Africa Safari Blog

Two men who are suspected of running a baby mountain gorilla trafficking ring have been arrested in Goma, the capital of Democratic Republic of Congo’s Kivu Nord province, conservation activists said.

The two have been charged with illegal trafficking of an endangered species, according to the Congolese ICCN conservation group.

Authorities believe the criminal outfit captures baby gorillas in the iconic Virunga National Park, which straddles DR Congo, Rwanda and Uganda, and then smuggles the rare mammals into Rwanda to be sold.

“The arrests were the result of a coordinated effort by Rwanda and DR Congo law enforcement authorities,” Virunga National Park director Emmanuel de Merode said.

“While we are pleased to have brought this group of traffickers to justice, we remain very worried by what appears to be a significant and growing demand for baby mountain gorillas” he added.

A sizable population of the world’s remaining mountain gorilla inhabits the Virunga massif, which includes three adjacent national parks in Rwanda (Volcanoes National Park), the Democratic Republic of Congo (Virunga National Park) and Uganda (Mgahinga Gorilla National Park). The other population inhabits Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

Mountain gorillas, who have fallen prey to conflict and poaching over the years, were famously brought to the world’s attention by the late Dian Fossey and are one of the region’s main tourist attractions.

By Jean

Africa Safari & Travel News

In September, Zimbabwe will join other countries in the world in commemorating the World Tourism Day. This will be done at a time when the country’s tourism and hospitality industry is waking up from a slumber induced by economic sanctions imposed by the West.

The World Tourism Day is commemorated worldwide annually on September 27 as the General Assembly of the World Tourism Organisation seeks to foster awareness among the international community of the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, political and economic values.

Zimbabwe is beautiful and attractive and in its own right with tourism tapestries, it has the tourist attractions of world standards and it is by far one of the safest tourist destinations in the world.

The industry, led by the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority, National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority and National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe, has managed to maintain the country’s tourist attractions intact.

ZTA chief executive Mr Karikoga Kaseke has managed to convince the industry to turn the entire month of September into the tourism month, through various activities that put the country in the limelight.

This year’s tourism day has been defined as an international call to all those involved in tourism to act in a way that is conscious and respectful of culture, which promotes intercultural dialogue and ensures that local communities fully participate in, and benefit from, the development opportunities of tourism.

Tourism is one of the largest and dynamic developing sectors of external economic activities. Cultural tourism is one of the largest and fastest growing global tourism markets. Go for Zimbabwe safaris and explore the various tourist attractions the country offers.

By Jean

Africa Safari & Travel News

Zambia Tourism Board (ZTB) has rebranded its slogan from “Zambia -The Real Africa’ to ‘Zambia- Let’s Explore’.

The new slogan is meant to attract tourists and create an environment that ensures an equitable balance between the development needs of the country and an investment atmosphere for wealth creation.

‘Zambia Let’s Explore’ gives a new direction on how tourism should be promoted and marketed in order for the sector to earn revenue. Most importantly, the re-branding will enhance the promotion of domestic tourism.

Tourism product range will go beyond being wildlife based to include sport, cultural, adventure and eco-tourism plus meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions.

The new brand ‘Zambia Let’s Explore’ will therefore facilitate the up scaling of the tourism sector towards higher values of the culture heritage and upgrade the capacity in the provision of related sectors and also help increase tourism direct earnings from US$200 million in 2009 to $449 million by 2015.

It is expected that with the infrastructure development taking place in the Greater Livingstone area, Kafue National Park and Northern circuit once concluded would further enhance economic growth.

According to ZTB director of marketing Evans Muhanga, the tourism sector has the potential to earn $1.4 billion per annum. ZTB’s target is to increase tourist arrivals from 850 to 1.5 million visitors in the next three-five by exposing tourists to a number of tourist destinations.

The introduction of the new national airline Fly Zambia would help promote tourism.

By Jean

Africa Safari & Travel News

The Kenya Tourist Board (KTB) has called on investors to build hotels in Kisumu city and its environs in order to tap the huge potential.

KTB Managing Director Muriithi Ndegwa said: “Kisumu has got very huge potential which has not been tapped. We want more investors to build hotels in the town.” He said this after inspecting newly established hotels in the region, these include Le Vic, The Clarice, Jumuia Resort, Le Savannah and Royal City.

He welcomed the establishment of The Clarice which is a boutique hotel and asked investors to put up more in the town saying they are popular with tourists.

Ndegwa added, “Kisumu is gifted with various features that make it an ideal safari destination for both local and foreign tourists but our worry is lack of accommodation. The Kisumu International Airport expansion has been completed and we want its potential positively exploited.”

KTB is also carrying out massive marketing for other tourist destinations. Visit Kisumu on your Kenya safari and see various attractions like the famous Kisumu museum which houses live animals for display, the Impala sanctuary and many others.

By Jean

Africa Safari & Travel News