News from ATTA
News from ATTA consists of a combination of news from the African continent with relevance to African Tourism along with news about ATTA for the benefit of our members.
29 January 2021
Ethiopian Airlines and CemAir sign interline agreement
ATTA®An interline agreement has been signed by CemAir and Ethipoian Airlines. This means passengers can travel between multiple destinations within the two airline’s network with a single ticket.
Read More28 January 2021
Black rhino successfully tagged
ATTA®The Hope for Wildlife Helicopter Services in Limpopo have successfully tagged a black rhino this week. ‘Searching and locating a black rhino in thick summer vegetation can seem nearly impossible, even with all the right resources at hand!’ the organisation posted on Facebook on January 27.
Read More28 January 2021
Qatar and Mango sign interline agreement
ATTA®Qatar Airways has signed an interline agreement with Mango, further expanding its presence in South Africa.
Read More27 January 2021
Mandatory hotel quarantine for UK nationals returning from 'red list' countries
ATTA®UK nationals and residents returning from 30 "red list" countries will be placed in quarantine in government-provided accommodation - such as hotels - for 10 days, Boris Johnson has told MPs.
Read More27 January 2021
ATTA joins other associations to form the Travel Industry Alliance (TIA)
ATTA®Nine UK Based associations have joined forces and officially launched the Travel Industry Alliance (TIA)
Read More27 January 2021
WTM Africa 2021 goes virtual
ATTA®Africa Travel Week (ATW) has unveiled an audacious plan for its 2021 suite of shows, which includes several value-add opportunities, in addition to WTM Africa, set to run as a 100% virtual exhibition from 07-09 April 2021.
Read More27 January 2021
Government launches R1.2bn Tourism Equity Fund
ATTA®Government on Tuesday launched the Tourism Equity Fund aimed at creating an inclusive and growing tourism sector by supporting entrepreneurship and investment on the supply side of the tourism sector.
Read More27 January 2021
Application for Membership - Cross Africa & Co
ATTA®Cross Africa & Co has applied to join ATTA®. Their membership will be approved if there are not any objections lodged within the statutory 10-day period. (See objection procedure below).
Read More26 January 2021
Germany updates restrictions for SA travellers
ATTA®Although Germany lifted the temporary ban on travellers from South Africa on January 14, South Africa is still considered a high-risk country and is designated a Level-3 risk area.
Read More26 January 2021
Newborn hippo calf in Kruger National Park takes first steps
ATTA®A newborn hippo calf was filmed taking its first steps in the Kruger National Park. The tot is so tiny in comparison to its mother.
Read More25 January 2021
What's On At The Waterhole?
ATTA®A lot has been in the news about COVID-19 passports and vaccine requirements for travel in the future. Join us at The Waterhole to cut through the rumours in the media and provide information from where you are based in the world.
Read More25 January 2021
SANParks Honorary Rangers add three new K9 members to the pack
ATTA®SANParks Honorary Rangers have beefed up the Kruger National Park K9 unit with three new members. The new hounds are ready to be deployed into the park within the upcoming weeks.
Read More25 January 2021
Kenya, Rwanda in joint bid to promote regional travel
ATTA®The Kenya Association of Travel Agents (Kata) has signed a deal with two Rwanda agencies on the development of business and leisure travel in the region.
Read More25 January 2021
Zambian diplomat says innovation could save tourism after Covid-19 devastating effects
ATTA®Pretoria - Zambian high commissioner to South Africa Jackson Miti has called for increased innovation within Zambia’s tourism sector to ensure the survival of the industry amid the debilitating effects of the Covid-19 pandemic in that country.
Read More21 January 2021
UK and Kenya working together to enable vaccines accessible to all
ATTA®Dominic Raab has been in Kenya to help highlight and strengthen key initiatives between the UK and Kenya. Two areas of particular interest include:
Read More21 January 2021
Netherlands suspend all flights from South Africa
ATTA®The Dutch government banned visitors from South Africa, Britain and all of South America on Wednesday, January 20. The ban will come into effect on Saturday, January 23.
Read More21 January 2021
Satellite images to aid elephant conservation from space
ATTA®Conservationists have started using satellite imagery to count elephants from space, a technique that British experts hope will help protect threatened populations in Africa.
