AFRICA: inDriver From Russia Is Uber’s Latest Competitor In Africa

Global ride-hailing giant Uber has gone from having no competitors in Africa to having more than 50.

While it mainly contends with Taxify, the Estonian ride-hailing service, which is now in more African cities, Uber also faces competition from homegrown options like the Safaricom-backed Little Cabs in Kenya and regional players like Careem across North Africa.

In fact, it tried to merge with Careem this year, but Egyptian regulators warned against the deal.

The latest market entrant is inDriver, a Russian ride-hailing company, which has launched in Arusha, Tanzania, its first market on the continent.

The five-year old company operates in nine other countries across South and Central America as well as Europe. Long-term, inDriver hopes to differentiate its service by allowing drivers and riders haggle over final fare prices while it sets base fare price.

inDriver is also hoping to rapidly grow its driver pool by charging no commissions on driver earnings for six months after which it will begin charging 5% to 8% in commissions—much lower than either Uber or Taxify.

Drivers will also be able to view both pick-up and destination points before accepting rides.

inDriver’s play for drivers is not entirely new as incentivizing drivers has already proven to be a major part of the scrap for ride-hailing market share in Africa.

But what it offers in driver incentives, inDriver will likely lack in financial might compared to the biggest players on the continent. It raised $10 million in its Series B funding round earlier this year. Uber and Taxify are both billion-dollar unicorns.

Neither is showing any signs of slowing down on growing its Africa operations either. Taxify is eyeing ten-fold growth in the next two years and already operates in more African cities than Uber.

For its part, Uber is looking to add Rwanda, Ivory Coast, Senegal and Mauritius among potential targets to the eight African countries in which it already operates.

Uber has also shown a deeper interest in fitting into local transport ecosystems and has launched lower cost ride-hailing options with rickshaws in Kenya and motorcycles in Uganda.

It’s now looking to roll out a new service in Nairobi to allow users book spots on commercial mini-buses—locally known as matatus—which remain the most common form of transport in the city.


Tourism Observer

HONG KONG: Cathay Pacific Acquires First A350-1000 And Orders Twenty More

Cathay Pacific has taken delivery of its first Airbus A350-1000, making it the variant's second operator after Qatar Airways, which received its initial example in February.

The Hong Kong carrier has ordered 20 A350-1000s and already operates 22 A350-900s, Airbus says. The airline has another six -900s on order and holds four options.

Airbus says Cathay Pacific will from September deploy the A350-1000 on nonstop services to Washington DC, which the airframer describes as the longest flight performed by any airline out of Hong Kong. Flight time will be approximately 17h.

Cathay Pacific chief customer and commercial officer Paul Loo states that the A350-900's introduction to the airline in 2016"enabled us to expand our long-haul network at a near unprecedented rate.

He adds that the larger -1000 variant has an incredible range, is remarkably fuel efficient and quiet, provides customers with an unsurpassed cabin environment, and has extremely attractive operating economics.

The A350 is exclusively powered by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines.

The first of 20 A350-1000s for Cathay Pacific has completed its initial test flight from Airbus's Toulouse plant.

Deliveries of the Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-powered aircraft to the Hong Kong carrier are scheduled to begin in June. It will become the second operator after launch customer Qatar Airways to receive Airbus's biggest twinjet.

The new twinjets will be operated alongside Cathay's existing fleet of smaller A350-900s, 22 of which are currently in service with six more on order, according to Flight Fleets Analyzer.

Cathay will deploy the A350-1000 on its new route to Washington DC from September. The airline says that at 8,153 miles (7,095nm/13,126km), the new service to Dulles will become the longest in its network.

Airbus's third test-flight A330-900, carrying the colours of launch operator TAP Portugal, has landed in Lisbon after commencing the initial stage of route-proving flights.

For the first state of route-proving, MSN1819 is set to fly on to Brazil, visiting cities including Recife, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Miami.

