (as measured by their seat capacity). Most other days are much the same.

All three major airlines alliances are present

JKIA also benefits from the presence of all three of the major airline alliances, and particularly SkyTeam (by way of Kenya Airways), which has 55% of the capacity – its main competitor in the region, Addis Ababa Bole Airport, has 97% of capacity on one alliance, Star.

There are two terminals. Terminal 1 is arranged in a semi-circular manner and is divided into four distinct parts rather than concourses.

Terminals 1A, 1B, 1C, and 1E are used for international arrivals and departures, and 1D is used for domestic departures and arrivals.

Terminal 2 is used by low-cost carriers, and right now is tiny by comparison, with less than 1,000 seats of capacity for the whole of the week commencing 24-Apr-2023.

SOURCE: ATQ News

Jamaica and Dubai to collaborate on tourism

Tourism Minister Hon. Edmund Bartlett has revealed that plans are afoot to facilitate tourism cooperation between Jamaica and Dubai.

This is following a meeting with H.E. Abdulla Al Saleh, Undersecretary of Foreign Trade and Industry in the Ministry of Economy in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

They met recently at the UAE’s Ministry of Economy, which has oversight for tourism in the UAE, where they discussed areas for cooperation in tourism that will redound to the benefit of both countries and their citizens.

Minister Bartlett outlined that Dubai will support us in terms of MICE market development, logistics and technology and we will reciprocate in terms of resilience and sustainability, the building out of human capital programs, product development and marketing.

In expressing his enthusiasm at the possibilities for collaboration in cruise tourism, Minister Bartlett noted that Dubai Ports, one of the largest in the world with enormous capacity, is looking for partnerships across the world and Jamaica is a good place to start.

A key matter that was also explored during the meeting was the possibility of establishing an outpost of the Jamaica-based Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC) in the UAE.

This would mark the center’s latest satellite location, adding to its offices in countries including Kenya, Jordan and Canada.

The tourism minister indicated that further discussions will be held to formalize these arrangements through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) when both countries convene alongside other nations at COP 28 this November.

The Jamaica Ministry of Tourism and its agencies are on a mission to enhance and transform Jamaica’s tourism product, while ensuring that the benefits which flow from the tourism sector are increased for all Jamaicans.

To this end it has implemented policies and strategies that will provide further momentum for tourism as the engine of growth for the Jamaican economy.

The Ministry remains committed to ensuring that the tourism sector makes the fullest contribution possible to Jamaica’s economic development given its tremendous earning potential.

Source: Travel and Tour

Kenya Airways receives certification for its pharmaceutical facility

Kenya Airways Cargo, a division of national flag carrier Kenya Airways (KQ), on Thursday received International Air Transport Association (IATA) Centre of Excellence for Independent Validators (CEIV) Pharma certification. This certification of the KQ Pharma Facility confirms the ability of the airline to safely, rapidly and consistently handle time-sensitive, high-value pharmaceuticals that require constant temperature control.

The KQ Pharma Facility is dedicated to the safe handling of pharmaceuticals that require temperature control and it was set up in compliance with the guidelines issued by IATA CEIV and the World Health Organization. It covers an area of about 600 m², and is fitted with a real-time temperature and humidity monitoring system, which can be accessed on mobile devices. The facility is subdivided into three sections, which are kept at different temperatures. One section, with a capacity of 40 euro-pallets, is kept in a temperature range of +15 °C to +25 °C. The second section is a cold room, kept in the temperature range of +2 °C to + 8 °C; this has a capacity for 22 euro-pallets on the ground, but extra racking can also be provided. The third section is the freezing room, kept at –20 °C, which can accommodate nine euro-pallets but also has additional racking, for loose cargo.

“Pharmaceutical shipments are extremely challenging and necessitate maximum dependability from airlines,” pointed out KQ director of cargo Dick Murianki. “It is critical to maintain the required temperature so that medication can be used as planned after shipping. Being one of the first African airlines to receive IATA’s international certificate is the result of the work we’ve done over the last few years to strengthen our product.”

