AFRICA: Radisson Blu Is The Leading Individual Hotel Brand In Africa

Radisson Blu has for a second year in a row, secured the leading position as the hotel brand with the most hotels under development and the most hotel deals in its pipeline in Africa, according to the recently published 2019 W Hospitality Pipeline Report.

Radisson Blu, part of the Radisson Hotel Group™ took over as the fastest growing hotel brand in Africa last year and has for a second year claimed the title with the recent release of W Hospitality Pipeline Report 2019, the most authoritative source on the growth of the hotel industry in Africa.

The report has ranked Radisson Blu as the leading individual hotel brand with the highest number of hotel deals and within this pipeline, the largest number of rooms and proportion of its pipeline actually under construction, in Africa.

The Group's upper midscale brand, Park Inn by Radisson, has also entered the same top 10 brand list, securing the fifth position.

We are thrilled to see our flagship brand, Radisson Blu, continuing to lead the way in Africa with the most hotel deals signed and the most hotel rooms under construction, than any of the other 120 hotel brands it was ranked against.

This is a true testament of our agility as a hotel group, as we can move quickly from deal signing to hotel opening. As referenced in the report, we had several hotels which were signed and opened within the same year.

This is aligned with our development strategy, as we expect our future growth to arise from existing hotel take-overs and new build hotels.

With economic headwinds in some African markets, we have identified further opportunities to exploit our vast knowledge and experience in converting unbranded, underperforming hotels, offices or apartment buildings and re-position them to the right brand and market segment within the Radisson Hotel Group brand portfolio, says Andrew Mclachlan, Senior Vice President, Development, Sub-Saharan Africa, Radisson Hotel Group.

This growth has spiked Radisson Hotel Group's portfolio in Africa to 99 hotels (20,500+ rooms) in operation and under development across 32 countries.

We aim to add a further 12 hotels to our African portfolio this year, which will take us well over the 100 hotel mark by year end and confidently on our way to securing 130 hotels by the end of 2022.

Our five-year development strategy focuses on creating scaled hotel growth in key cities and resort locations across Africa.

With a focus on scaled growth in key locations across Africa, we can offer guests multiple hotels across different brands and market segments, at various price points and improved local hotel performance with strong local procurement and cluster select services in the same city.

Cape Town, Johannesburg and Lagos are our three gateway cities in sub-Saharan Africa where we aim to have scaled growth and an ambition of up to ten hotels within the same city.

Dakar, Abidjan, Douala, Luanda, Nairobi, Dar es Salaam and Addis Ababa are cities where we aim to have between three and five hotels due to the size of the economy, market, long-term fundamentals and supply and demand opportunities.

In addition, we are not ignoring the smaller cities and larger towns across Africa where we've identified potential to penetrate the market with either our midscale Park Inn by Radisson brand or upscale Radisson, concludes Mclachlan.

ETHIOPIA: Ethiopian Added New Gateway And Increased Frequencies To The US

Ethiopia’s flag carrier Ethiopian might have thrown a killer punch to competitors Kenya Airways and Rwandair by shuffling its services to the United States.

The carrier has added a new gateway to the US, upped frequencies and made changes to other gateways starting with the 2019 summer season.

The airlines says it is optimising its US network to give its clients better connectivity between the US Africa through shorter routes.

Addis has not secured US FAA Category One Certification and as such all flights inbound to the US go through an intermediate airport that is certified.

As a result of the changes, three new flights will be added to the existing daily service to Washington to bring the weekly number of departures to ten.

But unlike the existing services which route through Rome, the additional three flights will go through Abidjan. The Addis Ababa-Abidjan-Washington flights will depart Addis in the morning and arrive in DC in the evening.

The service to Chicago will grow from the current three weekly flights to five; while four of the planned new daily service to New York will go via Lomé to Newark and three via Abidjan to John F. Kennedy.

Ethiopian is also closing the service Los Angeles and replacing with a new service to Houston, Texas that will also operate three times a week via West Africa.

It is believed Ethiopian is trying to tap into the significant African community in Houston as well as the oil gas companies that are likely to be attracted to the only air service between Texas and Africa.

The U.S. is among our most important markets owing to the presence of a large African community and growing business and tourism ties with Africa says Ethiopian CEO Tewolde Gebremariam.

