TOURISM NEWS

TOURISM NEWS

 PEACEFUL POLLS WILL FAVOR KENYA TOURISM

Hotels, lodges and tented camps in Kenya are expected to receive more international guests from next month, following peaceful polls conducted on August 8.

According to the new Kenya Tourism Federation (KTF) Chairman, Mohammed Hersi, all the safari destinations and beach resorts at the coast enjoyed calm during and after the general election.

  “The peace and tranquillity experienced in the country after the polls is a major boost to tourism in Kenya. Many observers had anticipated violence, but Kenyans chose to maintain peace,” he said.

The KTF boss noted that more international wildlife enthusiasts were expected to flock to the Maasai Mara National Reserve thanks to the wildebeest migration spectacle. Hersi, who is also the Sun Africa Hotels Group CEO, said lodges and camps in the Mara had between 60% and 80% occupancy during the elections, and added that more visitors were expected to pour into the wildlife hotspot next month.

Hersi said Keekorok Lodge in the Mara currently has 80% occupancy and, following a jump in bookings, is expected to be fully booked by September.

He said Sun Africa Beach Resort in Mombasa was expected to be busy from next month following resumption of charter flights from Italy and Poland. “International tourist arrivals from Europe to Mombasa are set to increase after the elections due to charter operations from Italy, Poland and the German market.”

Hersi is optimistic that the country will see a rise in international tourist numbers bolstered by key markets such as the US, the UK, Germany, Italy, France, China and India.

Kenya Tourism Board Chairman, Jimi Kariuki, said tourism would improve after the peaceful elections due to aggressive marketing campaigns in both traditional and emerging markets. “Kenya is safe for holidays as security in the country has improved significantly. That we had peaceful polls has given our country a positive image.”

The KTB boss said he expected more international arrivals from across the world to visit Kenya as a result of some international airlines increasing flights to Nairobi.

Diani Reef Beach Resort and Spa Managing Director, Bobby Kamani, said international tourist bookings were on the rise in the wake of peace at the south  coast after the elections. He noted that the hotel, which currently has 40% occupancy, expects guest numbers to increase to between 50% and 70% from next month.

“We are experiencing an increase in bookings from the US, UK, China, Germany and India from September onwards,” he said.

Sarova Whitesands Beach Resort General Manager, Siddharth Sathe, said currently the hotel had 45% occupancy, with 20% of those international guests. “In July, we enjoyed 75% occupancy, but guest numbers dropped during the elections. We expect an increase in bookings between now and September.” Sathe said the hotel was hosting guests from the UK, UAE, Italy and Russia.

Mara Intrepids and Mara Explorer Manager, Kevin Muendo, said the tented camps had 70% and 30% occupancy respectively. He added that, after the elections he expected international wildlife lovers coming to watch the wildebeest migration to increase from next week.

Sarova Mara Game Camp Manager, Kioko Musyoki, said the facility had 80% guest numbers and that he expected more tourists to come to the Mara in the coming weeks.

He noted that the camp had guests from Australia and the UK, but the majority were from China.

SAA resumes Zimbabwe operations  

SAA received clearance on Sunday to commence operations between SA and Zimbabwe and resumed flights, the airline said in a statement.

“Since the grounding of SAA’s aircraft in Harare yesterday, the airline prepared and submitted all required documentation in compliance with the instruction from the Zimbabwean authorities,” the statement read.

This comes after SAA flight SA 025 was prevented from departing from Harare airport in Zimbabwe on Saturday in what appears to have been a tit-for-tat move by the government of Zimbabwe.

Tourism Update understands that an Air Zimbabwe aircraft was inspected in Johannesburg on Friday by the Civil Aviation Authority. The flight did not have its operating permit on board and was grounded as a result by the CAA. SAA was forced to cancel operations between Johannesburg, Harare and Vic Falls.

On Saturday morning, the Zimbabwean government appears to have retaliated by preventing SA 025 from taking off. SAA later cancelled flight SA 022.

Tlali Tlali, SAA head of media relations, told Tourism Update on Saturday: “The authorities imposed this restriction on us this morning only. SAA has been serving this market for more than 20 years and a requirement to have a foreign operators permit was never a requirement until this morning.”

SAA has resumed flights between South Africa and Zimbabwe.

Tourism Conservation Fund poised for take-off

The Tourism Conservation Fund, which aims to raise substantial funding to support large-scale, long-term conservation projects in Africa, is now several major steps closer to entering its implementation phase.

This was announced at the recent Satsa Conference at Spier, Stellenbosch, where Keira Powers, Owner of Spirit of Africa, told the audience that the independent non-profit company (NPC) has been registered and the SARS tax ruling which will make contributions tax-deductible has been finalised, as well as the Fund’s BBBEE scorecard ruling.

Powers, who has volunteered to take on The Tourism Conservation Fund portfolio on behalf of Satsa as a board member, says the Fund will prove critical to the long-term sustainability of Africa’s tourism industry, which relies on flourishing wildlife populations and wilderness areas for its survival. Satsa and the Peace Parks Foundation are the founding members of the Fund.

