Kenya’s tourism minister Najib Balala announced recently that five international Kenya hotels will be built in a year. This will be a major boost in the country’s tourism industry.

About five five-star hotels across the country are expected to be constructed in the next one year with prominent international business magnates set to start construction of world class hotels. “The future of our tourism industry is very bright. We have about five five-star hotels coming up in the next one or two years,” said Balala.

British business magnate and owner of the Virgin Group of companies Sir Richard Branson is set to put up a world class lodge at the Maasai Mara, while Belgium’s Radisson Blu Hotels & Resorts owned by the Rezidor Hotel Group and the Best Western International are set to build hotels in Nairobi, Balala said.

The minister said three more projects are set to be initiated in Kilifi including a golf course capable of hosting international tournaments. Kenya safaris offer activities like wildlife safaris, bird watching safaris, beach vacations, mountaineering tours, city tours, wildebeest migration safaris, camping safaris, etc.

By Jean Ankunda,

Africa Safari & Travel News

The Arusha Airport at Kisongo will soon be allowed to receive aircrafts from neighboring countries. The airport has been previously handling only domestic flights and charter planes.

“Should the mini-airport be allowed to handle foreign flights, the tourism flow in the Northern Zone Circuit can be increased by over 90 percent.” Mr. Lazaro Nyalandu, the deputy Minister for Trade, Industry and Marketing said recently.

Arusha is the Tanzania safari Capital attracting over 80 percent of the annual average of 800,000 tourists who visit Tanzania.

The City is gateway to, among other attractions, the Ngorongoro Crater, Mount Kilimanjaro, Serengeti National Park, Tarangire and Lake Manyara game parks. A number of tourists prefer to fly from the town to the parks on smaller planes.

Arusha Airport has been catering to mainly local flights and charter aircrafts destined to Tanzania national parks with the other larger air terminal, the Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA) being left to handle foreign and much larger craft. KIA caters to an average of 300,000 passengers per year.

By Jean Ankunda,

Africa Safari & Travel News

The Mozambican capital of Maputo receives more than 300,000 tourists each year, bringing in revenue of about 95 million US dollars, according to the Minister of Tourism, Fernando Sumbana. He revealed this during the launch of the Maputo Tourism Observatory on Wednesday.

Sumbana, citing a study on the tourism value chain in the city of Maputo carried out by the Dutch non-governmental organisation SNV, said he believed that these figures could grow as a result of better services.

According to the same data, the city of Maputo has a quarter of the country’s guest accommodation, with 9,500 beds.

The Minister stated that these indicators were a result of thorough and rigorous work. He said that they need to be extrapolated to other parts of the country to gain the real picture of the tourist industry’s role in the national economy.

A Maputo city tour on your Mozambique safari takes you to plenty of attractions, ranging from historical buildings to scenic spots. Mozambique boasts of many stunning game parks, lakes, mountains, historical towns and unspoiled sandy beaches which are amongst the best in the world.

By Jean

Africa Safari & Travel News

Located in the heart of the CBD near Freedom Square, just 20 minutes away from Hosea Kutako International airport, the Hilton Hotel in Windhoek was officially opened last week by the President of Namibia, Hifikepunye Pohamba.

The Hilton Windhoek is Namibia’s first 5-star hotel offering a capacity of 150 rooms offering guests a choice of luxurious accommodation including a presidential suite, four diplomatic suites, four king executive guest rooms, eight king deluxe rooms, 22 executive rooms, 12 double rooms and 99 king rooms.

“As the global leader in hospitality, it is exciting to mark our entry into a new country with an exceptional hotel. Travelers place great trust in Hilton because our brand’s legacy is one of being the first major hotel brand into emerging markets and Hilton Windhoek continues this tradition,” said Dave Horton, global head, Hilton Hotels & Resorts.

Namibia is a growing African safari destination with tourist arrivals increasing every year; Namibia safaris offer travelers opportunities to explore the best of Africa with its many conservation parks, wildlife reserves and the untouched Namib Desert.

Hilton Worldwide currently has 31 hotels across the continent of Africa with another nine in the development pipeline. This year, Hilton Worldwide has opened 6 hotels and signed 10 management agreements across the Middle East and Africa.

By Jean Ankunda

Africa Safari & Travel News