Our new route structure with additional frequencies to multiple gateways and the opening of new route to Houston are aimed at responding to the market demand and availing best possible connectivity to over 60 African destinations, said Ethiopian CEO Tewolde Gebremariam.

The restructuring of the US service is also likely to complicate business for Kenya Airways which has a direct tri-weekly service to JFK and Rwandair which also plans to mount flights to New York this year.

With the widest route network in Africa and multiple entry points in the US, Ethiopian is diluting the hub effect of its African competitors.

Ethiopian is now the largest operator out of Africa with more than 119 destinations. Asmara, Manchester, Moscow and Mogadishu are some of its recent additions.


Tourism Observer

ETHIOPIA: Ethiopian Airlines Initiates New Routes

Ethiopian Airlines commenced operations between Abidjan (ABJ) and New York Newark (EWR) on 12 May, a service that originates in Addis Ababa.

The carrier will operate the 7,963-kilometre route three times weekly, with the Star Alliance member utilising its fleet of 787-8s on the Africa-North America city pair.

No other carrier presently links the two countries non-stop. By adding this service to its schedule, it means that Ethiopian Airlines offers a daily departure from Addis Ababa to Newark.

This, with it also offering a four times weekly operation to the New Jersey airport via Lome, the capital of Togo.

Ethiopian Airlines added three African destinations to its network this week, with the carrier now serving Kisangani (FKI) and Mbuji-Mayi (MJM) in the Democratic Republic of Congo, plus Nosy-Be (NOS) in Madagascar.

All launched on 27 March from Addis Ababa (ADD), the Star Alliance member will operate flights to the former two destinations on a triangular routing of Addis Ababa–Kisangani–Mbuji-Mayi–Addis Ababa.

This route will be flown three times weekly facing no direct competition.

Services to Nosy-Be will also be flown three times weekly, also facing no direct rivalry, with this service operating via the carrier’s existing link to Moroni in Comoros.

A destination that joined Ethiopian Airlines’ network in November 2016. All three destinations will be served by the carrier’s fleet of 737-800s.

Ethiopian Airlines has restored service to Bahrain (BAH) , ending a six-year hiatus of flights from Addis Ababa (ADD).

The relaunched route will be flown by the Star Alliance member three times weekly on its fleet of 737-800s, with the outbound rotation operating via Dammam in Saudi Arabia.

Commenting on the launch, Bahrain Airport Company CCO, Ayman Zainal, said: “Ethiopian Airlines has been operating in the region for decades.

Its level of efficiency and operational experience are among the best in the African continent. We are very happy to have these routes added to our scheduled flights which provide added convenience and options for travelers, including the large Ethiopian community in Bahrain.

Competition on the 2,292-kilometre sector comes in the form of Gulf Air, with it also serving the city pair three times weekly on its A320s.

Ethiopian Airlines has now added the Nigerian city of Kaduna (KAD) to its network, with it becoming the Star Alliance member’s fifth destination in the country.

The carrier commenced a three times weekly service from Addis Ababa (ADD), a connection it will operate on its fleet of 737-800s. No other airline currently operates the 3,449-kilometre sector.

With this launch, Ethiopian Airlines now operates 21 weekly flights direct to Nigeria from Addis Ababa, with Lagos and Abuja being served daily, Enugu three times weekly and Kano weekly when referring to OAG schedules.

The latter is also served twice-weekly via N’Djamena in Chad. However, the airline does not have local traffic rights between N’Djamena and Kano. At present, Ethiopian Airlines is the only airline operating between Nigeria and Ethiopia.

Ethiopian Airlines commenced operations to Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) on 8 March, with the Star Alliance member starting a five times weekly service from Addis Ababa (ADD), with the 11,246-kilometre city pair operating via the carrier’s existing Sao Paulo Guarulhos service.

Commenting on the launch, Group CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, Tewolde Gebremariam, said of the new service: We are glad to add Buenos Aires, the sixth gateway to the Americas for the airline, to our extensive global network.

Our new flight to Buenos Aires will provide efficient connections to our network in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, including Beijing, Shanghai, Seoul, Tokyo, Mumbai, Delhi, Dubai, Beirut, Nairobi, and Cairo.

We are all the more happy that the flight launched on 8 March – International Women’s Day.

