Ethiopian Airlines adds Bulawayo to Zimbabwe destinations

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Ethiopian Airlines adds Bulawayo to Zimbabwe destinations

ETHIOPIAN Airlines is adding Zimbabwe’s second largest city Bulawayo as a new destination starting at the end of October this year, in another positive development for the country’s rapidly expanding aviation sector.

The airline was already flying into Harare and Victoria Falls. “Ethiopian Airlines is pleased to announce the launch of flights to Bulawayo, our third destination city in Zimbabwe next to Harare and Victoria Falls, starting from 30 October 2022,” the airline said in a Tweet.

Ethiopian Airlines is the fastest growing airline in Africa and envisages reaching 120 international destinations worldwide by the year 2025. Zimbabwe has witnessed increased interest from various airlines in recent years, with some, including Emirates, increasing flight frequency while others, including Germany’s Eurowings Discover airline and RwandAir, have also entered the country’s air market.

The renewed interest in Zimbabwe as a destination is a show of confidence in the local tourism industry, and aviation market in general, by foreign airlines and the international community.

Authorities have attributed the growing interest in the country by foreign airlines to improved aviation infrastructure. For example, the government is in the final stages of refurbishing and expanding the country’s major airport, the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International.

The Victoria Falls airport, which now has a handling capacity of 1,5 million passengers per year, up from 500 000, and the Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo airport, were refurbished and upgraded to international standards. Resources would also be directed towards upgrading all small airports in the country to increase their passenger and cargo handling capacity. — New Ziana

Emirates adds third daily flight to Mauritius

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Emirates adds third daily flight to Mauritius

Emirates will up its frequency to Mauritius from October 1 by introducing a third daily flight on its flagship A380 aircraft.

The carrier said the additional evening frequency had been introduced in response to increased travel demand to the destination. It will operate until January 31.

Flight EK 709 will depart Dubai at 22h10 and arrive in Port Louis at 04h45 the following day. Return flight EK 710 will leave Mauritius at 06h30 and arrive in Dubai at 13h05.

The additional flight will boost seat capacity to Mauritius by about 35% and supplements the existing double-daily Airbus A380 services.

Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline & Group said: “We thank the Mauritian authorities for considering our request to operate a third daily flight. Air connectivity is critical to international tourism, and these extra seats will help us bring even more visitors from across our network to Mauritius, and accommodate rising demand. Emirates is committed to playing a key role to promote inbound travel, and support the government in achieving its goal of hosting 1.4 million tourists by June 2023.”

Zambian National Park joins UNESCO Biosphere Network

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Zambian National Park joins UNESCO Biosphere Network

The Kafue National Park in Zambia is the latest reserve in Africa (of 89) to join the Unesco World Biosphere Network.

The addition of Zambia, along with Georgia in Eastern Europe and Chad in central Africa, was announced recently by Audrey Azoulay, Director General of Unesco, who said: “I am delighted to see three new member states joining this useful and powerful network this year. With these new designations, Unesco’s biosphere reserves now cover a protected area of more than 1.3 million square kilometres worldwide.” 

Covering an area of approximately 22 400 sq km, the Kafue Marshes Biosphere Reserve passes through several districts of archaeological and historical importance, as well as a Ramsar site (Kafue Flats) and an important birding area.

Located in the west of Zambia, Kafue is the oldest and largest national park in the southern African country. It is home to over 400 bird species and several mammals, including zebra, buffalo, hippo and the endemic Kafue lechwe.

Biosphere reserves are a cornerstone of Unesco’s mandate as the United Nations’ scientific agency. They are at the heart of Unesco’s research and advocacy work to encourage innovative practices in sustainable development and to promote the understanding, appreciation and safeguarding of the living environment by the organisation’s communities and member states.

Ethiopian Launches Tour and Activities Services in Partnership with GetYourGuide

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Ethiopian Launches Tour and Activities Services in Partnership with GetYourGuide

Ethiopian Airlines, the largest aviation group in Africa, has partnered with the globally leading online booking platform GetYourGuide, to offer passengers an unforgettable travel experience. This partnership provides Ethiopian Airlines’ customers easy access to book travel activities alongside their flight. Passengers will have the option of booking high quality and well-curated tours and activities online either immediately after booking flights or at a later date.  