The Rolls-Royce Trent 7000-powered aircraft took off on 19 June from Toulouse's runway 32R – using a full-thrust departure, rather than a flex setting, on the request of flight-test engineers – for a 1h 30min flight to the Portuguese capital.

MSN1819 had pushed back with just under 20t of fuel, and a weight of 164t, with a projected landing weight of 156.8t. The crew confirmed, after touchdown on Lisbon's on runway 21, that the twinjet had burned 8t of fuel.

The 298-seat aircraft – featuring the airframer's three-class revamped Airspace cabin interior, fitted with Recaro seating – was transporting board members from the carrier and the airframer, as well as government figures and media representatives.

Route-proving will subsequently take the aircraft to Asia, with stops in Kuala Lumpur and other regional hubs, before it returns to Europe via Mauritius. It also fly to Delhi before heading west again, operating through Reykjavik, Chicago and Atlanta.

The exercise is intended to demonstrate the A330neo's readiness for airline service.

As part of the testing the aircraft will undertake extended twin-engined operations flights, approaches to alternate airports, and tests with ground-handling systems.

Airbus head of A330 marketing Crawford Hamilton, speaking during the event, said the route-proving effort would involve about 150h of flights, spanning 18 days, and taking in 16 cities. The exercise is set to run to 7 July.

Hamilton says the A330neo test-flight campaign, which involves three aircraft including MSN1819, is around 80% complete. The fleet has logged around 1,000h in 267 flights.

Performance is in line with predictions, he adds.

Certification is still on track for summer this year, with subsequent entry into service with TAP.


Tourism Observer

TANZANIA: Constance Hotels Opens Aiyana Pemba Resort In Pemba

Barbara Elkaz
Constance Hotels is opening the new Aiyana Pemba Resort.

Constance was hitherto operating luxury resorts on the Seychelles, the Maldives, Madagascar and Mauritius and has now widened its reach to Pemba / Zanzibar, where it will no doubt become the number one rated resort on this underexplored Indian Ocean island.

The new property comprises just 30 ocean facing villas but those offer every comfort one can wish for, in line with Constance’s corporate philosophy.

The resort will also offer five star culinary experiences similar to those the sister properties pride themselves in and have excelled over the years, something this correspondent can attest to from his experiences at the Constance Ephelia on Mahe and the Constance Lemuria on Praslin / Seychelles.

New General Manager is Ms. Barbara Elkaz who moved to Pemba from the Maldives.

Aiyana Pemba Resort can be reached from Dar es Salaam by scheduled flights with Auric Air and Coastal Aviation on a daily basis.




Tourism Observer

SAUDI ARABIA: Emirates To Provide Extra Flights For To Cater For Hajj Season

Emirates will be operating 45 additional flights to Jeddah and 12 additional flights to Medina from 17 August until 11 September to help serve the 2 million pilgrims expected to travel to the Holy City of Mecca during Hajj this year.

These services will run in parallel with Emirates’ regularly scheduled services to Jeddah.

The airline will also be operating its A380 to Medina which will also support the increased demand during this period.

The additional services are available to travellers holding a valid Hajj visa.

This year, top inbound destinations Emirates is expecting Hajj pilgrims to come from are Yangon, Manchester, Mauritius, Jakarta, Karachi, Lagos and Nairobi.

Adil Al Ghaith Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, Gulf, Middle East and Iran said: Travelling for Hajj is a unique experience for Muslims around the world, and we expect over 20,000 pilgrims to travel with us this year. With a sizeable increase in demand for air travel during this period.

Emirates is helping to make the journey more seamless for the scores of pilgrims making their way to the Holy City of Mecca.

Whether it’s in the air or on the ground, Emirates aims to provide all its customers with the best experience in line with their faith, particularly at this significant time and important journey.

On the ground, Emirates has appointed a dedicated group of airport staff to seamlessly facilitate the passenger ground experience for Hajj. In addition, dedicated check-in counters have been set up for Hajj passengers in Dubai.

In the air, several initiatives have been planned in keeping with the values and traditions that pilgrims uphold when travelling for Hajj.