To mark this important occasion, and as part of our commitment of mainstreaming gender into our core business, we have made the inaugural rotation an all-women-operated flight.

As mentioned by Gebremariam, this is now Ethiopian Airlines’ sixth destination in the Americas, with it also operating to Sao Paulo in the South, as well as Washington Dulles, New York Newark, Los Angeles and Toronto Pearson in the North.

The route to Buenos Aires, which will be flown using 787-8s, will not face direct competition.

Ethiopian Airlines returned to Singapore (SIN) having last served the city in October 2014. The carrier is now offering non-stop flights to Singapore from Addis Ababa (ADD) five times weekly on its fleet of 787-8s.

The 7,257-kilometre route was previously served via Bangkok Suvarnabhumi on 767-300s.

The link between the African and Asian cities will not face direct competition, with the route continuing on to Kuala Lumpur from Singapore, with the Malaysian capital until 7 May having been served via Suvarnabhumi.

A second route was also launched by the Star Alliance member this week.

Ethiopian began flights between Johannesburg (JNB) and Lome (LFW). The 4,619-kilometre sector will be flown four times weekly on 737-800s facing no direct competition.


Tourism Observer

DR CONGO: Congo Airways To Start New Routes

This year will be a watershed year for Congo Airways’ expansion plans, says Desire Balazire, Director General of the airline.

The carrier launches services from Kinshasa to Johannesburg today (February 28), marking its international debut, after initially planning to launch these flights later this year on November 1.

The three weekly flights are operated by an Airbus A320-200, with 10 seats in business class and 150 in economy.

Congo Airways next plans to launch flights to Dubai, its first destination outside Africa.

These flights will be operated by a leased Airbus A330.

Later in the year, two more Airbus A320s will be added to its fleet, which presently comprises two Airbus A320s and two Bombardier Q400s, to support regional expansion.

Other destinations that Congo Airways is eyeing include Abidjan (Ivory Coast), Cotonou (Benin), Douala (Cameroon), Addis Ababa and Nairobi.



Tourism Observer

IVORY COAST: Becoming A Major Tourist Destination

Comoe National Park
The Republic of Côte d’Ivoire is back as a destination on the world stage as the Ivorian government makes resources available to develop infrastructure and support international marketing efforts.

IFTM Top Resa is considered a priority market for the National Office of Tourism of Côte d’Ivoire. We have a long-standing historical relationship with France and it is a natural move to be present at IFTM Top Resa every year, especially as French inbound is our top market next to the whole of Africa, explains Roger Kacou, Minister of Tourism.

We use the opportunity of our presence at the show to organise many meetings with French tourism professionals, such as a meeting to talk about marketing promotion and cooperation with the President of SNAV, Jean-Pierre Mas, he adds.

Côte d’Ivoire remains a relatively small destination when looking at numbers: 1.2 million foreign travellers in 2O15, which includes business, leisure and VFR travellers – but this is a steady market, growing year after year. Tourism is turning into an important economic activity in our country.

Just imagine; it had a share of only 0.6% of our GDP in 2011. In 2014, it stood already at 4.8% and we are now at over 5%”, says Kacou. We believe that tourism might, in the future, have a similar share of GDP to cocoa, our largest industry, with a GDP share of 12%.

The Côte d’Ivoire government leverages two main fields for the promotion of tourism. First, the country has, since 2011, identified the regions able to support the development of the destination. “They are basically ten areas ready to welcome international travellers.

Abidjan and its metropolitan area is one, with Grand Bassam, a colonial city, which is now listed as a UNESCO World Heritage and is a precious cultural tourism asset. We then have our 550 km long coast, which is ideal for the development of seaside tourism. It starts from Jacqueville, in the proximity of Abidjan and stretches up to Sassandra and San Pédro, two important seaside resort cities”, adds the Minister.

San Pédro is already the country’s second most important port and now has an international airport. Our coast is made of lagoons and bays, offering safe conditions for travellers, explains the Minister.

In the north, the government has identified Kong and Korhogo as key cultural destinations. Kong has a number of centuriesold mosques while Korhogo is a destination for the discovery of the Senoufos ethnic people, who, says the Minister, are famed for its dances as well as their handicrafts. We have indeed over 60 different ethnics living in the country and we now work to see how to promote this diversity.

