TOURISM

Paris, France | AFP | Wild giraffe numbers have plummeted by 40 percent in the last three decades, and the species is now “vulnerable” to extinction, a top conservation body warned Thursday. The population of the world’s tallest land mammal dropped to below 100,000 in 2015, mainly due to shrinking …

  Geneva, Switzerland | AFP |  The aviation industry is set to post record net earnings this year and is expected to remain profitable in 2017, despite rising oil prices and global political turbulence, its trade association said Thursday. “Airlines continue to deliver strong results. This year we expect a …

ATC News by Wolfgang H. Thome Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has marked its first year of operations in Tanzania, as it continues to support the growing two-way flow of business and leisure travellers flying between Dar es Salaam and the UAE capital, Abu Dhabi. Over …

Tanzanian based -lowcost carrier Fastjet has announced plans to cut flights in East Africa starting this month as part of a route rationalisation exercise meant to match frequencies and customer demand. Fastjet, which launched direct flights between Dar es Salaam and Entebbe International Airport in 2014, says “rationalisation” of its …

Paris, France | AFP |  Ugandan traditional music, which is dying out partly because it requires materials from endangered species, has been placed on UNESCO’s protected “Intangible Cultural Heritage” list, along with Portuguese pottery and Ukrainian Cossack songs. A UNESCO world heritage committee, meeting in Addis Ababa Tuesday, decided to …

Sydney, Australia | AFP |  Foreigners in Australia on working holidays face paying a 15 percent levy on every dollar they earn after the government Monday compromised on a controversial “backpacker tax”, dumping plans for a higher rate. Canberra had initially sought a revenue-raising 32.5 percent tax for seasonal workers …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South African police Thursday said they had arrested a Hong Kong-bound Chinese man found with 18 rhino horns hidden in his luggage. He was detained on Wednesday at Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport after an anonymous tip-off. “The 28-year-old male, who was in transit …

Rwanda’s latest domestic tourism campaign dubbed “Tembera U Rwanda-Jump on the Bus” is geared towards marketing attraction sites to domestic tourists. And it is registering success, according to Rwanda Development Board (RDB),  writes Joseph Ondiek Just recently, this writer was part of a team of journalists from a cross section …

The world’s bird watching community has descended on Entebbe Botanical Gardens as Uganda hosts the annual African Birding Expo. Tourism, business clinics, birding challenges, conferences and exhibition awards will be some of the highlights Friday to Sunday. Several items for the birdwatching community will be available. These will include, scopes, binoculars, guide books, …

Jakarta, Indonesia | AFP | Skygazers were heading to high-rise buildings, ancient forts and beaches Monday to witness the closest “supermoon” to Earth in almost seven decades, hoping for dramatic photos and spectacular surf. The unusually big and bright Moon will appear at its most impressive just as night falls …