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.
27 October 2021
Cape Town Partners in Tourism Make Bold Recovery Moves in Ukraine
ATTA®While South Africa adjusted its Coronavirus risk strategy to Level One, three bold Cape Town partners took matters into their own hands to start forcing a tourism recovery to support their businesses and the wider Cape Town and South African tourism sector.
Read More27 October 2021
Cape Town to launch international campaign to attract more foreign visitors
ATTA®The City of Cape Town says it will be launching an international campaign in the coming months to showcase the Mother City’s splendour and attract more foreign visitors.
Read More27 October 2021
East Africa: Regional Lawmakers Root for Affordable Tourism Packages
ATTA®Members of the East African Legislative Assembly's Committee on Agriculture, Tourism, and Natural Resources on Tuesday, October 26, agreed that it makes sense to have affordable promotional tourism packages so as to revive the industry after the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Read More26 October 2021
Vaccination certificate stance could lose UK operators African market share.
ATTA®Travel Weekly, Comment, Published in the UK, 26 October 2021 Further delay to recognise vaccination certificates from some African countries could be last straw for some specialists, says ATTA president Nigel Vere Nicoll
Read More26 October 2021
UNWTO and AFRAA to cooperate to restart of African tourism and travel
ATTA®UNWTO has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the African Airlines Association (AFRAA) to work more closely together and strengthen the relationship between the aviation and tourism sectors.
Read More26 October 2021
Madagascar Reopens To US Tourists, Ending a Year-Long Ban
ATTA®One of the world’s most unique destinations, Madagascar has just begun welcoming back U.S. tourists as of October 23. An exotic island nation situated off the coast of East Africa, Madagascar had banned travelers coming from the U.S. in October 2020, along with a handful of other countries.
Read More26 October 2021
South African Tourism unveils Tourism Recovery Strategy for India
ATTA®Inspired by border openings and increased confidence in travel, South African Tourism held their maiden virtual roadshow in India to capitalise on the strong consumer and corporate traveller demand in the country.
Read More25 October 2021
Application for Membership - Stars of Africa - Solo Professional - South Africa
ATTA®Stars of 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 More25 October 2021
Qantas returns to SA in January
ATTA®Qantas will reconnect Johannesburg and Sydney with three flights a week from January 5, three months earlier than scheduled.
Read More22 October 2021
One of world’s last two northern white rhinos dropped from race to save the species
ATTA®One of the world’s last two northern white rhinos, a mother and her daughter, is being retired from a breeding program aimed at saving the species from extinction, scientists said on Thursday.
Read More22 October 2021
British Airways and Kenya Airways agree codeshare deal
ATTA®British Airways has agreed a codeshare deal with Kenya Airways, making it easier for its passengers to fly to 20 destinations across east and central Africa.
Read More22 October 2021
SAA will not resume flights to London
ATTA®National carrier South African Airways (SAA) has elected not to resume normal operations to the UK. According to The South African, the removal of South Africa from the United Kingdom’s red list has resulted in a spike in the demand for flights between the two countries.
Read More21 October 2021
Digital gateways the new normal for SA travellers
ATTA®The recent move to Level 1 lockdown and the announcement around South Africa's (SA) removal from the United Kingdom's 'red list' is very likely to have spurred a surge in online travel bookings.
Read More21 October 2021
Ethiopian, ATB Agree to work together
ATTA®The Ethiopian Airlines and African Tourism Board (ATB) have agreed to work together. Head of Ethiopian Airlines ET Holidays, Mahlet Kebede and Chairman of the African Tourism Board Cuthbert Ncube have discussed on various ways of working together for a new chapter of cooperation and success.
Read More20 October 2021
FlySafair wants longer weekends to promote travel – and aims to move public holidays
ATTA®South Africa’s low-cost airline, FlySafair, wants the Public Holidays Act to change by moving midweek off-days to Monday or Friday. Long weekends promote travel and this change, the airline says, will aid in the tourism sector’s recovery efforts.
Read More20 October 2021
Princess Vlei in Cape Town declared a provincial heritage site
ATTA®A new provincial Heritage Site plaque was unveiled at the Princess Vlei Eco Park on Tuesday, cementing the wetland as part of the area’s provincial heritage.