The Republic has also some beautiful national parks. Taï National Park, in the south, is probably the best known in the country. It is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site and has some of the last families of intelligent Chimpanzees.

The clever animals are even able to crack nuts with a nutcracker! Another important natural asset, and also a UNESCO World Heritage site, is Comoe National Park with its rare endemic animals.

We might not be Kenya, but we have some of Africa’s most pristine reserves and national parks with over two million hectares of savannahs and rainforests, smiles Kacou.

The Minister says that to accompany the development of tourism, the country’s infrastructure has been greatly improved since 2011: We now have a motorway linking Abidjan to Yamassoukro and are currently building one between Abidjan and San Pédro. We also opened six regional airports within the country, all linked to Abidjan by our national airline, Air Côte d’Ivoire.

The Ivorian people are an asset unto themselves. We have a great sense of hospitality and also a good sense of humour. I promise that we know how to make our guests at ease and give them the best of our country. Everyone is truly welcomed in our country. I believe this is our most precious asset, concludes Kacou.



Tourism Observer

RWANDA: More Destinations For RwandAir

RwandAir has now launched its seventh West Africa destination, Abidjan, as part of the airline’s continued rollout of new countries important to its strategy to connect Africa via Kigali.

This follows the start of commercial flights on Rwanda Air a month ago to Cotonou and both new destinations are expected to begin feeding traffic into the WB network via Kigali to Eastern and Southern Africa, Dubai and soon to India’s commercial capital of Mumbai.

The recently acquired first Airbus A330-200 by Rwanda Air is meanwhile making yet more maiden appearances across RwandAir’s network with the most recent deployment taking the new bird to Cotonou, Libreville and Douala, where travel agents, corporate clients, invited guests from government, diplomatic corps and the business community were able to tour the aircraft while it was on the ground in the respective cities.

Named ‘Ubumwe‘, a Kinyarwanda word for Unity, will the aircraft now commence commercial flights four times a week to Dubai first before the arrival of a second Airbus A330-300 in November will then pave the way to launch operations to Mumbai.

The airline is banking on the aircraft’s superior inflight comfort and three class cabin configuration which offers Business Class, a dedicated cabin for 21 Premium Economy Seats and an Economy Class with 18 inch seats, the widest presently on offer by commercial airlines.

RwandAir will put several schedule changes into place, aimed to make travel to and from Southern African countries faster and easier, and offering seamless connections into their trans-Africa network and to their new intercontinental destinations.

Johannesburg will revert to nonstop flights, with several traffic days earmarked for a second daily service between Kigali and South Africa’s commercial hub. This change will also facilitate onward travel to Cape Town or Durban – and vice versa – which the current schedule makes difficult at best.

Come January next year, RwandAir will put several schedule changes into place, aimed to make travel to and from Southern African countries faster and easier, and offering seamless connections into their trans-Africa network and to their new intercontinental destinations.

Johannesburg will revert to nonstop flights, with several traffic days earmarked for a second daily service between Kigali and South Africa’s commercial hub. This change will also facilitate onward travel to Cape Town or Durban – and vice versa – which the current schedule makes difficult at best.

New destination Harare, Zimbabwe will, when launched in mid January, be combined with Lusaka, Zambia in a standalone triangular service routing KGL – LUN – HRE – KGL. Flights will in fact be raised from the present three times a week to LUN to five flights a week at that stage January.

The introduction of long haul services to Mumbai and later in 2017 to London will see RwandAir tap into the market of connecting passengers with yet greater determination, to make sure that they can fill their new Airbus A330’s but also carry more traffic into their Eastern and West African networks.

All flights to South Africa will be operated on Boeing 737 aircraft and, while no confirmation has been received as yet, there is speculation that the flights from Kigali to HRE and LUN will see the Bombardier CRJ900 deployed on that route.

The lack of slots for flights from Kigali to London Heathrow is seen as the key reason why RwandAir is now eying Gatwick, the UK capital’s second busiest airport.

The airline’s CEO Mr. John Mirenge, while speaking in Abidjan / Ivory Coast after the official inaugural flight to RwandAir’s latest African destination, gave the clearest indication yet that by 2018 Europe will be on the map for Rwanda’s national carrier.

