The Kenya Association of Travel Agents (KATA) has announced the appointment of Ms. Agnes Mucuha as its new Chief Executive Officer effective 1 January 2020. Ms. Mucuha will be taking over from Mr. Nicanor Sabula who has resigned from the position to pursue other interests.

Mr. Sabula has served as CEO since 2015 and is credited for having turned around the Association into a vibrant and respectable organization in the travel and tourism industry both within and out of the country.

KATA Chairman Mr. Mohammed Wanyoike, in a statement, termed the outgoing CEO as a very progressive leader that passionately served the Association with dedication and brought positive energy and optimism in the travel trade. “His vision, drive and focus on results have materially strengthened KATA. It is during his tenure that the Association revamped its membership services, professionalized its secretariat staff and purchased an office space,” he added. I wish on behalf of the Board and the entire membership of KATA to thank him sincerely and wish him success in his future endeavors.

In announcing the appointment of Ms. Mucuha, Mr. Wanyoike noted that she was assuming the position at a time when the travel industry was going through significant changes and expressed confidence that she would be able to steer the organization through them. “Agnes brings in a wealth of experience having previously worked in the hospitality and aviation industry. She has practical knowledge and deep understanding of the industry which coupled with strong networks with industry stakeholders positions her well to lead the organization into the next phase of growth.” 

Previously, Ms. Mucuha worked at Sarova Panafric Hotel, Fairmont Hotels and Resorts and Qatar Airways. She is vastly experienced in Sales and Marketing and her immediate past responsibility was working as the Operations Director at a family-owned business. 

Africa’s quest to achieve open skies is increasingly becoming a pipe dream as countries move to protect their airlines. This is despite efforts by different agencies to create a seamless airspace.

With open skies plan now a distant dream, passengers will continue to pay heavily for air ticket as countries move to protect their airspace in order to cushion their local carriers from competition.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) says protection of national airlines is the reason Africa airfares are sky-high

Kenya and Tanzania are the latest countries to deny other airlines the rights to fly to a third country other than their hub in what appears to be a deliberate move to protect their domestic carriers.

Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) in a gazette notice December last year failed to grant permission to Saudi Arabian Airlines and Ethiopian Airlines who had sought permission to vary their licences.

Saudi Airlines wanted variation of its existing licence to include the routes Jeddah/Nairobi/Maastricht and Jeddah/Nairobi/Liege. However, this request was not granted.

On the other hand, Ethiopian Airlines, the fiercest competitor of the Kenya Airways, wanted variation of its existing air service licence to include aircraft type B737F, a request which was also denied.

KCAA Director General Gilbert Kibe could not reveal the reasons why the carriers were denied permission, only saying “that is a regulator’s decision and I cannot comment on it.”

In Tanzania, the country’s aviation regulator has denied low budget carrier Fastjet permit to re-introduce flights to the country.

The decision to turn down Fastjet’s application was reached last year by the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority board last year December.

The low-cost carrier had been operating in Tanzania before it was liquidated last year after failing to meet its debt obligation.

Before its collapse, the airline had been offering low prices and perhaps its presence would have impacted negatively on the earnings of the recently revived air Tanzania.

In an interview with Shipping& Logistics, recently, regional vice president of IATA for Africa and the Middle East, Muhammad Ali Albakri said the reason why air tickets have remained high in Africa is because of lack of a common airspace.

Mr Albakri urged African countries to fast-track the agreements that have been signed before, and which are aimed at introducing a single airspace to enable passengers enjoy the benefits of reduced cost of travel. “Cost of air travel remains high in Africa because of lack of open skies as each country tries to protect their airlines. This eventually affects the passengers,” said Mr Albakri.

African nations, Mr Albakri noted, are hurting their economies by protecting their national carriers with reluctance in implementing open skies policy.

“With open skies policy, it means that more airlines will fly and the cost of air ticket will be affordable. This means that countries’ economies will benefit from this,” he said.

In 1988, a number of African countries came together with a view of creating an open airspace for ease of movement and boost trade on the continent in what was called Yamoussoukro Declaration.

In 2000, the decision was endorsed by heads of state and government at the Organisation of African Unity, — now African Union— and became fully binding in 2002.

However, to date, not much has been done in regard to adoption of the open skies policy by member states as 14 nations have not ratified the treaty.

African nations are protecting their airlines from stiff competition, putting in doubt whether the dream of open skies policy will be achieved.

