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News
from 'Uganda - Gifted by
Nature'
TN
&endash; News from 'Uganda &endash; Gifted
by Nature'
Second
edition October 2007
By Prof.
Dr. Wolfgang H. Thome
CONGRATULATIONS
TO UGANDA ON ITS 45TH INDEPENDENCE DAY
ANNIVERSARY
Uganda has
been celebrating her 45th Independence Day
on 09th October. The country attained
independence from the British colonialists
in 1962 at a time, when the British Empire
was being progressively dismantled and
colonies around the world demanded (and
obtained) self-determination and
independence to make their own choices and
shape their own destiny.
HAPPY IDD UL FITR
HOLIDAY TO THE ISLAMIC
COMMUNITY
This
correspondent wishes the entire Muslim
community a Happy Idd Holiday at the end
of the Holy Month of Ramadan.
RWANDA
DIVERSIFIES TOURISM
PRODUCTS
The
government of Rwanda, through ORTPN, the
Rwanda Office for Tourism and National
Parks, has commenced the construction of a
US Dollars 7 million new upmarket
eco-lodge at the Nyungwe National Park in
the South West of the country. Much of
Rwanda's tourism has so far focused on
gorilla tracking but a concerted effort
has been underway to diversify and add
more attractions for tourist visitors to
the country. Tourists presently spend less
than a week during their visits due to
lack of suitable accommodation other than
for gorilla tracking, and the new lodge
will help to increase the average stay to
at least a week as envisaged by ORTPN.
Roko Construction of Kampala / Uganda has
won the tender to build the lodge, which
will reportedly comprise some 25
accommodation units, including a
Presidential Cottage. All cottages and
rooms will have views on to the forest or
across the tea estates, which extend to
the forest boundaries. The lodge is
located about 230 Km from the capital city
of Kigali. Construction is expected to
last between 12 &endash; 18 months, at
which time a unique part of Rwanda will
open up for serious tourism. The national
park, which was formally created in 2005,
is renowned for its 13 types of primates
and several species of rare mammals,
including the black fronted duiker. The
park is also home to about 275 species of
birds, some of them endemic to the
Albertine Rift.
This is
good news for Rwanda and comes close on
the heels of Istithmar of the UAE
announcing a major engagement in the
country's hospitality industry, which
besides the construction of a new 5 star
luxury hotel in Kigali, the development of
a championship golf course and the
building of a new lodge at the Parc de
Volcanoes will include a complete
refurbishment and upgrading of the main
lodge in the Akagera National Park. Rwanda
has for a while now sought to attract
sound and serious investors in the tourism
industry but few had responded in such a
positive fashion as Dubai World's
Istithmar. The developments now announced
are bound to bring about major changes for
the tourism sector in Rwanda and allow the
country to claim its rightful place within
the East African tourism framework, which
will in the future promote the entire
region as one destination with many
attractions.
KENYA INCREASES
AVIATION FEES
Information
was received from Kenyan aviation sources
that the Kenya Airports Authority is
planning to introduce a safety and
security charge for departing passengers.
Domestic passengers will be slapped with a
50 Kenya Shillings charge while
international passengers are due to cough
up an additional fee of US Dollar 2,
should the new rate structure be approved
and implemented.
Related
charges for cargo screening are also due
to be increased very substantially and
changes in the computation of air
navigation fees are also proposed, based
on gross aircraft weight and distance
flown in Kenyan airspace. Some airlines
have already voiced their concern over the
planned increases and pointed to the
negative impact of increasing the cost of
air travel and air cargo shipments. In the
face of more environmental taxes and
charges levied on imported produce in
Europe and other key consumer markets,
additional charges as now proposed may
outprice exports, airline sources have
said, leading to a setback in Kenya's
export drive. Kenya Airways is also said
to have insisted on substantial
concessions, being the largest user of KAA
facilities across the country.
The Kenya
Airport Authority in mitigation has
pointed out that government subsidies have
ceased and that the last fee increase was
about 9 years ago, during which
inflationary trends increased operating
cost by almost 70 percent, necessitating
fee increases and the need for new
charges, to cover for increased security
expenses.