Extra provisions will be made to accommodate Hajj traveller needs such as performing ablutions, advising passengers about Al Miqat and Ihram (the phase when pilgrims enter a state of sanctity) and other arrangements that will help ease their journey.

Emirates’ award winning ice system will also feature a special Hajj video that covers safety, Hajj formalities and information about performing the Hajj pilgrimage.

Pilgrims will also be able to tune into the Holy Quran channel.

On flights from Jeddah, Hajj passengers can bring up to 5 litres of holy water (Zamzam) which will be placed in special areas in the cargo hold.

As with all Emirates flights, Hajj passengers will enjoy extra generous Emirates baggage allowance of up to 35kg in Economy Class, 40kg in Business Class and 50kg in First Class.


Tourism Observer

AFRICA: Dificulty Traveling In Africa, Visa Acquisition A Nightmare

Africans traveling within the continent are required to fill multiple cross-border documents with visa issuance becoming a nuisance and hindrance to business development, tourism, and investments between the African people.

Aliko Dangote, the Nigerian tycoon and the richest man on this continent, is among key personalities facing traveling hiccups when moving from one country to another in search of investment opportunities.

In his recent discussions with Nigerian media, Dangote has advised African leaders to give incentives to investors and make intra-Africa travel easy.

He told the Nigeria media outlets that despite the size of his group and investments on the continent, he needs 38 visas to travel across Africa.

“You have to know somebody who is big in that country to call somebody. They are giving you visas as if it is a favor,” Dangote said.

“Somebody like me, despite the size of our group, I need 38 visas to move around Africa. Yes, I have heard that they are going to do the (African) passport, but you can see that there is still a little bit of resistance from other African leaders,” he noted.

Dangote uses many public platforms to urge African leaders to make it easier for Africans to travel around their own continent. He said he needed 38 visas to travel across Africa, and it was not always straightforward to get them.

“You go to a country that is looking for investment; that particular country will give you a runaround just to get a visa,” he said.

During their fourth annual Africa Hotel Expansion Summit and Hospitality Round Table in the Tanzanian commercial city of Dar es Salaam last month, hotel and hospitality industry executives noted that Africa needs to establish intra-Africa travel packages to attract tourists within the continent.

“Africa needs to encourage intra-Africa travel programs that would attract more people to travel from one country to another country within the continent,” said Amaechi Ndili, President and Chief Executive Officer of Lionstone Group and Golden Tulip West Africa Hospitality Group in Nigeria.

“We need to stimulate intra-Africa tourism and business travel while governments across the continent take serious steps and policies to create more open skies for Africans,” Ndili noted.

South Africans often complain about the hoops they have to jump through to get visas for other African states, but in fact, their country is part of the problem. According to the African Development Bank, 75 percent of the most visa-friendly countries in Africa are in East Africa.

In Southern Africa, the visa-friendly nations are Mauritius, Madagascar, Zambia, and Mozambique. West Africa fares better with six countries regarded as visa-friendly. Nigeria is not among them.

Facing development set-backs, high unemployment rates, and poor security, Africa remains low in terms of global tourism index.

In the context of tourism competitiveness in Africa, most countries in the continent are still lacking competitive tools to support growth and competition in tourism at global market levels, despite the continent’s rich and untapped natural resources.

The hotel executives further noted that more than 80 percent of Africans don’t know tourist attractive sites available in their own countries compared to Europe, America, and other continents where the citizens outnumber foreign tourists.

Nigeria is the leading country in Africa to generate outbound tourists to other countries within the continent, mostly to other West African states, as well as East and Southern Africa.

Dangote’s comments were made at the right time when tourism and travel executives are set to meet in Rwanda’s capital city of Kigali next month to discuss the future of African tourism and the way forward.

Bearing a theme of “Destination Africa: The Future of African Tourism,” the the African Travel Association’s 41st congress will be held in Kigali from November 14 to 18, bringing together delegates from Africa, the United States, Europe, and other parts of the world.