Regarding the partnership Ethiopian Airlines Chief Commercial Officer Mr. Lemma Yadecha said “Ethiopian strives to offer passengers a service beyond just travel and its ancillary services are its tools in doing so.

The new partnership with GetYourGuide will be the new stream of convenience our leisure passengers can enjoy. Putting our vast network and GetYourGuide’s services in major cities around the world into consideration, our passengers will have a great number of exciting experiences to choose from.”

Ethiopian’s ancillary services, in addition to bringing end to end package shopping experience to customers, widens Ethiopian streams of services, bringing extra convenience to passengers. The airline already provides other ancillary services that are complementary to passenger’s travel before its new partnership with GetYourGuide.        

GetYourGuide is the globally leading online booking platform offering unforgettable travel experiences and extraordinary tours and activities around the world such as guided tours with the best local experts, cooking and craft classes, local food tours, skip the line tickets to the world’s most famous sights, once-in-a-lifetime “bucket list” experiences and niche offers that can’t be found anywhere else.

The tours and activities offered by GetYourGuide will be available for booking through Ethiopian Airlines website. 

Seychelles on track for tourism recovery

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Seychelles on track for tourism recovery

The Seychelles tourism industry is well on the road to recovery, according to Tourism Seychelles, after the 182 850th traveller for the year to date, landed in the island nation last Wednesday (July 27).

The figure for the first seven months of the year was higher than the full January 1 to December 21, 2021 period, which recorded a total of 182 849 visitors to 115-island archipelago.Half day Gauteng easy e-Bike with wild game

Tourism Seychelles Director General for Destination Marketing, Bernadette Willemin, said this was a significant milestone in the journey towards the recovery of the local tourism industry. 

“Reaching the 2021 figures in only seven months is an achievement that would not have been possible without the collaborative effort of the government and private sector. We are keeping our eyes on making yet another hit in our 2022 arrival numbers,” she said.

To remain competitive as a destination, the Seychelles Tourism team has focused on reinforcing its marketing strategies and intensifying its online presence.

“As a destination, we are striving to remain diligent and continue to maintain a strong presence in all our markets, through our participation in the various trade and consumer events. 

“However,” Willemin cautioned, “we also bear in mind that, like the COVID-19 pandemic and recently, the Russia-Ukraine unrest, including other global situations, things can quickly change, which in turn, could affect the progress that we have made.”

Tourism Seychelles expects to reach over 250 000 visitors by the end of 2022, which would mean reaching about two-thirds of the 2019 numbers of 428 000 visitors.

According to the latest figures from the National Bureau of Statistics Europe remains Seychelles’ top source market, with France coming first, followed by Germany and Russia. The UK and Northern Ireland source market is also significant.

Golf and hotel could cost Victoria Falls its heritage status

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Golf and hotel could cost Victoria Falls its heritage status

The United Nations will deliver an ultimatum to the governments of Zimbabwe and Zambia to immediately halt unsanctioned development at Victoria Falls or risk losing its unique heritage status, according to documents seen by The Times.

Unesco officials conducted a recent visit to the site to “assess the potential threat” to the natural wonder from plans for lodges, a golf course and a hydroelectric dam.

The area’s wildlife migration routes and unique rock structures, as well as world’s largest sheet of falling water, earned its world heritage site status in 1989. Continue reading article, click here.

SITA: Africans Embrace IT for Convenient and Seamless Air Travel

Miriro Matema
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SITA: Africans Embrace IT for Convenient and Seamless Air Travel

SITA’s 2022 Passenger IT Insights research, published today, highlights pent-up demand for both business and leisure travel emerging from the pandemic, with passengers further embracing mobile and touchless technologies to make the journey as convenient and seamless as possible.

The survey reveals an increase in passenger use of mobile devices for booking, on board the airplane, and for bag collection in Q1 2022 compared to Q1 2020, while automated gates saw increases in adoption for identity control, boarding, and border control.