During the runup of the delivery ceremony of the airline’s first Airbus A330 in Toulouse a few weeks ago did Mr. Mirenge also mention that London may be combined with another European waypoint but would not commit if that could be Frankfurt or another European gateway. At present does RwandAir only operate in codeshare with Brussels Airlines to the European capital.

Following the delivery of two additional aircraft in November, a brand new Boeing B737-800NG and a larger Airbus A330-300 variant is a widening of destinations expected in both Africa and beyond with Mumbai the first intercontinental target of the airline’s relentless expansion drive, fully backed incidentally by the Rwanda government.

In a related development are results due to be announced very soon of the IATA audit on Safe Ground Operations, in short ISAGO, which will certify RwandAir’s ground handling unit to be compliant with global best practice and standards.

NIGERIA: South African Airways Introduces Flights To Abuja

South African Airways (SAA) has introduced a second entry point to Nigeria in its quest to enable trade and unlock mobility, which will considerably add to business travel options in the West African region.

Adding a second gateway in Nigeria to SAA’s existing daily service to Lagos materially strengthens SAA’s position in West Africa. The addition of Abuja to SAA’s network follows closely on the successful introduction of the Accra, Ghana to Washington Dulles, USA route, as a West African platform in August 2015. SAA launched flights between Accra, Ghana and Washington DC in North America.

The introduction of the Accra to Washington route has seen a steady growth in the number of passengers using this route and has performed in line with expectations. This has provided SAA with the confidence to invest further and enhance its footprint in West Africa.

“Nigeria is one of the fastest growing air travel markets in Sub-Saharan Africa and will be well served with our additional services to Abuja. Introducing Abuja as a second entry point in Nigeria will add more travel options, especially for the business community, and will enhance our footprint on the continent,” says Sylvain Bosc, SAA Chief Commercial Officer.

Abuja, built in the 1980s, became Nigeria’s capital in December 1991, and is known for being one of the few purpose-built capital cities in Africa. With Abuja, SAA will be serving eight destinations in Central and West Africa, with flights from its Johannesburg hub to Lagos (Nigeria); Abidjan (Ivory Coast); Cotonou (Benin); Accra (Ghana); Douala (Cameroon), Dakar (Senegal) and Libreville (Gabon) already forming part of the extensive regional route network.

The three weekly flights will operate non-stop between Johannesburg and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja aboard modern Airbus 330-200s, offering SAA Business class comfort and luxury, with the latest in In-flight entertainment.

The first flight is scheduled to depart O.R Tambo International Airport on 26 January 2016. Flights are open for sale on all SAA’s distribution channels.

AFRICA: Aviation Industry Steadly Growing

The aviation industry in Africa is in a state of perpetual flux, as the continent is constantly developing. African Open Sky is working to harness this growth and connect the continent.

As a continent, Africa is rich in natural resources. This fact, combined with rising prosperity and a more organised business climate, is drawing companies and investors from all over the world. Centuries ago, the world came to Africa by sea; today, this rush is conducted by air, and we are seeing the rapid development of the African aviation industry as a result.

The aviation market is currently little regulated, with government agencies in many countries trying to protect local airlines by restricting competition. This has led to higher-than-expected travel costs in most parts of the continent. African Open Sky (AOS) is working to change this trend. With its close links to civil aviation authorities and local airport authorities, the company aims to be a model for others to follow.

It stands in support of not just its own local aviation industry, but the entire continent’s too. European CEO spoke to AOS CEO Max O Cisse about this mission, and how AOS aims to turn region success into continental coverage.

What challenges does the African aviation industry currently face?
Despite the goodwill of local authorities to develop the African aviation sector, expansion is hampered by a poor safety and security record, as well as a lack of adequate resources and infrastructure, huge distances, limited connectivity, a lack of training, primitive regulation, and unnecessary government intervention. These problems serve to increase operating costs, which are already high as a resulting of passenger taxes and aviation development taxes. Addressing these challenges is the key to unlocking the industry’s potential for future growth.

How is the aviation industry in Côte d’Ivoire faring?
Côte d’Ivoire stands apart in terms of the difficulties faced by Africa’s wider aviation industry. The authorities maintain a high quality of security, safety and infrastructure as a matter of course. On the ground, the country boasts a modernised civil aviation authority, while airport management and ground handling at Abidjan, the capital, are entrusted to well-known foreign companies.