To be taking place in East Africa for three consecutive years, the ATA’s 41st Congress is set to focus the East African region as the single tourist destination in Africa and best for combined African safaris.

Rwanda has been honored to host the ATA 41st Congress this year as the first event organized by the Corporate Council on Africa (CCA) and ATA.

THAILAND: Thailand Doubles Visa-on-arrival For 18 Countries

The new charge will come into effect on 27 September, and apply to the citizens of all 18 countries offered visa-on-arrival in Thailand. These include China, India, Taiwan and Saudi Arabia.

The newspaper reported the Thai Foreign Ministry as saying that the decision to implement a 100% increase was based on the belief that the current charge is lower than the visa fees paid by Thai tourists visiting other countries.

The timing of the decision is not ideal however; Thailand’s tourism authorities are working hard to encourage international travellers not to cancel their trips to the kingdom, following the recent bombings in several resort areas. The reason for the attacks is still unclear.

The other countries offered visa-on-arrival to Thailand are Bulgaria, Bhutan, Cyprus, Ethiopia, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Romania, San Marino, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.

Aldabra Giant Tortoises

By the year 1900, the Aldabra giant tortoises on the atoll had been hunted almost to extinction, but today Aldabra boasts the largest population of giant tortoises anywhere in the world.

Historically, giant tortoises were the dominant herbivores on most of the islands of the Indian Ocean. All seven species that formerly lived on Madagascar, Mauritius, Réunion and Rodriguez were exterminated by 1800 by early settlers and sailors who killed them for their meat.

After over 100 years of exploitation the giant tortoise population on Aldabra was similarly in serious danger of becoming extinct. The situation continued until around 1900, when a British naturalist offered to pay half the atoll’s lease to anyone who could ensure that the exploitation of the tortoises would cease. Fortunately, Aldabra Giant tortoises are remarkably hardy and survive under extremely harsh conditions, so the population was able to rebound once exploitation finally ended.

The current population of wild giant tortoises on Aldabra, which fluctuates around 100,000, is greater than the entire human population of 93,000 in Seychelles. Aldabra is also thought to have the largest population of giant tortoises anywhere else in the world!

MAURITIUS: Air Mauritius Making Profits

From a loss of nearly 24 million Euros for the financial year 2014/15 has Air Mauritius now emerged profitable again after ending their 2015/16 financial year with a healthy surplus of nearly 15.5 million Euros. This represents a swing of fortunes over the past year of just under 50 million, to a large part influenced by the significantly lower cost of fuel.

Sources from Mauritius however were swift to point out that the profit should perhaps have been three times as much, dragged down by fuel hedging into the wrong direction and the change of exchange rates between the US Dollar and the Euro, the currency in which Air Mauritius expresses its financial data.

Cost cutting measure also contributed to the black figures on the bottom line and will continue to make an impact in the current financial year.

Passenger numbers are said to have risen by 9.4 percent, three times as much as the capacity increase provided over the past year, and driven mainly by the Chinese market towards which the airline shifted much focus last year.

Now operating already flights to four Chinese destinations, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Chengdu will Air Mauritius launch flights to Guangzhou next month.

Equally successful proved the flights to Singapore and on to Kuala Lumpur, as Mauritius aims to establish itself as a convenient springboard for traffic from Asia to Africa where Dar es Salaam, as reported here at the time, was added to the network a few weeks ago, as was Maputo.

Chinese Tourists Invade Africa

When Chinese-looking persons enter the Nairobi City Market or Massai Market Fair in Kenya’s capital, they are often greeted with “Ni Hao” as they pass shops and stands. Some local shop-keepers have a broader Mandarin vocabulary, which helps them sell African woodcarvings, fabric, or other local souvenirs to Chinese tourists.

China has recently become the largest outbound tourist market in the world. The number of Chinese tourists traveling worldwide has grown to over a 100 million, likely to double by 2020. In 2013 Chinese tourists spent a total $102 billion dollars on their trips.