KENYA AIRWAYS SET
TO RESUME LAMU FLIGHTS
Three
weeks after halting their flights to Lamu
over safety concerns with the state of the
airfield's turn table and runway, Kenya
Airways has given indication of resuming
their daily flights next week after the
Kenya Airports Authority has carried out
repairs. While initially denying that
anything much was wrong with the
facilities in Lamu, KAA ultimately had to
concede and face up to the need to carry
out repairs. KQ is to be congratulated
over their firm stand of putting safety
concerns for their passengers first, even
when other operators continued to fly into
Lamu and some quarters even questioned
KQ's motives.
In the
meantime the airline has also announced
that they have added extra flight capacity
to and from Malindi on their Friday and
Sunday flights due to risen demand for
weekend packages to the famous Indian
Ocean beaches, using their new Embraer 170
aircraft. In view of sharply increased
domestic demand, the airline is reportedly
also keeping their Saab 340 fleet for a
little longer, having given indication
last year that the turboprops would be
phased out in 2007. This will allow the
airline to continue serving such
destinations as Lamu, where the runway
length of the airfield cannot accommodate
the commonly used jet aircraft. Well done
once again, Pride of Africa.
KENYA TOURISM
EARNINGS REACH NEW RECORD
LEVEL
Year to
date earnings of Kenya's tourism industry
have by the end of September reached over
49 billion Kenya Shillings, which is 8
billion Shillings more than a year ago (1
US Dollar = 66.60 Kenya Shillings).
Inspite of an upcoming general election in
Kenya before the end of the year, it is
generally anticipated that 2007 will be
Kenya's best year yet in terms of revenue
generated and also by tourism arrivals
recorded. The revenue up to the end of the
third quarter of the year is in fact
already ahead of the entire revenue
achieved in 2006, a remarkable achievement
by any standards. This puts Kenya's
tourism sector in a leading position
across the East African region, in
particular with domestic tourism earnings
constituting about one third of the
overall revenue. Leading the arrivals
statistics to Kenya is Britain, followed
by the United States and Germany. The
market entry of Virgin has undoubtedly
assisted in reaching such impressive
growth figures and further growth in
coming years now depends on airlines
adding more flights and using larger
aircraft and of course more new airlines
coming to Nairobi. The American market
will undoubtedly get a major boost when
Delta starts direct flights in 2008 and a
major Chinese airline is also said to be
eyeing East Africa's main aviation hub. A
notable development is also the sharp
increase in arrivals from other African
countries, which rose by about 18 percent
compared to the previous year. Tourism
chiefs attribute the record results to a
successful diversification of the tourism
product, improvements in product quality,
making inroads in the MICE market and
tapping into new emerging markets in
Eastern Europe, the Far and South East,
while maintaining sales and marketing
activities in their existing core markets.
All left to hope for is a peaceful
election campaign in Kenya to keep the
momentum going, since booming tourism
business in Kenya is always bound to spill
over into the entire region.
RISING FUEL
PRICES DRIVE INFLATION
The
present rise in fuel prices, caused by
record levels on the global scene, has
also contributed to rising inflationary
trends across the region. Prices for AVGAS
and Jet A1 have also risen, alongside
petrol and diesel, making transportation
across the board more expensive. Recent
oil finds and the hope for an early
production and refinement programme
promise eventual relief in a few years'
time, but until then Uganda as a land
locked country will suffer the full effect
of globally rising petroleum prices. Would
be visitors are advised to check with
their safari operators about any upcoming
fuel supplements on quoted safari prices
and for air charters.
RAINS CONTINUE TO
HAMMER THE COUNTRY
Government
efforts to bring relief have redoubled
since the visit of President Museveni to
the affected areas across the North and
East of the country. Yet, more and heavier
rains are still expected with Kampala just
recently receiving nearly 70 mm of rain in
a single day, the most sustained downpour
experienced yet during the current out of
season rains. Even the West of the country
is now feeling the effects of the
rainstorms, which early in the week led to
the partial collapse of buildings in
several schools in the Mbarara area of the
country. River levels across the entire
country have also been rising steadily
over the past few weeks, in some cases
reaching critical levels for populations
living along river banks.
In the
meantime blocked drainages have been
identified as a main reason for flooded
roads and intersections in the city and a
major effort is now underway to clear
those drains ahead of the Commonwealth
Summit meetings in November. Road and
general building works are also said to be
severely affected by the constant heavy
rains but the country still expects to
deliver an excellent showing during CHOGM
2007, albeit in all probability a little
on the wet side.