KQ currently flies to 42 international destinations, of which 35 are in Africa. It is a member of the Sky Team Alliance. The carrier operates a fleet of Boeing 787-8 widebody, and Boeing 737-800 and Embraer E190 narrowbody, airliners, as well as 737-300F dedicated freighter aircraft.

SOURCE: Engineering News

East African States Set for Joint Tourism Promotion

The Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo had brought together EAC Secretariat, partner states tourism boards and the African Tourism Board (ATB)

Member states of the East African Community are setting for joint and regional tourism promotion and development, aiming to raise the number of visitors and economic development of the region.

The East African Community (EAC) Secretariat had noted that tourism contributes about 10 percent to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the region of which 17 percent are foreign exchange earnings and about seven percent is the counted-on employment in various tourist services.

Director of Productive Sectors at the EAC, Mr. Jean Baptiste Havugimana confirmed that during the just-ended seventh edition of Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo held at Munyonyo Commonwealth Resort in Uganda.

The Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo that was staged in late April this year, had brought together the EAC Secretariat, all partner states regional tourism boards and the African Tourism Board (ATB).

The four-day event was officially opened by the Ugandan Minister for Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, Colonel Tom Butime.

The Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo is a tourism event organized by the Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) every year.

The expo had brought together tourism stakeholders and other service providers in tourism, targeting to meet new clients, network and discuss business deals with potential regional and international buyers.

The seventh edition of the Pearl of Expo had attracted over 150 exhibitors and more than 100 hosted buyers and media from different tourist source markets, including the US, UK, Canada, Switzerland, Australia, Poland, South Africa, Egypt and Nigeria among others.

The African Tourism Board was represented by its Executive Chairman Mr. Cuthbert Ncube who as well, participated at various events and activities during the Expo.

Together with ATB ambassadors, Mr. Ncube visited various tourist attractive sites in Uganda including the Chimpanzee Island on Lake Victoria.

ATB has been co-operating with the East African regional states in tourism development and promotion through participation to key events in East Africa and which is now an upcoming region for intra-Africa tourist destination.

The EAC Secretariat had encouraged partner states to participate in tourism promotional events organized by each and every partner state.

ATB has been the key participant to each national and regional tourism Expo through its Chairman, Mr. Ncube among its other brand ambassadors.

In his opening remarks to the Pearl of Africa Expo, the Ugandan Minister for Tourism Colonel Butime (Retired) had expressed his appreciation on behalf the government and people of Uganda to all the exhibitors as well as hosted buyers and media for attending the event.

He said that Uganda was endowed with unique and diverse attractions that appeal to the international, regional and domestic travelers.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Uganda Tourism Board, Dr. Lily Ajarova, said that Uganda and other EAC partner states are keen on promotion of sustainable and responsible tourism.

Director of Productive Sectors at the EAC, Mr Jean Baptiste Havugimana thanked the government of Uganda for inviting the EAC Secretariat and all the partner states to participate at the Expo in the spirit of the EAC integration.

Mr. Havugimana disclosed that the EAC Secretariat and the National Tourism Boards have been supported to participate at the Expo through facilitation of partner states’ delegates and procurement of exhibition booths.

The German International Cooperation Agency, GIZ, also supported the Expo through a Gold Sponsorship package.

He said that the EAC Treaty attaches a lot of importance to the tourism sector owing to the role it plays in the socio-economic development of the region.

Mr. Havugimana informed the participants that the EAC was currently implementing the EAC Tourism Marketing Strategy 2021 to 2025 with the support of GIZ through various interventions including joint tourism promotions.

The EAC regional tourism campaign branded “Tembea Nyumbani” or “Visit your Home” targets development of intra-regional tourism drive that would attract the East Africa citizens to visit each country within the region.

EAC Secretariat is as well, undertaking development of minimum standards for tourism service providers mostly tour operators, travel agents and tour guides together with classification criteria for regional tourist hotels.

“Currently, the process of developing a Regional Tourism Destination Brand for EAC as a single tourism destination has commenced and is expected to be concluded by the end of this year”, Mr. Mr. Havugimana said.