Those numbers are expected to keep rising. Many Chinese are weary of traditional destinations, such as Europe and North America. So they are turning to Africa as a great place to spend an exotic vacation.

The numerous bilateral exchanges between China and Africa have encouraged Chinese tourism in African countries. In 2008 only 2.8 % of Chinese tourists chose Africa as a destination.

In 2014, according to the China Outbound Travel Development Report, that number has reached 9.4 %. The annual growth rate of Chinese tourist traffic to Africa has been 50% since 2010 – higher than to any other part of the world.

The most popular destination for Chinese tourists is South Africa; with direct flights currently available between Beijing and Johannesburg. Derek Hanekom, Tourism Minister of South Africa, says China is one of the important sources of tourists for his country and pledges to help create more conveniences to welcome Chinese travelers.

Other destinations popular among the Chinese are Egypt, Kenya, Cameroon, Senegal, Algeria, Angola, Mauritius, Tunisia, and Zimbabwe.

Since the Chinese government has granted Kenya an Approved Destination Status for outbound tourism in 2004, the number of Chinese tourists going there has risen. In 2013, 37,000 Chinese visited Kenya. The same year, on a visit to China, Kenya’s president Uhuru Kenyatta said his country’s tourism industry had set the goal of attracting a record number of 1.3 million Chinese.

Tourism in Kenya is popular in the summer when migration of animals can be observed in its national parks. When China Central Television (CCTV) aired live broadcasts of the migration of rhinos, zebras, and wilder beasts in 2012-13, that became a well-known wonder in China. This has attracted thousands of Chinese during the summer season to Kenya.

Zhang Hongtao, director of AA lodges in Kenya, said, “Now Chinese tourists book hotels six months in advance to get a room nearby even when the accommodation price doubles or triples.”

The majority of Chinese tourists prefer big organized group trips within budget. About 10% of them, however, are high-end travelers who spend 4-5 times more money than the average tourist. People in this category travel in smaller groups and avoid rough roads by taking charter flights to national parks.

They use secluded private lodges instead of hotels. While in Europe they may buy luxury brands, in South Africa their interests are diamonds. Some of Kenya’s tour-operators, including Safari Collection, Governor’s Camp, and Loisaba Wilderness, cooperate with Chinese counterparts to promote luxury services.

There are some important tips from experts, which would be helpful to Africans in their attempts to attract more Chinese tourists and make their experience more enjoyable:
1.African governments should make tourism a greater priority on their national agenda by taking the following steps:
a). Improve safety measures around tourist sites.
b). Enhance tourism-related infrastructure.
c). Ease visa procedures for Chinese travelers.
d). Spend more on tourism promotion, which brings much easier and quicker economic returns than industrial investments. Currently, only few African countries, such as South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, and Morocco have set up tourist promoting agencies in China. If the Chinese overcome the stereotypical international fear of travel in Africa and realize what a great experience it could be, the number of their visits there would skyrocket.

2.African service and hospitality sector needs to:
a). Hire more Chinese-speakers. Many Chinese business travelers might know English, but their families members who come on a safari often might not.

b). Offer Chinese food at National Park lodges, porridge and noodles for breakfast, complimentary green tea, and hot water – all good gestures of Chinese hospitality. Many National Park lodges in Kenya, for example do not offer any Chinese food. Some Chinese tourists, especially seniors, may enjoy their safaris, but can’t wait to return to Nairobi for Chinese food.

Even though Chinese travelers, like others, might sometimes be discouraged by problems including the Ebola epidemic in 2013-14 or an occasional terrorist assault, Chinese tourism in Africa will flourish. Yang Jinsong, a professor of international tourism at the China Tourism Academy, considers this phenomenon astounding. “The number of Chinese tourists to Africa will rise, and rise greatly” said Yang.

MAURITIUS: Cosmetic Surgery Grows All The Time

With relatively low costs and an existing tourist base, Mauritius is becoming a minor destination for cosmetic surgery. Mauritius had an estimated 16,000 medical tourists in 2015.

