Gohori Resort: A Modern Oasis in the Rural Landscape

Tourism Growth Watch
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Gohori Resort: A Modern Oasis in the Rural Landscape

Nestled at the foothills of Gohori Mountain, Gohori Resort stands as a symbol of rural industrialization in Mutoko, Mashonaland East. Just five minutes from Mutoko Centre and 150 kilometres from Harare, this luxury resort blends modern comfort with the tranquillity of its natural surroundings.

Spanning four hectares, Gohori Resort boasts 15 spacious family rooms equipped with high-tech amenities, free Wi-Fi, DStv, and secure parking. Expansion plans are underway to add 35 more rooms and a 300-seat conference facility. The resort also features an 80-seat conference room, lush gardens, and scenic walking paths.

Guests can explore nearby historical and cultural sites, including:

  • Mutoko Monuments – A glimpse into Zimbabwe’s rich history.
  • Ruchera Caves – Fascinating rock formations and ancient paintings.
  • Mutemwa Mountain – A sacred site of Christian worship.

Wildlife encounters are part of the experience, with monkeys frolicking around the resort. The natural setting, complemented by indigenous flora, offers a serene retreat.

Over 80% of the resort’s employees hail from the local community, benefiting from employment opportunities and educational support. Farmers also gain a stable market for their produce.

Founder Bernard Kasekete envisions Mutoko as a major tourism and economic hub, inspired by President Mnangagwa’s Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo mantra. Gohori Resort represents the beginning of this transformation, offering guests an unforgettable stay while uplifting the local community.

Gohori Resort isn’t just a getaway—it’s a beacon of hope, growth, and opportunity in rural Zimbabwe.

BA and CemAir sign interline agreement

Aero Insights
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BA and CemAir sign interline agreement

British Airways has signed and implemented an interline agreement with South African regional carrier CemAir that opens up connections to more destinations in South Africa through the airline’s gateways of Johannesburg and Cape Town.

The partnership opens up onward connections to leisure destinations exclusively served by CemAir and popular with British travellers.

The arrangement includes the convenience of single-ticket itineraries with onward booking and baggage transfers from Johannesburg and Cape Town to Bloemfontein, Kimberley, Margate, Durban, Hoedspruit, Plettenberg Bay, George, Maun and Victoria Falls. 

Neil Chernoff, British Airways Director of Network and Alliances, said: “We’re excited to launch this new interline agreement with CemAir, providing customers with more options when travelling within South Africa. This is good news for flyers wanting to see more of the country and expand their travel itineraries.” 

Miles van der Molen, CEO of CemAir, said: “We are delighted to partner with British Airways, a name synonymous with quality and elegance. With roots dating back to 1919, British Airways has been the constant in the rapidly changing airline industry for over a hundred years. Our interline agreement provides our customers with convenience and savings as they can now seamlessly connect from our flights to the vast global network of this iconic airline.

“As we continue our expansion during the post-COVID recovery period we realise that now, more than ever, partnerships are key to our success. Working with market leaders like British Airways is a further demonstration of our commitment to our customers to provide the best service and value.”

British Airways has the largest capacity into South Africa of any European carriers, with double-daily flights to Johannesburg and up to triple daily flights to Cape Town on some days during peak season.

The carrier’s broad network of over 170 destinations can now be accessed more easily through this partnership.

Which are the busiest SADC air routes?

Aero Insights
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Which are the busiest SADC air routes?

Aviation analytics company Cirium has unveiled the busiest air routes from South Africa for 2024 based on the number of scheduled flights.

The most popular route is between Johannesburg and Harare. For 2024, the route will be serviced by five airlines, SAA, FlySafair, Fastjet, Airlink and CemAir, with the latter beginning flights in March.

Second on the list is Johannesburg to Lusaka, a destination that has grown in popularity and saw record-breaking arrivals last year. OR Tambo has become the most connected airport to Lusaka, with 3 321 scheduled flights annually.

Johannesburg to Gaborone comes third, with flights operated by Airlink and Air Botswana.

Other notable mentions are flights from Johannesburg to Maputo and to Windhoek, coming in fourth and fifth place, respectively.

Bolt launches in Botswana and waives driver commission for six months

Business News
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Bolt launches in Botswana and waives driver commission for six months

Bolt, the Estonian ride-hailing company, is launching in Gaborone, the capital city of Botswana, and will compete in a market with only one other ride-hailing player: inDrive. 

Bolt will not charge its typical commission from drivers, usually between 15% and 20% of the ride fee, for six months as part of its rollout. The company said 100 drivers have been on-boarded so far.

Bolt’s launch in Botswana continues the company’s expansion in southern Africa. It has launched in Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Namibia in the last six months. Botswana is the 14th African country that Bolt has launched since first launching in South Africa in 2016.

“We are thrilled to introduce our services in Botswana,” said Laurent Koerge, head of expansion at Bolt. “Our aim is to increase earnings for our drivers while fostering high demand through competitive pricing.”

Bolt enters a Botswana ride-hailing market ripe for growth but also presents a challenging operating environment for ride-hailing platforms. inDrive was the first platform to test out the Botswana market, launching in the country five years ago. It remained the only platform in the country until now. 

