East Africa Newsletter July 2006

Ol Seki Mara Camp, Maasai Mara

Ol Seki Mara Camp, was opened in July 2005 by Sue Allan and her son and daughter-in-law, Jan and Erin. Sue has been running luxury mobile safaris for 35 years in Kenya and East Africa and has used her extensive experience to create this unique seasonal camp.

Perched on a wonderful rocky promontory, overlooking the Isupukiai River, Ol Seki Mara Luxury Seasonal Camp enjoys panoramic views in a beautiful wilderness area teeming with animals. East Koiyaki, north of the Mara, provides a rare opportunity to enjoy wildlife viewing in pristine surroundings. Simple, modern architecture creates an exciting living space in the six spacious tents, each with one double and one single bed, crisp linens, thoughtfully designed lighting, changing rooms, and en-suite hot showers and toilets.

Leleshwa Camp, Siana Community Conservancy, Masai Mara

Leleshwa Camp is situated in the Siana Community Conservation Area at the north east end of the Maasai Mara Game Reserve in Kenya. Nestled in a river valley between picturesque hills and rolling plains, Leleshwa Camp is a small, intimate camp that can accommodate up to 14 guests. It consists of 7 well-appointed 20 x 14 foot tents with en-suite bathrooms and a large terrace. Each tent has 2 single beds or 1 king size bed with duvet and an additional canvas bed can be provided for children. The bathrooms are equipped with toilets and a traditional safari shower. Hot water is available at all times. Solar energy provides lighting inside the stores. At night, hurricane lamps bathe the camp in a soft, warm light and Maasai warriors patrol to escort you. Food and drinks are served in a spacious dining room and comfortable lounge by very friendly staff. The camp is situated on the outskirts of the Maasai Mara game reserve, giving guests the opportunity to enjoy a variety of other safari activities in addition to those permitted within the reserve itself.

IPU Congress held in Nairobi

Kenya hosted the 114th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly last month. The conference was attended by more than 1,500 delegates from 143 countries. Among the key issues discussed were how parliamentarians can be sensitized to help combat violence against women, how to improve the capacity of individual legislators to address challenges and meet the economic, political and social expectations of the electorate, the role of the parliament in strengthening controls on the trade in small arms and light weapons, and the responsibility of parliament in environmental stewardship and the fight against global degradation. Visitors also got a chance to sample what Kenya has to offer as a key tourist destination and were pleased and vowed to return.

Tourism figures for the Zanzibar archipelago increase

Famous for its warm sandy beaches, spicy scent, water sports and ancient Moorish architecture, the Indian Ocean island of Zanzibar off the coast of Tanzania has seen a growing number of tourists. Tourist arrivals to the semi-autonomous archipelago had registered a growth of 36 percent between June 2005 and the middle of this year due to aggressive marketing strategies. Zanzibar received 125,443 tourists during the said 12-month period compared to 92,160 the previous year. Italy was the top source market with a 40% share followed by the UK with 10%, South Africa with 5% and Scandinavian, American (US) and Canadian with 6%.

Precision Air starts flights to Entebbe

Starting July 15 there will be new air services between Entebbe – Mwanza – Kilimanjaro/Arusha. Precision Air, Kenya Airways’ partner airline in Tanzania, will fly the service with an ATR 42 aircraft.

Fairmont Hotels invests substantially in properties in Kenya

Fairmont Hotels, which took over Lonrho’s Kenyan properties, is now spending $35 million to renovate and upgrade the Norfolk Hotel, Mt Kenya Safari Club, The Ark and Mara Safari Club properties. The Aberdare Country Club cottages will be closed, but the Club (The Ark’s base station) will remain open. Fairmont also intends to invest in Uganda and Tanzania, but intends to strengthen its position in Kenya first.

Tanzania asks Bill Gates to support its tourism advertising

Bill Gates is among the prominent Americans visiting Tanzania as a tourist, who is now being asked by Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete to support Tanzanian tourism through various technological dimensions that would make Tanzania stand out among top tourist destinations. africans. Bill Gates is not a stranger to Tanzania because he had landed in this African nation in secret to avoid media intervention on his private leisure visit. It is known that he spent days on the expensive Indian beaches of Zanzibar and went on wildlife hunting expeditions in the game reserves of Tanzania.