Read More19 October 2021
Air Mauritius will increase Joburg flights in November – after ‘significant interest'
ATTA®Air Mauritius will increase its flight frequency to Johannesburg amid a surge of interest from South African travellers following the island nation’s long-awaited reopening.
Read More19 October 2021
BA – CPT flights to start in November
ATTA®British Airways is to start its Cape Town-London service on November 2. The flight from London will initially operate three times a week (days as yet unspecified) and then, on November 12, become daily, leaving Heathrow at 18h15, arriving in Cape Town at 08h00 the following morning.
Read More19 October 2021
Covid causes elephant baby boom, 200 new babies by 2020
ATTA®Covid-19 has had a positive effect on elephant conservation in Kenya. Results of the wildlife census conducted by the Kenya Wildlife Research and Training Institute (KWRI) show that the pachyderm population has now reached 36,280 individuals, with up to 200 babies born in 2020.
Read More18 October 2021
ATTA Collaboration with African Nature-Based Tourism Collaborative Platform
ATTA®ATTA is working with the WWF in New York to support this programme. This relates to African based members only and details were sent out to them last week. Read more about the project here:
Read More18 October 2021
DR Congo to set up new national airline “Air Congo”
ATTA®The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is preparing to set up “in the coming days” a new national aviation company called “Air Congo”, DRC’s Ministry of Transport said Sunday.
Read More18 October 2021
Application for Membership - EEC Software - Professional Partners - United Kingdom
ATTA®EEC Software 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 More16 October 2021
Calls for a ‘New deal for people and Wildlife’ in open letter to minister
ATTA®Blood Lions, along with other animal rights partner organisations, have sent out an open letter, along with a petition signed by more than 75 000 people, urging Minister of Environmental Affairs, Barbara Creecy, to plan for a ‘New Deal for People and WIldlife.’ The full press release is below.
Read More15 October 2021
Wanderlust Travel Awards - Accepting Nominations until 22 October 2021
ATTA®We've just heard that there are no nominations as yet, for the Specialist Guide category for this years Wanderlust World Guide Awards from the Africa region. Nominations for guides, individuals, companies and tourism offices are open until 22 October, 2021.
Read More14 October 2021
Virgin brings CT flights forward to December
ATTA®Virgin Atlantic announced earlier today (October 14) that it was expanding its portfolio of flights from South Africa, following the country’s removal from the red list.
Read More14 October 2021
Tanzania’s national airline introduces 4 regional destinations
ATTA®Tanzania’s national airline, Air Tanzania Company Limited (ATCL), announced on Wednesday four new regional routes effective from November.
Read More14 October 2021
Application for Membership - Lilayi Lodge - Accommodation Suppliers - Zambia
ATTA®Lilayi Lodge 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 October 2021
Maputo Special Reserve welcomes cheetahs after 60-year absence
ATTA®Cheetahs are set to return to the plains of Maputo Special Reserve in Southern Mozambique for the first time in 60 years. Four of the endangered big cats, sourced from game reserves in South Africa, have been transported to holding bomas within the reserve.
Read More13 October 2021
South Africa launches tourism initiative to rebrand the country and welcome visitors from abroad
ATTA®South Africa has launched a global advocacy program in hopes of attracting tourists from the country’s target markets and increasing visitors by the holiday season.
Read More13 October 2021
Zanzibar President calls for coordinated approach by EAC Partner States to boost tourism recovery in the region
ATTA®The President of Zanzibar and Chairman of the Revolutionary Council, H.E. Dr. Hussein Mwinyi, has called upon EAC Partner States to develop a coordinated approach that will be instrumental in overcoming the challenges facing the tourism sector occasioned by the outbreak of COVID-19.
Read More12 October 2021
Business travel key to boosting local tourism sector
ATTA®In pre-Covid South Africa, the tourism sector contributed just over R130bn to Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which accounted for almost 3% of the country's total GDP.
Read More12 October 2021
SAA relaunches MRU flights
ATTA®SAA announced today in a travel trade advisory that it was relaunching services to Mauritius.