Although it has blown up in popularity, perhaps showing the amount of demand for ride-hailing in the country, inDrive has faced numerous challenges, including allegations of driver misconduct as well as pushback from public transport operators. 

Bolt has features such as an SOS button, which allows riders and drivers to contact the police instantly; driver unmatching, which will allow a rider or driver never to be matched up with one another; and a “share my ride” option which will allow both parties to share real-time ride information. The platform will also require drivers to have all the requisite licenses from local regulators. Through these features, the company will be hoping to address the issues of safety and misconduct that have plagued ride-hailing in Botswana.

In early 2023, Bolt announced its plan to invest over €500 million in the African market. One of its initiatives was to offer job opportunities to over 300,000 driver partners. The company operates in 45 countries globally, serving over 150 million customers and working with over 3 million drivers.

SAA Clarifies Perceived Runway Incursion at OR Tambo International Airport

Aero Insights
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SAA Clarifies Perceived Runway Incursion at OR Tambo International Airport

Johannesburg, (26 February 2024) – South African Airways (SAA) is aware of the detail pertaining to an SAA aircraft and a perceived runway incursion on Friday evening, 23rd February 2024 at OR Tambo International Airport between Lufthansa flight LH573 that was scheduled to depart from Johannesburg on route to Frankfurt, and SAA flight SA422 that had landed a few minutes earlier from Port Elizabeth.

The Lufthansa Boeing 747-8 was scheduled to depart from runway 03L at 20h16. However, due to an impending storm, the departure was delayed, and the aircraft was permitted to vacate the runway. The SAA Airbus A320 which had arrived earlier, was then permitted to cross runway 03L and taxi to its intended terminal.

A preliminary assessment by SAA had established that NO Runway Incursion occurred, as alluded to, by some media reports. The Air Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS) has confirmed that the video was a ruse, and the footage had a time lapse of approximately five minutes having passed in just 38 seconds of the recording.

SAA’s Flight Operations and Safety Department together with key stakeholders’ safety departments have done both the internal and collaborative safety assessments and investigations and confirm there was no aircraft taking off at the time as claimed in the video caption.  

SAA and its aviation stakeholders employ robust safety measures and implement strategies to mitigate against any potential risk that may arise to passengers and aircraft.

SAA Interim CEO, Prof. John Lamola says, “SAA’s flight deck crew are trained routinely to handle all situations that may occur in the air or on the ground, which include runway incursions. SAA confirms that there was no runway incursion or risk of any occurring as shown by the video on social media.”

Kenya scraps entry fee for South Africans and other foreign nationals

Destination Insider
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Kenya scraps entry fee for South Africans and other foreign nationals

Kenya has abolished fees to apply for its new Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA) for travellers from seven countries, including the key source market of South Africa.

The eTA came into effect at the start of 2024, ostensibly as a part of President William Ruto’s promise of providing visa-free entry to travellers from all countries globally. The eTA has been met with mixed reaction from the tourism industry — particularly travellers from previously visa-exempt countries such as South Africa, who are now required to apply for the eTA and were paying a US$34 (R644) processing fee.

The Ministry of Interior has subsequently exempted seven countries from paying the eTA fees, with effect from February 15, according to an in-house memo penned by Dr Dan Opon, Director of Immigration Services in the ministry.

Meetings Africa announces Future Leaders Forum

The Delegate Report
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Meetings Africa announces Future Leaders Forum

South African Tourism, through the South Africa National Convention Bureau (SANCB), in partnership with the Southern African Tourism Educators of South Africa (TESA), has announced the much-anticipated Future Leaders Forum, a prominent element of the forthcoming business events trade show, Meetings Africa.

Tailored to engage and inspire young enthusiasts aspiring to excel in the business events sector, the Future Leaders Forum will take place on the Business Opportunity Networking Day (BONDay) on Monday, February 26.

This Pan African trade show, dedicated to Meetings, Incentives, Conventions/Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE), is taking place at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg from February 26-28.

With youth empowerment being a firm focus for the entire tourism and business events industry, the Future Leaders Forum has been designed to inspire and guide students towards successful careers in the dynamic business events industry.

Over the course of two days, participants will be given the opportunity to foster valuable industry connections, access top-tier educational content, gain insights from seasoned professionals, and engage in collaborative learning with peers.

Competing for global recognition

The SANCB and TESA have also selected three top-performing tourism and hospitality students from universities to compete against their counterparts to secure places at the International University Challenge.

Eligible students must be enrolled in NQF level 7 and 8 qualifications in Tourism and Hospitality, encompassing B-degrees, Honours, National Diploma, Post Graduate Diploma, and Diploma students. The selection criteria include a keen interest in the business events industry, academic excellence, and an age limit not exceeding 35 years.

The finalists are James Kgabo from Tshwane North College, Hlolohelo Zwane from Tshwane North College, and Anaïs Saayman from North-West University.

On February 26, they will present their proposals, marking what could be an exciting venture into the global meetings and events arena.