With relatively low costs and an existing tourist base, Mauritius is becoming a minor destination for cosmetic surgery.

In one of the most prosperous economies in Africa the tourist economy contributes over 25% of GDP. Medical tourism is mostly based on cosmetic surgery but with few facilities is never going to be big. Mauritius had an estimated 16,000 medical tourists in 2015, up from 1,000 in 2005 and 12,000 in 2012.

Holidays in Mauritius are at the luxury end of the market and the Board of Investment is keen to attract upmarket hospitals, cosmetic surgery clinics and alternative medicine venues.

Half of all medical tourists come from neighbouring islands such as Seychelles and Reunion, but the government claims that a growing proportion are travelling from Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Dr. Javed Dawreeawo, is a local cosmetic surgeon with increasing visitor numbers from Europe and Asia. Chinese patients often want face procedures, like double eyelid surgery; the British seek breast augmentation; and Dubai patients seek liposuction.

The government seeks to attract foreign talent by streamlining its visa and work permit processes, and offering tax breaks to medical businesses.

KENYA: Air France Toilet Bomb Hoax Was Just A Mixture Of Cardboard, Sheets Of Paper And Timer'

The suspicious device discovered in the bathroom of an Air France flight was a hoax, the CEO of Air France said Sunday.

The Boeing 777 was heading to Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris from Mauritius when its pilots requested an emergency landing early Sunday at Kenya's coastal city of Mombasa.

The device was made of cardboard, paper and a household timer, said Frédéric Gagey, the head of Air France.

"This object did not contain explosives," said Gagey at a news conference in Paris.

Gagey congratulated the crew for their cool-headed reaction to divert the plane. A safety check was carried out in the bathroom before the flight, he said. He denied any security failure in the flight, saying that passengers are checked and sometimes double-checked on flights.

Six passengers are being questioned over the incident, said a Kenyan police official, who is part of the investigation and who insisted on anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the press.

A passenger reported the device to the cabin crew who informed the pilots leading to an emergency landing at the Moi International Airport in Mombasa. One of those being interrogated is the man who reported the package.

The plane was carrying 459 passengers and 14 crew members on board and had left Mauritius at 9 p.m., said Kenyan police spokesmand Charles Owino. All passengers were safely evacuated and the device was taken out, said Owino.

"All the information available to us at the moment indicates that the object was not capable of creating an explosion or damaging a plane, but was rather a mixture of cardboard, sheets of paper and a timer," Gagey said. "It was a false alarm."

A passenger who spoke to journalists after leaving the plane in Mombasa described the emergency landing.

"The plane just went down slowly, slowly, slowly, so we just realized probably something was wrong," said Benoit Lucchini of Paris.

"The personnel of Air France was just great, they were just wonderful. So they keep everybody calm. We did not know what was happening," said Lucchini. "So we secured the seat belt to land in Mombasa because we thought it was a technical problem but actually it was not a technical problem. It was something in the toilet. Something wrong in the toilet, it could be a bomb."

The Indian Ocean island of Mauritius is a popular destination for French tourists.

Flight 463 is Air France's third plane to be diverted in recent weeks.

Two other Air France flights from the U.S. to Paris were diverted on Nov. 18 after bomb threats were received but no bombs were found on the planes from Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.

France has been under a state of emergency since the Nov. 13 attacks in Paris that left 130 people dead and hundreds wounded.

ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attacks in Paris as well as for the Oct. 31 crash of a Russian passenger plane in the Sinai desert that killed all 224 people aboard. Moscow says that crash was caused by a bomb on the plane and has demanded that Egypt increase security at all its airports.

All the 473 pax of Air France 463 have been screened at the airport lounge & taken to hotels in Mombasa said Kenya Airports Authority.

Steven Ciaran, 30 an Irishman working on Reunion Island, said he was seated at back of the plane watching a movie when he noticed the rushed movement of cabin crew preparing emergency drills. Cabin crew told him it was a technical problem and they created a calm environment among the passengers.