Implementation of all those interventions will see the region surpass the 7.2 million international tourist arrivals recorded in 2019 before COVID-19 pandemic, he said.

Source: E-Turbo News

Uganda to Open New Airfields Near National Parks

A major expansion to Uganda’s tourism was announced at the country’s Peal of Africa Tourism Expo when the government told delegates four airfields in some of its most iconic National Parks will shortly be able to handle international visitors.

The announcement by the country’s Minister of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities Tom Butiime means that, rather than having to go through immigration and customs in Entebbe airport, visitors will be able to go land surrounded by a landscape rich in elephants, antelope and other wildlife.

The minister told attendees at the tourism expo staged in the country’s Kampala that four airstrips will be tarmacked and coded and immigration posts established in Kasese, Kidepo, Pakuba and Kisoro National Parks.

Hailing the news as a “game changer”, Mr Butiime said the improvement had been ordered by the country’s President, Yoweri Museveni, and the directive given to the country’s cabinet. He said this would enable tourists from Dubai or Frankfurt to fly directly to these destinations on their private jets.

Previously the only airstrips at the locations were ‘bush’ airstrips, thereby requiring visitors to enter Uganda via Entebbe near the country’s capital Kampala and then find alternative transportation such as a caravan aircraft or to travel by road to visit the locations.

The announcement was made during Uganda’s four-day Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo staged by the Uganda Tourism Board, which started Tuesday and ended Friday at the capital’s Commonwealth Resort Hotel. Around 150 exhibitors and 5000 trade buyers were present at the event, which is now in its seventh year and includes tour operators, travel agents, hoteliers and other tourism experts.

Visitor numbers to Uganda have bounced back strongly in 2023 after the Covid pandemic with numbers expected to be back at pre-pandemic numbers next year. There are presently around 1.5 million visitors a year, contributing 7.7 per cent to the country’s GDP.

Lilly Ajarova, the CEO of the Uganda Tourism Board, said: “This year’s expo not only points to our recovery but also highlights to our readiness to host the tourism community once again.

“The expo has grown to become a signature event for Uganda’s tourism. That way, Uganda will receive more travelers and its associated benefits included increased tourism revenue and employment.”

She said Uganda was targeting responsible and sustainable tourism as a new trend. Sustainable tourism has been defined by the World Tourism Organisation as tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities, Ms Ajarova said.

“We will promote the use of recyclable materials, reduction of waste but also promote the conservation of the environment while respecting the host communities.”

Uganda is home to 10 national parks, including the famous Bwindi Impenetrable National Park which is home to the endangered mountain gorillas. Uganda is also home to the source of the Nile, the world’s longest river, and has a rich cultural heritage that is characterized by diverse ethnic groups, languages, and traditions.

Source: E-Turbo News

The Lufthansa Group Looks To Boost East Africa Operations

Lufthansa, Eurowings Discover, and Brussels Airlines will increase their services to East Africa.

Air travel demand in Africa continues to increase, with passenger numbers edging closer to 2019 levels. The Lufthansa Group is responding to the demand by adding further capacity in East Africa.

For the first time in its history, Lufthansa will fly to Nairobi daily throughout the year. The group’s leisure airline, Eurowings Discover, will also increase its service to Kenya, while Belgium’s flag carrier will add more flights to its East Africa destinations.

Lufthansa’s schedule to Nairobi

Since the introduction of its operations in Kenya, the airline had not previously operated daily flights to the capital. Currently, Lufthansa operates flights between Frankfurt Airport (FRA) and Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta Airport (NBO) five times a week on Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.

Starting June 3, the carrier will operate daily flights between the two cities. The Airbus A330 flight will depart Frankfurt at 11:25 and arrive in Nairobi at 20:30, while the returning flight departs Nairobi each evening at 22:25, arriving in Frankfurt at 05:40 the next morning. There will be numerous options for onward connections during the day.