Source: https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/corporate/shipping/How-countries-are-aborting-Africa/4003122-5410040-8g5fgbz/index.html

 

 

AFAMCO, the premier Association Management Company (AMC) on the African Continent has announced the appointment of former CEO of the Kenya Association of Travel Agents (KATA) as its Managing Director.

Nicanor Sabula is a seasoned African association executive with more than a decade of experience within the global nonprofit space as well as a known figure in Kenya’s travel and tourism industry.

“It is with great pleasure that we announce the addition of Nicanor to the AFAMCO team,” said Jeffers Miruka, a principle of AFAMCO. “He brings great skill to the company, having developed lasting relationships with volunteers and associations while ensuring the attainment of their goals, regardless of the industry or membership represented. My global partner and I are confident that he will support the growing professional and trade associations and nonprofit organizations throughout Africa.”

Sabula has been in the nonprofit sector both as a volunteer and as a staff member, working and serving in senior leadership positions of national and international membership organizations.

“Nicanor impressed the AFAMCO partners with his evident ability to navigate the African nonprofit association space, on a global scale,” said Gregg H. Talley, FASAE, CAE. “Whether designing new projects, managing voluntary Boards, leading teams of varying sizes or handling the many other aspects of organizations and their needs, he will definitely make this role his own, helping AFAMCO’s expanding list of African association client partners to achieve their goals.”

In his role as AFAMCO’s Managing Director, Sabula will provide strategic direction, executive leadership and oversight of the organization’s operations. He will also be responsible for strategy formulation, stakeholders’ engagement, financialmanagement, revenue generation and client service delivery.

“I am pleased to be joining the team at AFAMCO to provide leadership in a field that I am very passionate about-Association management- and I am looking forward to helping African associations grow and fully exploit their potential,”said Sabula on his appointment.

Nicanor has since stepped down from his role as the Chief Executive Officer at Kenya Association

of Travel Agents (KATA), a membership-based organization that represents the interests of travel agents in Kenya. While at KATA, he has been credited for turning around the organization into one of the leading trade association in the travel and tourism industry in Africa. His stint saw the membership of the Association grow by a 35% and non-dues revenues grow two-fold. He also oversaw the recent purchase of KATA’s new office premises and the transition of the organization legal status from a Society to a Company limited by guarantee.

Previously, Nicanor has served as the Chief Executive Officer of the East Africa Association of Grantmakers (EAAG) and the Association of Professional Societies in East Africa (APSEA).

 

About AFAMCO

African Association Management Company (AFAMCO) was jointly founded in 2018 by Gregg H. Talley, FASAE, CAE, President and CEO of Talley Management Group, Inc. (TMG), and African association professional Jeffers Miruka of Kenya. AFAMCO provides associations with global experience, local connections, education and opportunity on the African Continent, while enabling growth for the organizations each company represents. AFAMCO, headquartered in Kenya, also assists international, national and regional associations that want to establish themselves in Africa.

Source: https://voyagesafriq.com/2020/01/06/afamco-appoints-nic-sabula-as-managing-director/

The United Arab Emirates on Monday introduced a multiple-entry visa scheme valid for five years for all nationalities, with the aim of turning the Gulf state into a tourism hub.

“#UAE Cabinet chaired by @HHShkMohd, approves new amendment for tourist visas in #UAE,” the government of Dubai Media Office tweeted, referring to Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the UAE prime minister and ruler of Dubai.

“The new tourist visa will be valid for 5 years and can be used for multiple entries and is open for all nationalities,” the Dubai Media Office wrote.

Sheikh Maktoum said on Twitter that the UAE currently attracts 21 million tourists a year.

Travelers from Africa, some South American countries, Arab states outside the Gulf, and European states from outside the European Union and former Soviet Union previously needed visas.

In October, Dubai is to host Expo 2020, a big-budget global trade fair.

Source: https://www.thejakartapost.com/travel/2020/01/07/uae-launches-multi-entry-tourist-visas-for-all.html

 

Nigeria has introduced visas on arrival to all African travellers, dropping the requirement that they apply in advance, effective January 2020.
According to Inside Travel, President Muhammadu Buhari announced the move on 12 December on Twitter during the Aswan Forum for Sustainable Peace and Development inaugural meeting in Egypt. “Nigeria is committed to supporting the free movement of Africans within Africa. We will commence the issuance of visas at the point of entry into Nigeria, to all persons holding passports of African countries.”

As reported by Traveller 24, ease of access for Africans across the continent has also been on the agenda for SA, as the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) began testing the electronic visa (e-visa) applications for Kenya, ahead of the festive season at the beginning of December. An e-visa pilot with Nigeria is set to begin in January 2020.