"I was very distressed because I could see we were far from the destination," said Ciaran. He said passengers reassured each other.

"I thought the plane had difficulty and not that it had anything to do with terrorism," he said.

The plane arrived in Mombasa at around 1.30 a.m. and the passengers disembarked using emergency slides, he said. A couple of people got twisted ankles but no one seriously injured, Ciaran said.

Ciaran says he was travelling from Reunion to Dublin for the Christmas holiday.

INDIA: 3-day International Tourism Expo From Dec 11 At Madurai

3-day international tourism expo from Dec 11 at Madurai


A three-day International Tourism exhibition will be held here for three days from December 11, according to Executive Director and project manager of the exhibition, Anurag Gupta.

In a release, he said 32 stalls, including stalls from Mauritius, Malaysia, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Goa and Karnataka would find a place in the exhibition.

The stalls at the exhibition would give details about tourist spots and the expenses to visit them. Besides reservation would be done for conducted tours.

He said special concessions would be given for those who book for tours.

TURKEY: Turkish Airlines S16 Mauritius / Madagascar Frequency Changes

Turkish Airlines this week opened reservation for Northern summer 2016 season for Istanbul Ataturk – Mauritius – Antananarivo market, scheduled to begin on 15DEC15.

For Northern summer season from 27MAR16, the airline operates this route 3 times a week with Airbus A330-300 (Northern winter sees 4 weekly flights).

TK160 IST0125 – 1210MRU1325 – 1415TNR 333 246
TK161 TNR1620 – 1910MRU2025 – 0505+1IST 333 246

MADAGASCAR: Drop In Visitor Numbers

Perched on the muddy bank of a river meandering through rolling green hills, the Lemurs' Park near Madagascar's capital is rated one of the city's top attractions, but you would not know it from the number of visitors.

On a Saturday in what is meant to be high season, only a handful of tourists are in the park to catch a glimpse of the furry creatures endemic to the tropical forests of this vast Indian Ocean island.

Tour operators blame the latest drop in visitor numbers on mass cancellations that followed a month-long Air Madagascar strike that grounded all internal flights.

But to Rakotomamonjy Andrianantoanina, a veteran Lemurs' Park guide, the long-term trend since a 2009 coup that scared off visitors and ravaged the economy has been just as worrying.

"In 2008, the tourism in Madagascar was very high. But there has been political trouble since 2009 so the tourists are fewer and fewer," Andrianantoanina said as ring-tailed lemurs scampered through nearby eucalyptus trees.

With the mining industry hit by low global commodity prices, the government has promoted tourism as a spur of growth and job creation in one of the world's poorest nations.

Touting its rainforests, reefs and weird and wonderful plants and animals, officials are aiming for 1 million tourists by 2020, five times higher than last year and more than double the 2008 peak, when 380,000 people visited the former French colony.

There are even lofty plans to compete for well-heeled visitors who flock to Mauritius and Seychelles, two "honeymoon" destinations where European elites have vacationed for decades.

But first the leaders of the world's fourth largest island have fix tourism's two biggest problems - a poorly run state airline and a toxic political system that breeds instability.

Efforts have not gone well on either front.

President Hery Rajaonarimampianina, whose peaceful election in late 2013 was seen as a new start for politics, was impeached in May. Even though he overturned the vote in the constitutional court, his government nearly fell in a subsequent censure vote.

Fixing the airline has also proved tough, with a month-long strike by Air Madagascar staff bringing the industry to its knees and adding to long-standing grievances against a loss-making and habitually late airline.

"It's easy to sell Madagascar abroad as a tourist destination but our main obstacle is air transportation," Tourism Minister Ulrich Andriantiana told Reuters.

FLIGHT COSTS

Tour operators gripe about Air Madagascar's domestic monopoly, saying visitors blanch at pricey international fares and the added cost of expensive internal flights necessary to avoid the abysmal roads.

A short internal flight that might cost as little as $50 in Kenya is as much as $300 in Madagascar.