The results clearly reflect the accelerated digitalization of air travel since the outbreak of the pandemic and passengers’ willingness to adopt technologies. However, health verification is a pain point that has slowed end-to-end automation. In Q1 2022, despite some uptake of technology at this stage, over half of passengers were still doing their own research on health verification requirements and manually submitting documentation.

SITA’s research also finds reduced technology adoption in the early stages of the journey (check-in, bag tag, and bag drop) in favor of manual processing. Uncertainty about health requirements and travel rules has likely led travelers to seek more staff interaction when starting the journey.

The survey shows that the more technology there is during travel, the happier passengers are. As many as 87% of passengers have positive emotions about identity control, up 11% from 2016; the same is true for 84% of passengers about bag collection (up 9%). These are also the areas where technology adoption has risen the most, driven by mobile and automated gates, with half of passengers now additionally receiving real-time information at bag collection on time until delivery.

Asked about comfort levels with biometric identification throughout the journey, passengers scored an average of almost 7.3 out of 10 (with 10 representing most comfortable), most likely reflecting their desire for ease of travel moving forward from the pandemic.

David Lavorel, CEO, SITA, said: “It is exciting to see demand recovering and even surpassing pre-pandemic levels, not just for leisure but also for business travel. We are seeing that the technology-driven end-to-end passenger journey is becoming a reality, as the air transport community continues to digitalize its travel processes and industry operations, accelerated by the pandemic.

We are also seeing that passengers are increasingly embracing mobile and touchless technologies across the journey, to make their travel as convenient and seamless as possible. The use of IT to help drive and sustain the recovery of air travel is vital today, and it is also critical to the post-pandemic digital journey of tomorrow.”

As that recovery gathers pace, SITA’s Passenger IT Insights survey says that passengers intend to fly more from 2023 onwards than they did prior to the pandemic, anticipating averages of 2.93 flights per passenger per year for business, and 3.90 for leisure. When weighing up whether to fly or not, the main barriers are ticket prices, health risks, and geopolitical risks.

Passengers also consider sustainability before they choose to fly. Around half of passengers would value airports and airlines putting in place new IT solutions to support sustainability (such as monitoring airport environmental performance to reduce emissions and flight path optimization to reduce fuel burn). On the airport front, this initiative has overtaken green airport infrastructure for most valued since Q1 2020, suggesting all eyes are on the promises of technology to support concrete reductions to the environmental impacts of the industry.

Almost all passengers would pay on average 11% of their ticket price to offset carbon emissions from their flight. Asked if the air transport industry is doing enough to become more sustainable, more than half of passengers either think not, or don’t know, suggesting there is room for industry improvement in communicating sustainability initiatives and actions.

Tourism Statistics Inform UN Reports On Sustainable Development

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Tourism Statistics Inform UN Reports On Sustainable Development

A United Nations global assessment of progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) makes clear the important role that tourism must play in achieving the ambitious agenda for change.

Launched at the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, which this year is held around the theme of ‘building back better’ from the pandemic, the UN reports draw on UNWTO’s statistical work to track tourism’s role in delivering meaningful progress for people and the planet. Specifically, the UN SG Progress report on SDGs with its statistical annex will serve as an input to the deliberations of the HLFP. Alongside this, the Sustainable Development Goals Extended Report is aimed at the wider public and provides an overview of all 17 Goals with infographics, including those illustrating the relevance of tourism.

Prepared in collaboration with the entire UN Statistical System, the reports and their latest available data show that action is needed to accelerate the delivery on the SDGs and to step up national measurement efforts, including for the tourism sector.

As demonstrated in section on SDG8 (‘Decent Work and Economic Growth’), tourism a major force of development was one of the most affected economic sectors by the COVID-19 Pandemic as global GDP from tourism nearly halved between 2019 and 2020, with wide-reaching consequences for jobs, local businesses and conservation efforts.

On SDG12 (‘Responsible Production and Consumption’), UNWTO’s statistics serve to highlight the importance of national efforts to implement standardized tools like Tourism Satellite Accounts (TSAs) and the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA). Both underpin the UNWTO-led Statistical Framework for Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism (MST) that assesses the social, economic and environmental impacts and dependencies of tourism—at national and sub-national levels -. These tools also underline the importance of multistakeholder collaboration which is fostered through the Sustainable Tourism Programme of the One Planet network.