Despite the goodwill of local authorities to develop the African aviation sector, expansion is hampered by a poor safety and security record.

Abidjan’s Port Bouet c, already the country’s largest, has a range of expansion projects in place. The government has developed the national carrier, Air Côte d’Ivoire, by providing the finance to improve its fleet and network, with the goal of making Abidjan a regional hub for west Africa. Alongside this, there is the Airport City project – the first of its kind in Africa – which aims to create a city around the airport, with a range of facilities for travellers, including hotels, banks and department stores. AOS is proud to be part of this unique project.

What role does regional presence play in African Open Sky’s strategy?
If you want to succeed in today’s volatile global economy, you must be prepared to do business all around the world. We are constantly adapting our structures to become faster and more flexible, and one of our values at AOS is ‘we put our customers at the centre of what we do’. We have to understand their needs and wishes, and enter into a dialogue with them.

AOS has become the one-stop solution for our clients, as we are available all over the African continent, even where there is no local company or supplier to handle your flights. We are locally registered in many countries, have direct relationships with a range of authorities, and do not operate through third parties. This simplifies operations and significantly reduces handling costs for operators, as they only have one handling company that will deal with all their trips across Africa. There is no need to search for local service providers for each stop, as they can relay all on AOS; all coordination can be done through a single operational control centre. This strong regional presence helps us to be the number-one service provider in Africa, and in return we have been integral to our clients’ operational success.

What plans does African Open Sky have for the future?
Our aim for the next two years is to enhance our cooperation with aviation authorities, in order to help and support them in the development of hundreds of African airports. This will involve the provision of equipment, training and management, among other things. Apart from this, AOS’ wider strategy is to develop African tourism and access new revenue opportunities, working towards new technology and improved regulation, in accordance with international standards.

MAURITANIA: Mauritania Airlines International To Upgrade Aircrafts

Mauritania Airlines International, airline based in Nouakchott, Mauritania, serving as flag carrier of the country, is looking to replace its two of its three Boeing 737 aircraft with a pair of newer Boeing 737-800 airliners, with delivery later this year.

The carrier currently has two Boeing 737-500, one Boeing 737-700 and one Embraer ERJ-145 aircraft in its fleet of 4 aircraft.

Mauritania Airlines International is also discussing with Embraer an order for more ERJ-145 aircraft.

Mauritania Airlines International was set up in December 2010 in response to the demise of Mauritania Airways.

Mauritania Airlines International operates short- and medium-haul flights from its base at Nouakchott International Airport (NKC).

Mauritania Airlines flies to many destinations including Cotonou, Brazzaville, Abidjan, Conakry, Bamako, Zouerat, Nouadhibou, Nouakchott, Casablanca, Dakar and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

UNITED KINGDOM: 50,000 Hotel Developments For Africa

Believing that for too long the African tourism narrative has been restricted to a few destinations and safaris, a new online platform aims to present Africa to global travelers like they’ve never seen it before. Hip Africa, a new guide to the best spots to eat, sleep and play in Africa’s most sought after destinations, launched last week with 5 initial key cities: Lagos, Accra, Nairobi, Dakar and Johannesburg. Cities scheduled to be added next include: Abidjan, Addis Ababa, Cape Town, Marrakesh and Maputo.

Hip Africa is set transcend the old safari narrative, offering up the continent as a viable place for city breaks, great restaurants, arts and culture and a swathe of boutique and luxury hotels.

Africa has emerged in recent years as one of the fastest growing regions for hotel development, with 50,000 hotels in the pipeline: a topic which will be the subject of panel discussions, networking and deal making at the Africa Hotel Investment Forum taking place in Addis Ababa 30th September – 1st October.

This activity is reflective of a wider trend: Africa’s emergence as the last tourism frontier, with a growing number of internationals visiting the continent year on year, and the upsurge of intra-Africa travel.

Global travel accounts for almost 10% of global GDP and is an industry that enjoys year on year uninterrupted growth and Africa’s tourism take off is inevitable. Hip Africa speaks to a sophisticated audience from Europe to the US, Asia and most importantly across Africa itself – both business and leisure travelers.

Hip Africa showcases a carefully selected list of hotels and ‘hip spots’ – including restaurants, art galleries, museums, shopping spots and escapes – with high quality photography and editorially independent reviews.