Once fully rolled-out, prospective visitors will be able to apply online for visas, at home, office or place of work.

The adoption of visa on arrival by African countries is in line with the Free Movement of Persons and the African Passport policy adopted by the African Union in 2016.

Source: https://www.bizcommunity.africa/Article/410/747/199434.html

 

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced changes to its Strategic Leadership Team and corporate structure. The changes will enable IATA to better serve its customers and stakeholders as the association implements a strategy focusing on its core competencies of standard-setting and adoption, advocacy, and services and products.

• Effective 1 January 2020, Aleks Popovich (currently Senior Vice President for Financial and Distribution Services) will lead a newly formed Customer and Business Services (CBS) division. Customer and Business Services will manage the operations of IATA’s industry settlement systems, central sales and marketing, and its customer service.
• Effective 31 December 2019, Mark Hubble, IATA’s Senior Vice President for Aviation Solutions, will retire from IATA after 16 years of service. The Marketing and Commercial Services division which he led will be dissolved, with its functions largely incorporated in the newly formed Customer and Business Services division.
• Effective 1 January 2020 a newly formed Financial, Distribution and Data Services (FDDS) division will group the association’s work on digital transformation, efficient industry processes, product differentiation and business intelligence. This division will replace the former Financial and Distribution Services division. Popovich will lead FDDS on an interim basis until a recruitment process is completed.
• Progressively, some 50 positions will be added to IATA’s advocacy capabilities. Many of these will be within the Member and External Relations division (MER). MER is currently being led on an ad interim basis by Brian Pearce, IATA’s Chief Economist, following the retirement earlier this year of Paul Steele as Senior Vice President Member and External Relations.

Director General and CEO

IATA also announced that its Board of Governors will recommend an extension of the term of office of Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s Director General and CEO, to the association’s Annual General Meeting which will take place in Amsterdam 22-23 June 2020. De Juniac’s current term is due to end in August 2020.

Source: https://www.iata.org/en/pressroom/pr/2019-12-17-01/

 

Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) has embarked on marketing of diverse tourism products including mountaineering, cuisine, horticulture and lake tourism, to attract more tourists.

In an interview, Kenya Tourism Board Chairman Jimi Kariuki said although Kenya continues to be a popular destination, stakeholders must put more focus on other products to boost the sector.

He said popular tourism destinations including Diani beach, Maasai Mara and Nairobi for Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions are renowned worldwide.

“We have been winning in both world travel and destination awards due to our popular destinations. We look forward to a very good year in the sector,” Mr Kariuki said in Mombasa.

However, Mr Kariuki who is also the Sarova Whitesands Beach Resort, Managing Director said the sector should also diversify.

 “We are renowned for beach and safari; they are our main signature products. But we need to diversify and present to the world other products such as mountaineering, lake, horticulture, agriculture (tea and coffee), cuisine, culture and heritage,” Mr Kariuki said.

Source: https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/economy/KTB-eyes-tourists-with-expanded-product-list/3946234-5405364-dost45z/index.html

 

Emirates Airlines has announced discounted air ticket prices of up to 29.4 percent for Nairobi customers on three of its routes, raising competition for its rivals such as Kenya Airways that flies to the same destinations.

The airline has reduced ticket prices for flights to Dubai, London and Beijing in a promotion that runs until January 21.

Customers are allowed to book flights from January 7, 2020 to November 30, 2020.

Under the promotion, passengers on a return air ticket flying from Nairobi to Dubai on an economy class ticket will pay $484 (Sh48,859), down from $535 (Sh54,008), representing a nine percent price discount.

Passengers flying on the same route on a business class ticket will pay $1,405 (Sh141,834) down from $1,991 (Sh200,991), representing a 29.4 per cent price cut.

Passengers flying to London on an economy class ticket (return) will pay $776 (Sh78,337), down from $985 (Sh99,435), representing a 21.2 per cent price cut.

Those flying on the same route on a business class ticket will pay $2,445 (Sh246,822), down from $3,219 (Sh324,958), representing a 24 per cent price cut.

Passengers on Emirates Airlines flights from Nairob to Beijing on a return economy class ticket will pay $823 (Sh83,081), down from $942 (Sh95,094), representing a 12.6 per cent price cut.

Those flying on the same route on a business class ticket will pay $4,062 (Sh410,058) ,down from $4, 928 (Sh497,481) representing a 17.5 per cent price cut.