Initially, the airline planned to enhance its Nairobi service for the summer flight schedule. However, the carrier will operate daily flights all year round due to positive booking trends. Lufthansa Group General Manager East Africa, Kevin Markette, said;

“Kenya remains a focus market for Lufthansa in East Africa, and the decision to maximize our offering into the country is largely driven by the significant increase in demand and resurgence in travel, coupled with the immense support of the local community within the region.”

After the pandemic, Lufthansa was one of the first international airlines to resume regular commercial flights to Kenya. This signifies the important commercial and economic ties between Germany and Kenya and the carrier’s commitment to maintaining a direct connection for its customers in the regions.

Eurowings Discover’s increased schedule to Kenya

East Africa is a popular destination for business travelers and one of Africa’s main gateways for internationals flying through the rest of the continent. Furthermore, it is a popular destination for travelers seeking an idyllic holiday experience, with its diverse wildlife, nature reserves, and exquisite beaches.

Lufthansa has taken a step to enhance the Eurowings Discover flight schedule to Kenya for passengers seeking to explore East Africa. The leisure airline currently offers four weekly A330 flights to Mombasa (MBA) and two weekly connections to Kilimanjaro (KJO) and Zanzibar (ZNZ).

Eurowings will increase its Frankfurt-Mombasa schedule to five weekly A330 flights from June 20 until September 12. The additional capacity comes in time for the peak travel season and will allow the carrier to offer tourists much-needed flexibility when booking flights.

Brussels Airlines flights to Rwanda

It is important to highlight another European carrier’s operations in East Africa. Brussels Airlines will increase its flight schedule between Brussels and Kigali from four to five weekly. The increased capacity was intended to be a seasonal change but will continue throughout winter 2023.

The adjustment supports the airline’s daily flights between Brussels Airport (BRU) and Entebbe International Airport (EBB) and complements the existing twice-weekly flights from Belgium to Bujumbura. It is the only airline directly flying between Europe and the Burundian city.

Sustainability and high-quality travel offer

The Lufthansa Group remains committed to sustainability and its climate protection goals. The company aims to halve its Carbon Dioxide emissions by 2030 compared to 2019 and become carbon neutral by 2050.

In the next seven years, the group’s airlines will have at least 190 newly delivered and fuel-saving aircraft in service. The significant investment will reduce kerosene consumption and CO2 emissions by up to 30% on each flight. Kevin Markette concluded by saying;

“We believe that sustainable aviation will continue to enable us to benefit from a connected world, and by expanding the various airline schedules of the Lufthansa Group, we are maintaining a solid foundation and presence within East Africa. Our passion for connecting people, cultures, and economies, thus bringing the world within reach, together with providing our customers a consistent, high-quality travel offer across an extensive route network, remains a top priority for the Lufthansa Group.”

Source: Simple Flying

Russia and Tanzania to establish direct flights

In our latest travel series, we look at how Russia plans to further its visits to Tanzania, which include direct flights from Moscow to Dar es Salaam, introducing Tanzanian music to Russians, and more. Our travel correspondent, Anganile Mwakyanjala, sat down with Russia’s Ambassador to Tanzania, Andrey Avetisyan, who shared more details.

Most Tanzanians know Russia as an academic destination, where some of our countrymen have studied; is there a more historic connection between our two countries other than that?

Russia’s gracious relations with Tanzania have a very long history, dating back to maybe the 18th–17th centuries, when the first Russian traveler and explorer, Russian businessman Vasiliy Junker, in 1880 found himself in East Africa, but that was mostly North Africa, through which all people traveled to India. If you speak about central East Africa, where Tanzania is situated, we can register some Russian travelers being here in the second half of the 19th century; some of them were traveling here together with famous explorers and travelers like Stanley Livingstone. This part of Africa was by then noted as terra incognita. Russia, of course, supported the liberation movement in Africa, including then-Tanganyika. Mwalimu Julius Nyerere was a good friend of my country, and we have fond memories of Mr. Nyerere. Since then, we’ve enjoyed very close and friendly relations with Tanzania. I am very happy to be here.