"Everyone says 'Madagascar is beautiful', but Madagascar is not the only one that is beautiful. You can go to Cuba, Sri Lanka, Puerto Rico and they are all cheap," said hotelier Hely Rakotomanantsoa. "The flight costs are a really big issue."

Andriantiana, the tourism minister, said the strikes had prompted the government to "liberalize" the skies by introducing more competition, including on domestic flights.

"It's not good to have a monopoly," he said. "If Air Madagascar doesn't work well, every sector will fall down."

The government had held talks with Kenya Airways and Air France to introduce new international routes to open up markets in Africa, Asia and North America, he added.

Until now, Madagascar has marketed itself to adventure travelers as a once-in-a-lifetime chance to visit a "modern-day Noah's Ark" - a reference to estimates that 80 percent of its plant-life cannot be found anywhere on the planet.

"It's amazing how you can travel for six hours and go from desert to rainforest," said 19-year-old Briton Ollie Tiliouine, who volunteered for a marine conservation charity before criss-crossing the island on rickety minibuses.

Competing for the high-end tourists who flock to Seychelles and Mauritius, two neighboring Indian Ocean islands famed for azure waters and white sandy beaches, will prove tricky.

"Outside the capital, it's hard to find good services and hotels, especially for the upper market," said another tour operator who did not wish to reveal her name as she was critical of tourism policy.

That matters little to the likes of Pauline Geoffroy, a 22-year-old French tourist who traveled 3,000 km (2,000 miles) in cramped public buses across humid lowlands and undulating highlands dotted with shimmering rice fields.

"The sea, mountains and wildlife here are just so unique," she said. "It's like a paradise. I would definitely come back."

MAURITIUS: Carlson Rezidor Opens Three Hotels In Rep Of Congo & Mauritius

Carlson Rezidor has simultaneously opened three landmark hotels in Africa and Mauritius. These marked a record number of openings for the group on the continent in the space of a day. The hotels that were opened are:

• Radisson Blu M’Bamou Palace Hotel in Brazzaville (the capital city of the Republic of Congo)

• Radisson Blu Azuri Resort and Spa in Mauritius

• Radisson Blu Poste La Fayette Resort and Spa in Mauritius

Radisson Blu, in the upper upscale segment, is the core brand of The Rezidor Hotel Group, the largest brand of its kind in Europe in the past few years and, the fastest growing hotel brand in Africa.

“It’s about delivering your pipeline and opening your hotels and we are delighted to open three Radisson Blu hotels in the same week,” commented Andrew McLachlan, Vice President Business Development for Africa & Indian Ocean Islands, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. “We have opened four Radisson Blu hotels across Africa this year in Cape Town, Brazzaville and two in Mauritius. We will open a further four Radisson Blu hotels before Christmas 2015. The next opening will be in Nairobi in October, followed by Lomé in November, and then Maputo and Marrakech in December.”

“Africa is one of our most important markets for growth. We believe in the great potential of this continent and are committed to constantly strengthening our role as a key player in the travel and tourism sector across the continent,” added McLachlan.

The group’s overall development strategy is built on asset-light, sustainable growth with a particular focus on emerging markets. In addition to the eight Radisson Blu hotels opening in 2015, Carlson Rezidor will also open its first Park Inn by Radisson in Nigeria in Q4-2015.

According to an independent study completed by W-Hospitality earlier this year, Carlson Rezidor’s upper upscale brand, Radisson Blu, continues to occupy first position in terms of the number of hotels and rooms in its development pipeline. Its sister brand, Park Inn by Radisson (ranked 4th), is also in the top 10 out of the more than 80 hotel brands pipelines tracked in Africa in 2015.

“We are committed to the development of hotels in the emerging markets of Africa, and see further potential for our core brand Radisson Blu in more capital cities and financial hubs across the continent. Our aim is to be a leading operator in Africa and a responsible partner by creating jobs for local talent and, interacting with the communities in the countries in which we are active. We believe we can make a difference”, commented Andrew McLachlan of Carlson Rezidor.