Read More20 January 2021
Maasai Wilderness Conservation receives electric safari vehicle
ATTA®Sunreef Yachts, a Polish luxury catamaran manufacturer has built and donated an electric car to the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust (MWCT) in Kenya.
Read More20 January 2021
Tanzania establishes National Convention Bureau
ATTA®Tanzania has established a Nationoal Convention Biurea as plans get underway to diversify the tourism offerings by reaching out to tourists attending meetings and conferences. By providing more venues, the country can capitalize on tourists that are already in the country for business purposes to take part in other tourism activities.
Read More19 January 2021
Lufthansa adjusts SA flights
ATTA®In response to reduced demand due to the ongoing pandemic, the Lufthansa Group has announced some adjustments to its South Africa flights.
Read More18 January 2021
What's On At The Waterhole?
ATTA®Have you visited The Waterhole to see the topic of conversation? With so much uncertainty in the industry at the moment, The Waterhole is a great place to reach out to professional members on the ground in Africa or to find out what's happening internationally.
Read More18 January 2021
The Seychelles Islands more accessible to visitors worldwide
ATTA®The Seychelles Islands has reviewed its entry requirements and made itself more accessible to visitors, therefore with immediate effect, Seychelles will be welcoming vaccinated visitors from any part of the world.
Read More18 January 2021
BA extends Cape Town suspension
ATTA®British Airways has now extended the suspension of its flights between Cape Town and Heathrow until March 1. The airline sent out an industry release saying that, subject to change, the next scheduled flight to operate Cape Town to Heathrow would be on March 2.
Read More18 January 2021
Adapted KLM flight schedules announced
ATTA®KLM recently announced that they will make changes to their flight schedules between the Netherlands and South Africa due to new regulations released by the Dutch Government.
Read More15 January 2021
Algoa Bay features in BBC Perfect Planet Series
ATTA®A Perfect Planet, a five-part earth science series, presented by Sir David Attenborough made its debut on January 3. The spectacular series is a fusion of natural history and Earth science that seeks to explain how planet Earth operates.
Read More15 January 2021
Airlinks suspends Maseru as Lesotho locks down
ATTA®Airlink has announced the suspension of its daily service between Johannesburg and Maseru (4Z 052, Johannesburg-Maseru, and 4Z 053, Maseru-Johannesburg).
Read More14 January 2021
Emirates suspends South Africa flights temporarily
ATTA®Wesgro, the official tourism, trade and investment promotion agency for Cape Town and the Western Cape in South Africa, has appointed Monika Iuel (pictured) as its new chief marketing officer. Iuel brings a wealth of experience and will lead the destination marketing organisation and communications and marketing teams at Wesgro from 15 March 2021.
Read More14 January 2021
Application for Membership - Walks in Africa
ATTA®Walks in Africa has applied to join ATTA®. Their membership will be approved if there are not any objections lodged within the statutory 10-day period. (See objection procedure below).
Read More13 January 2021
ATTA®’s president Nigel Vere Nicoll welcomes updates from Kenyan Government and CAA
ATTA®ATTA®’s president Nigel Vere Nicoll has been working closely for some time with authorities in Kenya and UK to obtain clarification on Kenya’s entry and departure policy.
Read More13 January 2021
COVID-19 Vaccine Travel Survey - 74% willing to get COVID Vaccine Passport
ATTA®The Vacationer published its 2021 COVID-19 Vaccine Travel Survey , in response to rising COVID-19 infections after holiday travel and gatherings as well as the availability of the new vaccine.
Read More13 January 2021
Kruger National Park updates camp gates opening hours
ATTA®Kruger National Park has announced its camp gates will now be open from 5am to 6.30pm as of January 14.
Read More12 January 2021
Application for Membership - Travel Counsellor
ATTA®Travel Counsellor has applied to join ATTA®. Their membership will be approved if there are not any objections lodged within the statutory 10-day period. (See objection procedure below).
Read More12 January 2021
Airlink keeps South Africa connected with neighbouring countries
ATTA®Although South Africa’s land borders are closed until at least mid-February, Airlink, the independent airline, continues to serve Southern Africa’s main commercial centres with its comprehensive flight schedule and air route network.