Russia is famous for its culture, heritage, and history. Since you’ve been here, what have you learned about Tanzania in these areas?

One of my priorities here as a Russian ambassador is to promote people-to-people relations between Russians and Tanzanians, including cultural exchange. We would like to bring more Tanzanian artists, musicians, and dancers to Russia to familiarize ourselves with Tanzanian culture. At the same time, we regularly bring Russian culture and music festivals to Tanzania. These two cultures, although so different, have many similar features.

For the first time in Tanzania, the head of state, Mama Samia, became the face of tourism promotion through the Royal Tour documentary. Did that persuade you to visit some of our tourist attractions, and how has your experience been?

We very much appreciate the economic policy of President Samia Suluhu Hassan and her efforts to provide opportunities for foreign investments, which include trade with Russia. We encourage Russian businesses to come here to take advantage of this opportunity. One of the most promising areas of this cooperation is tourism. Tanzania has been the most popular tourist destination for Russian tourists for years, especially in Zanzibar. Unfortunately, during the pandemic, the number fell sharply, and now we are trying to increase it again. But to increase the number of tourists, we need several factors to be in place. The most important thing to do to bring back the number of tourists to a high level is to establish direct flights from Russia to Tanzania.

At the moment, Russian tourists who want to come here have to pass through Ethiopia, the UAE, Turkey, and Oman, but we are now discussing with the Tanzanian Government and Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority the possibility of reestablishing direct flights. I think we will start with a charter flight before establishing regular commercial flights. We are now negotiating a new bilateral agreement with the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority; it is almost finished, and I hope it will be signed soon. I hope it will not only provide the opportunity to establish direct flights for Russians to come to Tanzania but also for Tanzanians to go to Russia.

What parts of Tanzania that you visited impressed you the most?

When I go to different parts of Tanzania on business trips, I find time to see places of interest too. I have visited Zanzibar several times, which is a destination one can only dream about when speaking about beaches, relaxing, and also seeing interesting places like Stone Town, which is a gem of Africa. I visited Ngorongoro, a unique place. I have visited Arusha National Park and Lake Manyara in the north. I have not yet been anywhere to the south of Dar es Salaam, but I am planning to go, and I hope my time here in Dar es Salaam will be enough to see many places that are worth visiting in Tanzania.

Tell us more about Russia’s cultural exchange programs.

We have an active Russian Cultural Center in Dar es Salaam. It promotes Russian culture, attracts Tanzanian artists to do exhibitions, and also offers cultural exchange. They have regular events like screening Russian films and organizing photo exhibitions about different parts of Russia.

Let’s talk about the upcoming Russia-Africa Summit. What are the expectations?

The upcoming second Russia-Africa Summit will take place in Saint Petersburg at the end of July, and we hope to see a large Tanzanian delegation. The summit will be accompanied by different events, like economic and cultural forums and youth conferences. This multifaceted event will provide a lot of opportunities for Russians and Tanzanians, among other Africans, to get to know each other and establish contacts.

First of all, it is important to establish business links in both countries. So far, Russia-Tanzania trade and economic relations are not very good, and we want to promote them. But I hear from both Tanzanian and Russian businessmen that the problem for them is establishing contacts with each other, and this summit in Saint Petersburg will be a good opportunity to find driving forces for their businesses.

What are the popular university studies Tanzanians take in Russia?

The most popular direction is medicine. The demand for doctors is growing. Although we have a lot of Tanzanian graduates every year from Russian medical universities, I hear from Tanzanian counterparties that they would like to send more people to study to become doctors. We can increase the number of doctors that graduate from Russian universities, and the number of Russian government scholarships for Tanzanians is growing every year. For example, for this school year, the number is 90, but we hope that for the next school year it will be a minimum of 120, and we hope for almost two hundred.

What can you say about the famous Patrice Lumumba University?

Yes, the Patrice Lumumba Peoples’ Friendship University is one of the most famous and popular. Just two days ago, we had a delegation from Patrice Lumumba University participate in a Russian educational fair in Tanzania. Twice a year, several universities from all over Russia come to Dar es Salaam to present themselves to potential students.