As countries build back better and aim to build more sustainable and resilient tourism, various policy frameworks have recognized the need for these measurement tools to guide their efforts and thus contribute to more evidence-based policymaking. Examples at the international and regional level are the UNWTO Recommendations for the Transition to a Green Travel and Tourism Economy  and the AlUla Framework for Inclusive Community Development Through Tourism, both welcomed and endorsed by the G20, the European Parliament resolution on establishing a strategy for sustainable tourism, the Pacific Sustainable Tourism Policy Framework, UNWTO General Assembly resolutions and UN Statistical Commission decisions.

Airlink to launch Johannesburg-Victoria Falls flights

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Airlink to launch Johannesburg-Victoria Falls flights

11 July 2022, Johannesburg – Airlink, Southern Africa’s premier airline, will launch daily direct return flights between Johannesburg and Victoria Falls from 15 August 2022, reconnecting the region’s main economic hub with the iconic tourism destination.

This follows approvals by Zimbabwe’s and South Africa’s aeronautical authorities for the extension of Airlink’s already comprehensive services between the two markets to include the route between Johannesburg and Victoria Falls.

Airlink’s flights will operate daily using a modern 98-seat Embraer E-190 jetliner and are scheduled to conveniently connect with its other services to and from its Johannesburg main base as well as to long-haul flights provided by Airlink’s growing number of global partner airlines.

“Victoria Falls is a jewel in the region’s tourism crown and Airlink is looking forward to re-establishing connectivity between the attraction and Johannesburg. This brand new Airlink route will be our second to Victoria Falls, which we already serve from Cape Town. In addition, we provide direct flights connecting Harare with Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban and between Bulawayo and Johannesburg. With the recent introduction of long-haul flights from Europe directly to Victoria Falls, our services allow customers arriving on those flights to conveniently include South African destinations in their travel plans,” explained Airlink CEO and Managing Director, Rodger Foster.

Customers can book and manage Airlink journeys and find information about health and safety onboard Airlink flights on the website, Airlink’s smartphone app or through travel agents.

Flight Schedule from 15 August 2022

4Z 494 depart Johannesburg 11.30 arrive Victoria Falls 13.15 daily

4Z 495 depart Victoria Falls 13.55 arrive Johannesburg 15.35 daily

MasterCard to help boost tourism in Kenya

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MasterCard to help boost tourism in Kenya

MasterCard, a global technology corporation, has launched a partnership with the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) to help the country’s tourism sector recover to pre-pandemic levels. The three-year partnership is the first of its kind in Africa for MasterCard.

The Memorandum of Understanding’s goal is to increase tourism in Kenya by leveraging MasterCard’s numerous channels, such as its Priceless.com platform.

Through MasterCard’s Data Insights capabilities – which will enable KTB to plan, execute, and enhance its campaign reports – the MoU also includes plans to better identify tourist trends, anonymised traveller profiles, and economic effect.

MasterCard is also set to launch a loyalty and rewards programme to encourage tourism and strengthen the effect of destination marketing efforts, such as campaign development and execution.

Furthermore, the MoU will offer MasterCard holders access to information on Kenya that can enhance their travel experiences. On the Priceless.com platform, MasterCard and KTB plan to add bespoke vacation packages, including bush, city, and beach experiences, as well as brand campaigns, to complement and support tourism recovery efforts.

“Tourism is a critical sector for driving employment in any country. At MasterCard, we’re committed to helping countries come out of this pandemic with stronger, more resilient and more inclusive economic growth, including in the tourism sector,” says Michael Froman, Vice Chairman and President, Strategic Growth, MasterCard.

According to KTB CEO Dr. Betty Radier: “The MoU with MasterCard aligns with KTB’s strategy of expanding our partner ecosystem to strengthen the sector and deliver on the goal of bouncing back fully to pre-2019 levels within the next two years. By combining MasterCard’s resources and experience as a leading international payment technology company with our tourism resources, I am confident the initiatives set out in this MoU will benefit the sector.”

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