It is London-based, however its content is provided by a team of journalists, photographers, and movers and shakers on the ground across Africa, keeping readers in the know and up to date.

“We aim to inform our readers, and give them the practical tools for visiting and moving around what is arguably the most exciting continent in the world,” says Ruby Audi, the Ghanaian/British founder.

Hip Africa will soon be unveiling a number of new cities, on every corner of the continent and will eventually cover over 30 destinations in 20 countries.

TOGO: Nightlife In Lome

Items for sale at Lomé's famous Fetish Market

Togo's capital Lomé, chosen for the nightlife loving traveller wanting an introduction to West African music, culture and joy of life. And Lomé has its beaches and sights as well.

Nightlife in French speaking West Africa is one of the world's leading tourist attractions providing a memory for life. But which city to recommend?

Before we dive into Togo's coastal metropolis Lomé, let us say a few words about West African nightlife in general. In the non-Muslim part of the region, alcohol consumption is often high, attitudes are mostly liberal, music is load, happy and hypnotising, crowds are dense, animated and positive towards visitors, dancing is obligatory and you are bound to get to know people.

There is a small distinction between nightlife in Francophone and Anglophone West Africa, which however should not be exaggerated. While partying in the former British colonies focuses a bit more on intoxication, the French ex-colonies focus a bit more on the cultural setting, including dance and music. But both factors play a key role all over the region.

So, again, how to choose a good West African party city? There are many good candidates, although some are too unsafe for first-time visitors (Abidjan, Lagos, Douala and Yaoundé), while others are small or lacking sights (Libreville, Malabo and Cotonou). We must however mention two very good candidates: Douala and Accra.

Douala, the unpretentious but energetic largest city of Cameroon, still has the hottest nightlife in all West Africa. If you can live with high crime rates and a lack of major sights, Douala's Akwa, Deido and Bonapriso quarters at night will give you a party experience to remember the rest of your life.

In Anglophone West Africa, Ghana's capital Accra is the most vibrant and safest nightlife destination. From Thursday throughout Sunday, many of Accra's bars, clubs and restaurants present live music or just turn into party spots. Although Nigeria's Lagos may be even livelier and Sierra Leone's Freetown is starting to enter the competition, Accra by night remains a safer destination for visitors.

Among the predominantly Muslim cities of West Africa, Senegal's Dakar is an evergreen with lots of sights, which however has lost most of its earlier sparkling nightlife scene. Guinea's Conakry may be evolving into a new hotspot, but still has a way to go. Burkina Faso' Ouagadougou and Bobo Dioulasso are rewarding.

Togolese capital Lomé is mostly a safe choice. Lomé has a friendly ambient and an astonishing density of African and international bars, clubs and restaurants. And it has maintained a strong sense of local culture, including original voodoo.

A smooth introduction to Lomé's nightlife may be the international scene, dominated by expatriates and upper class Togolese. Larger hotels often arrange beach parties and entertainment typically includes traditional dances, magicians and fire artists. This may provide you with a first glimpse of Togo, but it of course does not represent real life in the city.

After acclimatisation, start out in a neighbourhood dancing pub and move on to the lively African clubs in the city. The Rue de la Gare in the city centre is a good street to get to know genuine Togolese nightlife after midnight. More posh clubs are found in an around the Boulevard du 13 Janvier, the large centre by-pass road.

When moving around during night in the city centre, be careful to go in groups or using public transport. Take a taxi or use the cheaper taxis collectives (shared taxis). Lomé is not a crime hotspot, but robberies are a problem at night.

Lomé is also an exiting day-time destination and a perfect introduction to the African city. There are some remnants of colonial architecture, including a surprising Gothic style cathedral. The centre is colourful with narrow streets and markets. Modern African buildings along grand boulevards dominate the outer centre.

There are some truly exotic sights in the old centre of Lomé. These include the colourful and sometimes grotesque Fetish Market, where you will find everything you never knew you needed to make magic charms or heal any disease. The Lomé Marché des féticheurs indeed is the biggest of its kind and a meeting point for voodoo practitioners from the entire West African region.

Less exotic but equally colourful is the Grande Marche, the Great Market, occupying an entire block in the city centre. Apart from the very wide line of products offered by the market women - a sight in itself - the market is always full of life,including live performing music, dancing and magician groups. During daylight, it is a unique spot to experience West African culture, but the market should be avoided at night for security reasons.