Read More11 October 2021
Application for Membership - Mopane Bush Lodge - Accommodation Suppliers - South Africa
ATTA®Mopane Bush Lodge 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 More11 October 2021
Kenya raises 149,000 USD for conservation of elephants
ATTA®Kenya on Saturday announced that it has raised 16.5 million shillings (149,000 U.S. dollars) toward the conservation of elephants against the target of 900,000 dollars within the current financial year that ends in June 2022.
Read More11 October 2021
Plans to open new gate at Kruger National Park
ATTA®The Limpopo Department of Economic Development and Tourism has announced plans to open a new gate and a tourist activity hub in the Kruger National Park.
Read More08 October 2021
Industry jubilation - SA exits UK red list
ATTA®The champagne corks are popping as the travel and tourism industry celebrates the news that South Africa, and several other East African and Southern African countries will be taken off the UK’s red list, effective Monday, October 11.
Read More08 October 2021
Ethiopian inks partnership with AccessRail to provide Intermodal transportation
ATTA®Ethiopian Airlines has signed Codeshare and Interline Agreement with AccessRail to widen connectivity options for its passengers destined to Western Europe, United Kingdom, Scandinavian, Japan and Canada.
Read More08 October 2021
Tanzanian Abdulrazak Gurnah awarded Nobel literature prize
ATTA®Tanzanian writer Abdulrazak Gurnah, whose experience of crossing continents and cultures has fed his novels about the impact of migration on individuals and societies, won the Nobel Prize for Literature on Thursday.
Read More07 October 2021
Clients need specific insurance for Mauritius
ATTA®Agents who have clients travelling to Mauritius should be aware that it is mandatory for those clients to have proof of travel insurance that specifically covers COVID-19 as well as the normal medical cover.
Read More07 October 2021
Malawi opens its borders to all international travellers
ATTA®The Malawi Ministry of Health confirmed that the country has reopened their borders to all international travellers, with remaining travel restrictions and quarantine requirements lifted.
Read More06 October 2021
RwandAir and Qatar Airways seal milestone codeshare agreement
ATTA®RwandAir and Qatar Airways have signed a comprehensive codeshare agreement to offer travellers more choice, enhanced service, and greater connectivity to more than 65 destinations across Africa and the rest of the world.
Read More06 October 2021
Application for Membership – SKYIN - North American Based Travel Specialist - United States
ATTA®SKYIN 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 More05 October 2021
Application for Membership - African Sensations - African Based Travel Specialist - South Africa
ATTA®African Sensations 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 More05 October 2021
Etihad returns to South Africa – after being gone for a year
ATTA®Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways will return to South Africa in late-November, a year after it closed its Johannesburg offices and announced the suspension of flights between the two countries.
Read More04 October 2021
Rwanda’s COVID-19 fight boosted by arrival of 857,000 vaccine doses
ATTA®Rwanda’s fight against COVID-19 has received a boost after the country received 857,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine.
Read More04 October 2021
Condor airlines resumes its flight to Seychelles
ATTA®Condor Airline’s Boeing 767/300 aircraft touched down at Seychelles International Airport at 06.20 on the morning of Saturday, 2 October, 2021, where its return to the paradise islands was greeted by a water canon salute.
Read More01 October 2021
SAA changes int’l schedule
ATTA®SAA has already made sweeping changes to its brand-new international schedule. The changes are a mix of delaying one route’s restart for some months, putting one route on hold until November and thinning out the frequency on another.
Read More01 October 2021
SA rangers join continent-wide Wildlife Ranger Challenge marathon
ATTA®Game rangers from across South Africa linked hands with hundreds of their colleagues from across the continent and members of the public in a symbolic 21km ‘race across Africa’ on 18 September as they joined Africa’s Wildlife Ranger Challenge.
Read More01 October 2021
IATA Proposes Three Interventions To Rebuild South Africa’s Tourism Industry & Create Jobs
ATTA®The International Air Transport Association (IATA) called on the South African government to step up its support for the air transport industry amid the COVID-19 crisis to facilitate the recovery of industries supported by aviation such as travel and tourism and unlock the job opportunities and other economic benefits they provide.
Read More