CRESTED CRANE
FACES EXTINCTION
Uganda's
national bird, the Crested Crane, is said
to face extinction due to poaching and
illegal exports of the colourful birds.
This was reported during a public lecture
at the Uganda Museum by Mr. Achilles
Byaruhanga, Chief Executive of Nature
Uganda, where he was raising the alarm
over the devastating trend. The study into
the disappearance of the birds from many
areas of the country was commissioned by
the Wildlife Conservation Trust, the
International Crane Foundation and
Birdlife International. A present estimate
puts the bird numbers countrywide to just
over 20.000, down from about 50.000 a
decade ago. This correspondent in fact
used to regularly observe Crested Cranes
within the city up to the mid and late
90's in swampy areas, which have since
then been drained for 'development'. Even
a pair regularly nesting in a high tree on
the lake shore within sight from his
residence has not returned over the past
two years. Regular sightings of the
African Grey Parrot or of lovebirds,
previously common in the area, have also
reduced very greatly. The birding list of
this correspondent of species seen in and
from his garden stands over 140, but many
birds have not made a return over the past
years and the annual migration numbers
also seem to have reduced. This trend is
attributed to increased lake shore
developments, commercial use of wetlands,
bird breeding and resting grounds and the
spread of new suburbs from the city,
impacting on the habitat of many birds and
mammals.
NSSF UGANDA TAKES
STAKE IN KAMPALA SERENA
In an
apparent effort to lessen risk and
exposure, the consortium owning the
Kampala Serena Hotel has now sold a 20
percent stake to Uganda's National Social
Security Fund for just under US Dollars 2
million. The transaction was initially due
at the start of the project in 2004. It
however stalled when the top management
and chairman of the board of NSSF came
under scrutiny over an allegedly extremely
overpriced land and construction deal,
which resulted in the alleged
perpetrators, construction tycoon Isabirye
Mugoya, the then NSSF Chief Executive, the
then NSSF Chairperson and the then
responsible Minister to be charged in
court. That case against the former NSSF
officials is ongoing, with the former
Minister still out of country and
presently beyond the reach of Ugandan
prosecutors, while Mugoya is held in Kenya
on remand over a different case he faces
in Kenyan courts, but with an extradition
order to Uganda pending.
LE PETIT VILLAGE
IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS
As
reported in this column four weeks ago, a
small and very stylish 12 suite hotel has
been constructed within the Quality Hill
arcade compound. Following some enquiries
in response to the column item the new
property was re-visited on the occasion of
the owners hosting cocktails for the
business community and tourism trade
officials. In particular the garden level
suites are very appealing, especially the
one's with their own kitchen and dining
area. Full satellite TV coverage is also
available in each room, not restricted to
a few channels as seen in literally all
other hotels in town. This leaves guests
free to watch their favourite programmes,
including their favourite football
matches, without their choices being
dictated by the often meagre budgets
allocated for entertainment by their
hotel.
Le Petit
Village is indeed now open for business
and their website is also fully
operational. Visit www.lepetitvillage.net
for more information and
bookings.
WILDPLACES AFRICA
AT WTM
The Uganda
Safari Company, representing besides their
own tour-operation arm TUSC their
properties Semliki Safari Lodge, Apoka
Safari Lodge and the Emin Pasha Hotel in
Kampala's fashionable Nakasero District,
can be visited at the World Travel Market
on stand AF 4550. The company also just
published their rack rates for 2008 ahead
of WTM. Appointments to visit the company
representatives at WTM can be made through
zara@safariuganda.com and the superior
product range of Wildplaces Africa can be
seen by would be visitors at
www.wildplacesafrica.com or
www.safariuganda.com
And from Gill
Staden in Livingstone /
Zambia
Travel
Zambia
Travel
Zambia is a magazine dedicated to the
promotion of Zambia. Its express
objective is to increase tourism - both
local and international - to Zambia, by
raising the profile of the country and its
service providers.
It
has been conceived out of discussions
between the publishers (Travel Africa
magazine), the Zambia National Tourist
Board and private sector
stakeholders. As a privately-owned
magazine, Travel Zambia has no official
link with the ZNTB, ZCT, Zambian travel
companies or any other organisation, and
therefore provides independent, unbiased
content.
If
you would like to know more about this
magazine please contact them on
zambia@travelafricamag.com
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