Following the Future Leaders Forum, the winner will advance to the International University Challenge, a global competition providing a platform to showcase creativity in events planning, represent their country, and compete against the world’s best students.

The overall winner, crowned at the annual IMEX Gala Dinner in Frankfurt, is presented with the coveted MPI Foundation Student Scholarship Award.

“At South African Tourism, we are serious about empowering tomorrow’s leaders, and this globally recognised platform allows us to do that while ensuring that we nurture talent that will benefit our business events industry in the future. It is really about ensuring the industry’s sustainability through investment in our young people,” says Bjorn Hufkie, GM: MICE Sales Officer at SANCB.

“People are at the heart of our destination brand, and all the marketing work we do is led by our warm and welcoming people. The IMEX-MPI International University Challenge is not only a great and worthwhile challenge for the students, but it is also a wonderful way to showcase our brand. I wish all three finalists the best of luck, and I look forward to welcoming them to the business events industry in future meetings and gatherings,” concludes Hufkie.

See Lake Kariba from a different perspective

Business Travel
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See Lake Kariba from a different perspective

Zambezi Cruise & Safaris has launched the completely refurbished Zambezi Trader. The Trader, as the houseboat is popularly known, is the largest luxury cruise boat on Lake Kariba IN Zambia, measuring 49m long, 15m wide, and weighing 220 tonnes. It offers 29 air-conditioned accommodations split across three decks. All offer private verandas with lake views.

Private and group charters are now available on the houseboat, and the operator, Zambezi Cruise and Safaris, offers tailored services to meet the needs of all travellers.

The boat can accommodate large groups of up to 150 passengers on day tours Conferences, weddings, family vacations, or special-interest cruise holidays can all be hosted on the houseboat.

“Nothing is too much effort to make sure your guests have the greatest possible experience,” says Richard Mutanda, Group Sales and Marketing Manager.

FITs are now accommodated and may book specific departure dates on three-night cruises. “We now have a new product that can work for your FIT and Groups series. We are able to offer scheduled departures on board the Zambezi Trader from April to October 2024, Friday through to Monday, as weekend escapes and extensions to other Zimbabwean safari destinations,” he says.

“Zambezi Cruise & Safaris works closely with African Parks to offer game drives into the Matusadona National Park directly from the cruise vessels, creating both land and lake experiences.”

Guides are continually searching for the unusual and not so easy to see, lion, leopard, big crocodiles and elephants, plus antelope species and “incredible” birdlife.

Lake Kariba, located on the Zambezi River between Zambia and Zimbabwe, is 270km long, and is one of Africa’s most scenic lakes. Its rivers provide the finest opportunity for fishing and water activities in a savannah setting abundant with rich wildlife, ranging from impala to elephants.

Major Shake-Up for Botswana’s Okavango Delta

Destination Insider
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Major Shake-Up for Botswana’s Okavango Delta

Ethiopian Airlines, Africa’s largest airline, is set to commence scheduled flights to Maun, Botswana, starting on 10 June, significantly enhancing access to the renowned Okavango Delta. The flights will operate three times weekly between Addis Ababa, Ndola, Zambia, and Maun, utilising Boeing 737-8MAX aircraft.

Maun serves as the primary gateway for visitors to the Okavango, a UNESCO World Heritage wetland wonder. Previously, access to the region was primarily through regional flights or charters. Ethiopian’s new route offers simpler and more affordable access for international tourists.

By eliminating the need to connect via other African hubs, these flights facilitate access to Botswana’s tourism crown jewel for a broader spectrum of visitors. The schedule integrates seamlessly with Ethiopian’s global network spanning Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Americas.

More air accessibility in Africa with triangular route

Aero Insights
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More air accessibility in Africa with triangular route

Ethiopian Airlines will commence a triangular route connecting Addis Ababa, Ndola, and Maun from June 10. The flight will operate on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays using a Boeing 738-MAX.

Flight ET 0833 will depart Addis Ababa at 08h30, arriving in Maun at 12h40. The return flight departs from Maun at 13h30, arriving in Ndola at 15h30. It then departs from Ndola at 16h20, arriving in Addis Ababa at 21h25.

Jillian Blackbeard, CEO of Africa’s Eden, told Tourism Update: “We welcome Ethiopian Airlines’ new route to Maun via Ndola, witnessing positive momentum in the aviation sector – a longstanding challenge in securing direct long-haul passenger access to our destinations. We congratulate Ethiopian Airlines for their bold approach and unwavering reliability.”

Andrew Flatt, Marketing Director of Desert and Delta Safaris, said: “This is a game-changer for both seasoned and aspiring travellers to Botswana. Not only does it simplify the journey, making it more cost-effective, but it also opens up opportunities for visitors to extend their stay in our region.”

He highlighted the benefits of choosing Maun as a layover destination, providing a unique opportunity for travellers to recharge and immerse themselves in the charms of the gateway to the Okavango Delta.

“With a variety of delightful accommodations and numerous local experiences awaiting discovery, Maun promises to be more than just a transit point. It is an integral part of the journey, made even more accessible thanks to Ethiopian Airlines.”

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