Around two thousand members of parliament from around the world are expected to come to Kampala for the International Parliamentary Union meeting, which is going to last for 6 days. Delegates who came early have already taken advantage of seeing some of Uganda’s spectacular sights in the national parks, boosting “VisitUganda2012,” a tag line developed after the Lonely Planet guide book company...

The Kenya Tourist Board is joining the Jockey Club Board this weekend to bring Kenyans to the Ngong Race Course, to promote both horse racing as well as domestic tourism across the country, now generally known as TembeaKenya. The mini exhibition will be well timed, a week prior to the long Easter weekend, to give Nairobeans the overview of what special deals are on offer for them, at the coast as well...

United Kingdom (UK) -based tour operator TUI Travel has declared itself “pleased” with trading over the winter in its latest update to markets. Chief executive Peter Long pointed to strength in domestic markets and argued the brand had outperformed rivals over recent months. “We are pleased with our winter performance, particularly in the UK, where our focus on differentiated product and online...

Airlines should give stranded passengers better information and immediate help, members say in a resolution adopted by the European Parliament. They call on the European Commission to tighten the rules on help and compensation for flight cancellations or delays, including luggage delays over six hours. “While EU legislation has already gone some way towards improving the rights of air passengers,...

Saudi Arabian Airlines has entered into a codeshare agreement with Kenya Airways, a move that will strengthen each other’s presence in their respective countries. The codesharing arrangement will cover the Nairobi-Jeddah route along which Kenya Airways launched flights in October last year, targeting the growing passenger traffic between Kenya and Saudi Arabia. Most of the traffic is driven by cultural...

Olympic Holidays has strengthened its summer 2012 offering in signing a new deal with Aegean Airlines to provide flights on key routes this summer. The first routes announced are Birmingham to Cyprus, Humberside to Crete, Belfast to Cyprus, Belfast to Rhodes: more routes are planned. “This additional capacity is good news for travellers in the regions, as these islands are our top selling...

The SADC and RETOSA meetings in Mauritius this week was an opportunity for Seychelles and Zimbabwe to speak with delegates and press of major tourism events coming to Africa. The world is still reliving the successful FIFA World Cup that was held in South Africa, which did Africa proud, and the world has just witnessed the closing ceremony of another successful annual Carnaval International de Victoria...

The annual Earth Hour, promoted by the World Wide Fund for Nature, in short WWF and others to raise environmental awareness, has clearly taken roots across the hospitality industry in Kenya, and the region for that matter. At The Sarova Stanley, now 110 years old and located right in the heart of the city, posters remind guests that this Saturday night and every email sent out to clients has a header...

(New tourism minister Danson Mwazo [left] and the former office holder Najib Balala [right]) At the handover from Hon. Najib Balala who had fallen victim to party politics and paid the price for standing up against his chairman Prime Minister Odinga to the newly appointed tourism minister Danson Mwazo smiles were put on display for the cameras, but the words that followed made it clear that it was...

The third East African e-Tourism Conference, sponsored by the InterContinental Hotel Nairobi, The Kenya Commercial Bank, VISA and the Kenya Tourist Board has gone underway today in Kenyas capital Nairobi, with over 200 attendees filling the conference room to the brim. Keynote speaker on opening was IHGs Karl Hala, Director of Operations for Africa, as the Minister for Tourism in view of the recent...