Read More12 January 2021
South Africa’s 20 land borders to close until February 15
ATTA®President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the nation about South Africa’s plan to tackle the spread of COVID-19 during the second wave of infections on Monday, January 11.
Read More11 January 2021
Covid-19 test must be digitally verified before leaving Kenya
ATTA®As of Monday, January 11, all travellers departing Kenya must present a digitally-verified negative COVID-19 test.
Read More11 January 2021
What's On At The Waterhole?
ATTA®Working from home? Finding it difficult to keep on top of what is happening in the industry as well as on the ground? Looking to branch out into new areas and searching for contacts? Join us at The Waterhole and reach out to your fellow ATTA network of experts. Current topics include:
Read More11 January 2021
OR Tambo receives international health accreditation
ATTA®OR Tambo International Airport has received an airport health accreditation from Airports Council International (ACI).
Read More11 January 2021
ATTA's condolences to Virunga Rangers
ATTA®It is with immense sadness that Virunga National Park has confirmed the deaths of 6 Park Rangers in an attack by armed assailants on the morning of Sunday 10th January 2021. 1 other Ranger was seriously wounded in the assault. The Ranger has been evacuated to hospital in Goma and his injuries are no longer considered life-threatening.
Read More11 January 2021
Negative Covid-19 certificate required when entering England
ATTA®The Government has announced that all international arrivals are required to prove negative COVID-19 test result before departure for England. The key points of the announcement are:
Read More08 January 2021
New regional manager for EK
ATTA®Emirates has appointed Afzal Parambil regional manager for Southern Africa. Afzal, based in Johannesburg, will oversee both passenger and cargo operations.
Read More08 January 2021
Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital celebrates pangolin milestone
ATTA®The Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital announced that a former pangolin patient is undergoing a soft release into the wild.
Read More07 January 2021
Are you keeping up to date?
ATTA®In the current climate it is a mine field to keep on top of the forever changing rules and regulations surrounding travel into Africa. We have collated a number of tools to provide you with a large amount of information in one place, all saved under our Covid-19 tab on the ATTA website.
Read More07 January 2021
How the aviation industry is taking off during the pandemic
ATTA®From closed borders to changing travel behaviour, decreased passenger numbers and even heightened safety concerns - the aviation industry has, and continues to face challenges that threaten its survival.
Read More07 January 2021
SkySafari launches first-ever East Africa private plane safari to Kenya and Tanzania for May 2021
ATTA®Tour operators and travel agents are reporting a trend indicating that people are booking higher value trips for longer periods of time. The new SkySafari East Africa itinerary offers the perfect solution for a longer exceptional holiday that can be enjoyed as a couple or as a take-over for a multi-generational family looking to make up for lost time together.
Read More06 January 2021
SACAA green-lights the MAX
ATTA®The SA Civil Aviation Authority will follow the US Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) lead, and will clear the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft to return to South African skies, subject to compliance with a new airworthiness directive for South African aircraft.
Read More06 January 2021
Qantas opens bookings for direct JHB-SYD route
ATTA®Bookings on Qantas for direct Johannesburg-Sydney flights are open, with departures starting from July 1. This comes after the airline announced plans to resume international travel on the same date.
Read More05 January 2021
The new SAA – 9 aircraft, 27 routes
ATTA®In the 2019-2020 year, every airline globally suffered devastating impact from COVID-19. The damage to SAA was even more severe than that suffered by others.
Read More05 January 2021
New Years Honours List includes one of Namibia’s Tourism Stalwarts, David Cartwright, Director of ATI Holidays
ATTA®David J Cartwright, formerly of Fartown, Huddersfield and owner of Namibian based travel company, ATI Holidays has received the British Empire Medal in this year’s honours list.
Read More04 January 2021
Ports of entry ready for travellers returning to SA
ATTA®Government has outlined plans for operations at the ports of entry until 14 January that have been approved by the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NatJoints).
Read More04 January 2021
ATTA Board appoints Kate Kenward
ATTA®ATTA® is pleased to announce the appointment of Kate Kenward as a director on their Management Board.
Read More