Togo is a country with a narrow coastline, squeezed between Benin and Ghana and lying along the Lagos-Abidjan highway. This means that a stay in Togo easily can include trips to Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Benin and/or Nigeria. If you want to compare Lomé's nightlife with competitors, a weekend in Ghana's capital Accra, with its many sights, is a very good option. Accra is located 200 kilometres west of Lomé, while Cotonou in Benin is located 150 kilometres east of Lomé.

This of course also means that you have a wider choice looking for flights to the area, as you can choose between the Lomé, Cotonou (mostly from Paris) or even Accra (easier from UK and US) flight connections. Accra typically has the cheapest transcontinental flights to the region.

Going to Togo, unfortunately you need to be aware of the political situation and you should do some research. The country is heavily politically polarised, and whenever there is an election, there is a great risk of violence. So do avoid travelling to Lomé during an election campaign or shortly after polls, and if you see demonstrators in the street, leave the scene as quickly as possible!

This said, Togo has successfully entered a democratisation and political reconciliation process, and trend is going towards ever calmer elections and political normality. The worst definitively seems to over.

Tourism still is very limited due to the country's recent political turbulence. Indeed, Lomé is among the least visited coastal cities of West Africa, giving it an even more authentic feeling, leaving the Togolese to especially welcome foreign travellers and keeping tourism related crime at a very low level.

QATAR: Qatar Completes Inter-line Agreement With Air Maroc

Qatar Airways and Royal Air Maroc have announced a bilateral codeshare agreement.

The inter-line agreement with Air Maroc will take effect from tomorrow, connecting the two carrier routes between Qatar and Morocco on Royal Air Maroc operation across West Africa.

Passenger can now book single itinerary connecting Qatar Airways and Royal Air Maroc with one-stop ticketing and baggage check-in.

Qatar Airways travellers travelling to Casablanca will now be able to connect onto the West African cities of Cotonou, Ouagadougou, Praia, Brazzaville, Pointe Noire, Abidjan, Libreville, Banjul, Conakry, Bissau, Monrovia, Bamako, Niamey, Lagos, Nouakchott, Freetown and Lomé.

Passengers will also be able to travel onwards to Marrakech within Morocco, Agadir, Tangier, Guelmime, Tan Tan, Tetouan, Al Hoceima, Fes, Errachidia, Oujda, Nador, Ouarzazate, Zagora, Laayounte, Dakhla and Beni Mellal.

Royal Air Maroc will launch its thrice-weekly B787 operation to Doha on September 9,

Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker said: “The launch of this codeshare agreement with Royal Air Maroc is great news for our business passengers who frequently travel on Qatar Airways, as they will be able to connect seamlessly onwards to almost 20 destinations across the West African region.”

IVORY COAST: Air Côte d’Ivoire Supports Muslim Community

Air Côte d’Ivoire, the national airline of Ivory Coast, has donated assorted items to the National Chief Imam in Accra.

The items were a goodwill gesture to the Muslim community in the country for their support to the airline over the years.

Micheline Yahot, Country Manager of Air Côte d’Ivoire said the airline has always had a special package for Muslim destinations.

“The package is there for Muslim destinations like Dakar, Niger, Conakry, and Bamako. We have a very nice fare with good connection. You can see that the flight is full of people traveling to the places mentioned to be with their families.

For instance, we now have a very competitive fare. We are on the route to support. We are also supporting the Muslim Community by donating these items.”

Sheikh Dr. Osmanu Nuhu Sharubutu thanked the company for the gesture. “We express the gratitude of the Muslim community. We pray for the airline and ask God to protect them on the ground and in the air. We hope to continue with this relationship and we hope that this mutually beneficial relationship will continue. We hope to strengthen the relationship between the airline and the Muslim community.”

Air Côte d’Ivoire is the national airline of Ivory Coast, based in Abidjan. It started operations on 12 November 2012.

The Port Bouet Airport based airline re-started its operations in the country in January 2013 with offering to about 13 destinations within the sub-region via Abidjan.

The airline now offers six flights per week out of Accra to Abidjan with on-ward connection to more than 18 destinations. 20 in total with Three (3) domestics flights to San Pedro, Bouake and Korhogo.