Codeshare between Kenya Airways and Turkish Airlines

Both airlines have signed the codeshare agreement which takes effect on August 1, 2006. Passengers can now fly beyond Istanbul from Nairobi. Eastern European passengers can now fly to any destination in Africa from Istanbul.

Lawford’s Hotel, Malindi will reopen in November 2006

Malindi’s most popular hotel was established in 1936 and was always in business until 2003. Lawford’s will reopen in November 2006 completely renovated, refurbished and now managed by Overlook Management. Overlook Management has now also taken over Lamu Palace Hotel and Petley’s Inn in Lamu. The Company already had Coral Key Beach Resort, Blu Key Beach Club, Tsavo Buffalo Camp and Tsavo River Hill in its portfolio.

Tanzania plans to establish a tourist police unit

Tanzania plans to set up a special tourist police unit responsible for maximizing security at key tourist sites and hotels one step ahead of protecting the destination. When established, Tanzania will join Kenya in such an initiative. Kenya had previously formed a tourist police unit after waves of armed robbery hit its top tourist sites, including the notorious Maasai Mara game reserve. Under the integration of the East African Community (EAC), joint security measures have been designed to integrate regional police forces and other security bodies to curb cross-border crime and expel armed Somali terrorists.

Kampala Serena Hotel opens Monday 31 July 2006

After almost 18 months of reconstruction, the new Kampala Serena Hotel will open its doors. The cost of the complete reconstruction of the old Nile Hotel reached 32 million dollars. In recent years, Serena has become the market leader in terms of quality and owns and manages an impressive portfolio of award-winning resorts, safari lodges and camps, and city hotels. A first for the group is the management of a major conference centre, which is expected to host the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth summit in Kampala next year and also the Executive Committee meetings of the world group, which are expected to bring together almost 60 heads of state and government. to Uganda.

New carrier for Mombasa route effective 1 August 2006

East African Safari Air Express will begin operating twice a day, with a morning and afternoon link, between Nairobi and Mombasa. East African Safari Air Express is cooperating closely in Kenya with Jetlink, which serves routes such as Kisumu, Malindi, Lokichogio and Juba in South Sudan.

Building ban in Kenya’s Masai Mara

The National Environmental Management Authority has now ordered a moratorium on any further building and expansion until a review and new management plan for the game reserve has been agreed. The large Mara ecosystem now reportedly has some 60 different developments, most of which have been built without a due EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment), unlike other East African national parks where EIAs are mandatory. . In contrast, TANAPA, the managers of Tanzania’s national park, recently halted plans to establish a mega-resort in the heart of the Serengeti (which adjoins the Mara just across the border) and garnered applause and praise from around the world for their effort to protect fragile ecosystems

The takeover of the Kenya-Uganda railway concession is delayed two more months

The Rift Valley Railway Consortium, which was to take over the concession to operate the Kenya and Uganda Railways, on July 1 this year has to wait another three months to have time to resolve the outstanding entrenchment issues.

Kenya Tourism Board forecasts tourism revenue to grow by 10%

Profits from the tourism sector have increased by 10 percent in the past six months, the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) said yesterday. The board said the sector earned Sh27 billion (approximately $375 million) driven by an increase in tourist arrivals from the country’s key markets of Europe and the US. The earnings reflect an increase of over $24 billion. shillings recorded during the same period. The increase was also influenced by Nairobi’s transformation as a key destination for conference tourism following the redevelopment of the Kenyatta International Conference Centre. The board projects that growth will be sustained over the next six months and full-year profit is expected to increase by 10 percent from Sh49 billion (USD 680 million) recorded last year to Sh56 billion this year. During the reporting period, receipts and arrivals from Kenya’s traditional markets continued to increase, with figures from Germany and France increasing by 15 and 25 per cent.