“We at Emirates believe in making every flight experience extraordinary. By making continued investments in refreshing the world’s biggest fleet of Airbus A380s and Boeing 777s, passengers travelling with Emirates are able to fly better on every single flight,” said Hendrik Du Preez, regional manager, Emirates Airlines East Africa.

Source: https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/corporate/companies/Emirates-cuts-ticket-prices-in-promotion/4003102-5408836-v0o7hlz/index.html

 

National carrier Kenya Airways (KQ) has announced that it anticipates 25 per cent or more lower earnings for the period ending December 31, 2019 when compared to 2018, pointing to wider losses this year despite several cost cutting measures by the carrier.

In a notice signed by Kenya Airways Board Chair Michael Joseph, the troubled airline blamed the performance on stiff competition.

“Although Kenya Airways realized improved revenue growth in the year, profitability was constrained by the increased competition in the airline area of operations, which, in turn, has increased pressure on pricing in order to remain competitive,” he said.

“In addition, the adoption of new International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) 16 rules in 2019, has required significant adjustments to both the profit and loss statements and balance sheets for the current financial year,” he added.

The profit warning means that KQ will report a net loss greater than the Ksh7.5 billion ($75 million) that was recorded in December 2018 when higher costs offset a jump in revenue.

The troubled airline has been making efforts to improve earnings after several years of posting losses.

Fuel, personnel and cost of aircraft have been identified among the top three drivers of KQ’s expenses, contributing to about two-thirds of the operating costs.

Earlier this year, the board had announced that KQ – which is 48.9 per cent government-owned and 7.8 per cent by Air France-KLM – plans to double its fleet over the next five years if they can find the right financial structure.

Following the resignation announcement by outgoing CEO Sebastian Mikosz earlier this year, the airline on Monday appointed Jambojet chief executive Allan Kilavuka to fill the seat in an acting capacity.

Mr Kilavuka’s appointment is effective January 1, 2020.

Mr Mikosz, to the shock of many, opted out of the top job before the expiry of his contract that was to end in June next year citing personal reasons.

The Polish national used strategies such as fleet expansion, addition of new routes and collaboration with African airlines in hopes of turning around KQ’s performance.

Our Source: https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/business/Kenya-Airways-issues-profit-warning/2560-5390198-hti4q8/index.html

Kenya Airways (KQ) has announced the appointment of Allan Kilavuka as its acting chief executive officer, replacing Polish national Sebastian Mikosz who opted out of the top job before the expiry of his contract.

Mr Kilavuka is the current CEO of the airline’s low cost subsidiary Jambojet.

The airline’s board in a statement sent Monday indicated his appointment is effective January 1, 2020, and that he will serve in the role until a substantive CEO for Kenya Airways has been recruited and appointed.

“Allan will also continue his role as Chief Executive Officer of Jambojet during the interim period of recruitment,” said the statement signed by Company Secretary Catherine Musakali.

“The Board wishes to emphasise that the recruitment process for a substantive Chief Executive Officer with the necessary experience and knowledge was initiated upon the announcement of Sebastian Mikosz’s decision to leave the airline at the end of 2019. The process is still actively on going and the Board will inform all our stakeholders once a suitable candidate has been identified.”

Mr Mikosz earlier this year in a shock announcement said he will quit from the helm of the airline in December, coming before his term expires in June next year.

In a memo to KQ staff, he cited “personal reasons” as the reason for throwing in the towel.

“It is my personal decision and I have obviously discussed it with the Board as well as with my family. I believe that this is the ideal timing to begin a transition process to find someone who will continue with the turnaround initiatives that we began 3 years ago,” he said in the memo.

Mr Mikosz, who helped turn around flag carrier LOT Polish Airlines as its CEO, was hired in June 2017 to also turn around the struggling KQ.

His strategy included fleet expansion, adding of new routes and collaboration with African airlines that were seen as a threat to KQ’s regional market share.

The airline is in the process of nationalisation, coming after Parliament in July voted to nationalise NSE-listed company Airways to save it from mounting debts.

The government has now set out on a nationalisation plan, with Treasury looking to buy out KQ’s minority shareholders and converting shares held by commercial banks into Treasury bonds.

The loss-making carrier is 48.9 percent government-owned, 38.1 percent by banks, 7.8 percent by Air France-KLM, 2.4 percent by Kenya Airways employees and 2.8 percent by small investors.

KQ chairman Michael Joseph recently called for professionalisation of the airline’s board to avoid picking politically-connected directors so as to give the troubled company a chance of survival after nationalisation.

Our source: https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/business/Kenya-Airways-names-acting-CEO/2560-5387334-4sdtkjz/index.html