Werner Myburgh, CEO of Peace Parks, emphasised that the Fund will not be a levy, but rather an entirely voluntary contribution, with the trade committing to providing the Fund with a percentage of turnover.  

Powers says: “The finances will be underwritten be Peace Parks for the next three years, after which the funding mechanism will need to kick in so that the Fund becomes self-sustaining.” The recruitment process for the Fund’s CEO has begun, with over 100 CVs received so far, while Mavuso Msimang has been appointed as the Fund’s chairman.

In terms of the next steps, the board, will only meet once it has been ascertained that the tourism industry subscribes to the concept of the Fund in order to ensure scalability of the project. Myburgh emphasised that the Fund will not be an implementing agent, but instead will give guidelines based on inputs from the trade and the board and will send out notifications for applications from conservation initiatives.

During the Satsa Conference, Dean Cherry, Owner of Nhongo Safaris pledged an initial contribution of R10 000, which kicked off several tourism industry stakeholders to raise their hands and pledge an additional R130 000 of funding.

South African Government launches Tourism Monitor project to improve visitor safety

The National Department of Tourism (NDT) has launched a project to a train and deploy number of ‘Tourism Monitors’ to improve safety and security in specific tourism precincts.

This is according to Minister of Tourism, Tokozile Xasa, who was speaking at the Satsa Conference at Spier, Stellenbosch, who said the pilot phase of the project will launch in Gauteng in September. She further explained that young people will be trained in communities as a means of creating a form of protection and safety around key tourist attractions.

She emphasised that this ties in with South African Tourism’s “I Do Tourism” campaign which aims to create greater awareness of the importance of tourism to all citizens. The campaign was also addressed during the conference by SA Tourism CEO, Sisa Ntshona, who explained that I Do Tourism is an invitation to South Africa – “all have a role to play in tourism,” he says. “The better the sector does, the better the economy does.”

On the topic of inter-department collaboration, the Minister highlighted that the NDT has been working closely with their counterparts from other departments to improve tourist safety. This includes the Minister of Police, Fikile Mbalula, who announced a number of security initiatives that have been introduced in and around OR Tambo International Airport.

The Tourism Minister also touched on immigration regulations, saying that her department continues to liaise with Home Affairs to resolving outstanding issues. She called on the industry to unite and “not talk from different corners” so that the matter can finally be concluded.

 DMCs to rethink itineraries base on capacity constraint

DMCs have to look further than the traditional itinerary destinations due to capacity constraints.

DMCs are increasingly being forced to look beyond the traditional itinerary destinations because of severe capacity constraints in core areas, and this is resulting in improved geographic spread of tourism in SA.

This is according to Craig Smith, CEO of New Frontiers, who was part of a panel on geographic spread and product development at the Satsa Conference at Spier, Stellenbosch.

He says it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find space in traditionally popular areas like Cape Town and the Sabi Sands. “If DMCs are not thinking creatively, then they will not be closing sales and will either lose that business to another DMC, or even worse, South Africa may even lose the business to another country.”

He cites Madikwe as a success story which has developed over the last 10 years due to a concerted effort by the stakeholders to improve access and market the safari area. “It’s now reached the point that if space available within the Greater Kruger, we can easily sell Madikwe as a safari destination,” he adds.

He notes that the industry has been sold on the myth that lesser-known destinations are for repeat travellers only, when it’s quicker and easier than ever before to create exciting itineraries that include a few nights in some of the lesser-explored regions along with the traditional destination

Smith says it’s crucial that DMCs improve their knowledge so that they can sell destinations outside of core areas confidently and also make sure they select the right market to promote these destinations to. “You have to be able to expand that knowledge to your wholesale base as well,” he adds.

Monika Iuel, CEO: Southern Africa for Private Safaris, agrees and says: “The real, long-term sustainability of the DMC will depend on those that bring unique, bespoke and authentic experiences to the international traveller.” She says the development of SMEs and improved air access will play a key role in the success of initiatives aimed at boosting geographic spread.

Ethiopian Airlines introduces new Airbus to JNB-ADD route

Ethiopian Airlines has introduced one of its brand-new Airbus A350 aircraft to the Johannesburg-Addis Ababa route, replacing the Boeing-777. The current schedule of two daily flights remains unchanged.

The carrier took delivery of five new A350s over the past year and has ordered a total of 24.

Ethiopian Airlines has also made changes to its baggage policy to Nairobi and Mumbai as follows:

Nairobi – economy class, two pieces of 32kg; business class, three pieces of 32kg

Mumbai – economy class, three pieces of 23kg; business class, four pieces of 23kg. The Mumbai change is valid for travel up to August 30 after which it reverts to the original allowance.

Do you know township tourism plays a vital role

An excerpt from James Vos’s speech at the opening of the Knysna Oyster Festival was used, where he spoke about how, despite the damage caused by the fires, the people of Knysna pulled through with tremendous courage.  He went on to talk about unlocking the Western Cape’s true potential.

In his most recent column, Vos highlights the importance of the benefits of township tourism, as he believes these projects will play a key role in transforming the tourism sector for the better.

  

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