How do you find Swahili cuisine?

Swahili cuisine is something I really like because it is very simple and natural, and that is actually what I love. Street food is tasty in Tanzania, and I highly recommend it to people who visit the country. I like Swahili food because they use a lot of vegetables and fruits of different kinds. Food from Zanzibar is different from that on the mainland. There are dozens of different types of bananas in Zanzibar; if you want to try them all, you need time. The fish and seafood in Tanzania are absolutely incredible, always fresh, and so nice.

Any final words?

I would like to invite all the leaders and citizens of Tanzania to visit Russia. To Russians who visit Tanzania and go back home, tell your friends and family about the experiences you had in Tanzania. Not only tell them, but show them the pictures you took in national parks and show them pictures of this beautiful country.

Source: The Citizen

Dubai welcomes 4.67 million tourists in Q1 2023

The visitors in Q1 2023 were just two percentage points short of the pre-pandemic volume of 4.75 million tourists that arrived in Dubai in the first three months of 2019

Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) said the city received 4.67 million international overnight visitors in the first quarter of 2023, up 17 per cent year-on-year (YoY) from 3.97 million the same period a year earlier.

The visitors in Q1 2023 were just two percentage points short of the pre-pandemic volume of 4.75 million tourists that arrived in Dubai in the first three months of 2019.

“The tourism sector is not only the strongest pillar of our economy but also a key enabler of Dubai’s distinctive role in the world as a bridge between markets, cultures and regions,” Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai said in a tweet.

The latest data from DET, which was announced at the Arabian Travel Market, positions Dubai as the fastest-recovering destination globally, achieving 98 per cent of pre-pandemic levels in Q1 2023.

The latest figures also exceed the projection made by the United Nations World Trade Organisation (UNWTO) that international tourist arrivals could reach between 80 to 95 per cent of pre-pandemic levels in 2023 – especially in Europe and the Middle East.

The growth, which sets the city on course to full tourism recovery, contributes to the goal of the Dubai Economic Agenda D33.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed said the Middle East tourism and business hub will continue to introduce new initiatives to offer a distinctive proposition for travellers to achieve its goal of becoming the world’s best place to live, visit, work and invest in.

Dubai’s strong rebound

Dubai’s traditional source markets delivered solid tourism volumes in Q1 2023 with key regions continuing to make an impact on international visitation.

GCC and the MENA region combined was the top region, collectively contributing to 29 per cent of total volumes, Western Europe accounted for 22 per cent of tourism arrivals and South Asia 16 per cent.

Similarly, the Commonwealth of Independent States and Eastern Europe together contributed 15 per cent, the Americas accounted for 7 per cent, North Asia and South East Asia 6 per cent, Africa 4 per cent and lastly Australasia contributed 1 per cent.

The hotel sector saw a surge in performance in Q1 2023 with an average occupancy for the sector during the January-March period at an impressive 83 per cent, making it one of the highest in the world, almost on par with the 84 per cent occupancy recorded in Q1 2019.

Dubai hotels collectively provided 10.98 million Occupied Room Nights in the first three months of the year, 7 per cent YoY growth and a 27 per cent increase compared to the pre-pandemic period of Q1 2019.

The ADR of Dhs607 during the first three months of the year surpassed the ADR of 2019 (AED498), a 22 per cent YoY growth while RevPAR of DhsD504 in Q1 2023, surged by 21 per cent compared to the first three months of the pre-pandemic period of 2019 at Dhs417.

DET said it is ramping up its pursuit of non-traditional tourism avenues to attract more visitors and this approach will largely hinge on the pillars of sustainability, gastronomy, trade and technology.

Dubai plans to continue providing alternative growth avenues, driven by reforms and regulatory enablers including visa initiatives such as the golden visa, five-year multi-entry visa, virtual working, and retirement in the Dubai programmes that have eased barriers to entry.

Source: Gulf Business