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  • News: Kenya to host World Travel Awards Africa Gala Ceremony

    Kenya’s profile as a popular tourist destination has received a lift with the Kenya Tourism Board winning the bid to host this year’s World Travel Awards Africa Gala Ceremony.

    The event will occur on October 16th.

    The WTA nominations will recognise excellence within the travel, tourism and hospitality industry, thus encouraging nominees to uphold constant improvement in products and delivery of service.

    The decision to host the development in Kenya comes hot at the heels of KTB’s award as Africa’s Leading Tourism Board by WTA in December last year.

    “World Travel Awards is coming to Kenya on the right time after a successful and peaceful general election under a brand new constitution.

    “This has further raised the country’s profile as a secure destination,” said KTB managing director Muriithi Ndegwa.

    “That WTA has chosen Kenya for the African region ceremony as portion of the arena grand tour, is an endorsement of the rustic as a popular tourism destination on the earth.”

    Kenya is found in East Africa and boasts white sandy beaches bathed by the Indian Ocean in addition to the majestic snow-capped Mount Kenya.

    It is increasingly emerging as an Adventure destination offering activities from hot air ballooning, to authentic cultural interactions with the local ethnic communities, in addition to visits to the area renowned Masai Mara, with breath taking safaris and wildebeest migrations, supported by a miscellany of unique superior class accommodation.

    WTA president Graham Cooke added:  “The number of our hosts is key to the success of our awards programme, and Kenya as a nation has your entire ingredients to rise to the challenge of hosting our Africa Ceremony – a warm, vibrant and progressive nation, brimming with enthusiasm and creativity.

    “Tourism is important to Kenya’s economy, contributing 12 per cent to its GDP and sustaining one in ten jobs.

    “The future is bright for Kenya, given the nation’s overwhelming natural resources, its unrivalled wildlife experiences and pristine beaches.”

    For further details, including entry forms and shutting deadlines for nominations, visit the official website.

    The ceremonies are widely considered as possibly the most effective networking opportunities inside the travel industry, attended by government and industry leaders, luminaries, and international print and broadcast media.

    The 2012 WTA Grand Tour ceremonies were attended by greater than 3,000 guests from 92 countries, in addition to media from 194 TV channels and publications.

  • Free trial offer as Ecompter announces compatibility with HCMI

    Ecompter’s Sustainability Service for hotels, that comes with continuous CO2 management reporting and a web CO2 calculator for the hotel guests, is the 1st service to be in response to the recent hotel industry agreed common method for measuring and communicating carbon emissions – the Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative (HCMI 1.0).

    The HCMI 1.0 methodology was developed by the sector Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) and the International Tourism Partnership (ITP), in consultation with 23 leading hotel groups and KPMG.  Ecompter was among the companies consulted at the methodology during its second phase of development.

    To support the adoption of the HCMI standard and to enable the hotel community to start with a uniform way of CO2 reporting, Ecompter is offering a brand new free 6 month trial of the service.

    Ecompter’s sustainability service also features a simple-to-digest summary of the hotel’s environmental initiatives and results, plus an interactive image of the hotel room to turn guests how they could cut their energy use during their stay (eg simply by the room’s shower in place of bath).

    Mr. Ville Valorinta, Managing Director of Ecompter says; ”Through Ecompter we wish to help raise awareness and understanding of ways unbiased and standardized CO2 reporting and inter-active communication may be used to control and monitor the environmental initiatives and have interaction both staff and guests to concentrate on the consumption.”

    Fran Hughes, Head of Programmes at ITP say; “We are working hard to embed the methodology and accomplish maximum soak up. We are hoping to extend the ‘supply’ of data by reaching out to other hotel groups about HCMI, in addition to to travel management companies and global distribution systems to make sure they’re aware that carbon footprint information is on the market and guaranteeing it usually is provided to the shopper within the simplest format.”

  • News: New chief executive for South African Airways

    South African Airways has announced Monwabisi Kalawe will take over as chief executive officer.

    This comes after the deputy prime minister’s challenge to the SAA board of directors to continue to highlight improving SAA’s governance.

    “The board worked tirelessly to search out an appropriate leader who will lead by example and stabilise the interior environment while practising ensuring good corporate governance in the airline,” said Dudu Myeni, acting chairperson of the SAA board of directors.

    “Kalawe also will lead SAA, as a strategic national asset, towards contributing to the socio-economic development of the rustic and the continent.”

    Kalawe began his career at state owned company, Eskom, before joining Nestle South Africa for many years after which returning to Eskom for 3 years.

    No stranger to the aviation industry, Kalawe also worked at Airports Company South Africa for 6 years before leading Total Facilities Management Company as chief operating officer and Denel as chief executive.

    After concluding his role as country managing director of Compass Group for 5 years and more recently as Executive Chairperson, Mr. Kalawe will join SAA within the following few weeks.

  • UNWTO partners with top Spanish engineering company for pilot projects

    Research, best practices and new methodologies for tourism development are on the centre of an agreement signed between UNWTO and Spanish public company ISDEFE (Ingeniería de Sistemas para la Defensa de España). This agreement aims at developing pilot projects in keeping with a number subjects including connectivity, energy in tourism, among others.

    UNWTO will draw at the expertise of Isdefe in providing engineering services to the Spanish Administration and international public bodies.

    “We share a standard view with Isdefe and this agreement will contribute to advance new concepts for tourism development if you want to be positioned within the global tourism agenda”, said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, in signing the agreement.

    Specific areas of cooperation include projects on tourism and infrastructure and connectivity, energy, and development assistance.

    “We are proud to hitch our efforts to the work that UNWTO carries out in support of 1 of the leading economic activities of our time”, said Francisco Quereda Rubio, CEO of Isdefe. “This agreement consolidates our commitment to overall UN goals of sustainability and company social responsibility, which we subscribed already in 2009 after we joined the worldwide Compact of the United Nations”, he added.

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  • News: Being wins FAA popularity of Dreamliner fix

    Aircraft regulators within the Usa have approved a revamped battery design for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

    The decision paves the style for the fleet to go back to the skies, after problems grounded it for months.

    The Federal Aviation Administration said airlines had to replace the batteries to go back to service.

    Boeing chairman Jim McNerney said: “FAA approval clears the style for us and the airlines to start the method of returning the 787 to flight with continued confidence within the safety and reliability of this game-changing new airplane.”

    Planes will now must be fitted with a “containment and venting” system for both the lithium-ion batteries.

    That encompasses a stainless-steel enclosure to avoid heat, fumes or fire from spreading if a battery overheats in flight, said the FAA.

    There are presently 50 Boeing Dreamliners in service all over the world.