Category: Tourism-Hospitality

Zimbabwe’s Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry Barbara Rwodzi. Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Tourism and Hospitality Industry is seeking to establish the Zimbabwe Tourism Fund (ZTF) as a stand alone entity, in a bid to bolster management, good governance and accountability. Currently run by the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority, the ZTF is funded by a 2% revenue levy from operators in the tourism and hospitality sector. Speaking at a Tourism Amendment Bill workshop in Harare recently, Tourism and Hospitality Minister Barbara Rwodzi said that a stand alone ZTF would help to promote effective and…

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The Zimbabwean government recently announced it may hike navigation fees for foreign airlines operating in the state’s airspace, sparking scrutiny from the Zimbabwean Board of Airline Representatives (BAR). The new regulation may result in increased operating costs for international airlines, potentially discouraging them from operating in the Zimbabwean market, argues the BAR. In 2020, the African Airlines Association (Afraa), published a report “Air Navigation Service Charges in Africa” which revealed that airlines’ operational costs are greatly impacted by charges for air-navigation services. Furthermore, the report claimed that the cost of…

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By the end of the year, Africa’s travel and tourism market is predicted to clear revenues of US$24.42 billion (nearly R500bn), according to a Market Insights report by Statista. What’s more, the largest market is hotels, which is projected to reach volumes of more than R200 billion (€10bn). Against that backdrop, Africa’s Travel Indaba is taking place in Durban from May 13-16. Featuring over 990 exhibitors from 26 African countries, more than 1 000 buyers, and 120 SMMEs, Africa’s Travel Indaba is set to be one of the biggest events…

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In the past few years, Ugu District, which governs the KZN South Coast, has attracted a significant number of tourists during the festive season – and according to local establishments, the 2023 figures indicate a similar pattern for the upcoming Easter period at the end of the month. “The occupancy rates are a very positive indicator of our growing tourism economy, and the KZN South Coast is offering visitors what they want – a nature-based experience that is affordable for the whole family,” said Deborah Ludick, Acting CEO of South Coast…

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South Africa has been proactive in leveraging the significant advances made in the development of the world’s largest space telescope array in the Northern Cape, with a comprehensive astro-tourism set to be submitted to Cabinet for approval. Outside the small town of Carnarvon is the South African site (called MeerKAT) of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), a global mega-infrastructure project that endeavours to build the most powerful radio telescope in the world. Since the start of construction in both South Africa and Australia (the site for the project’s other array…

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The Leonardo in Sandton has furthered its reputation as one of the continent’s leading MICE establishments, with the opening of South Africa’s highest urban conference and events venue. Officially opened on Thursday, March 7, on the 45th floor of the 234-metre residential, conferencing and lifestyle destination, L45 offers a unique ‘blank-canvas’ space that can be adapted for a number of corporate or private events, including seated conferencing, formal lunches or dinners, cocktail functions and weddings. The new venue boasts floor-to-ceiling windows that deliver panoramic views over Johannesburg. Operations Director for Legacy…

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White Pearl Resorts, located at Ponta Mamoli, 88km south of Maputo, has recently launched its luxury private beach villa, which will complement its 22 stilted pool suites. ‘The Villa @ White Pearl’ offers experiences for multi-generational families and small groups of friends with five spacious suites overlooking the Indian Ocean. It has a dedicated team, including a private manager, butler, spa therapist, and chef. Guests can enjoy a variety of dining and social spaces, both indoors and under the stars at the boma. A poolside bar has day beds and…

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The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) has registered Ethiopia’s Gedeo Cultural Landscape as an official World Heritage Site. The registration was announced on Sunday (September 17) at the 45th extended session of the World Heritage Committee currently under way in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in the presence of Ethiopian Minister of Tourism Nasise Chale. According to the Ministry, following the entry of Gedeo Cultural Landscape into Unesco’s heritage site list, the number of Unesco-inscribed cultural and natural heritages in Ethiopia has reached ten, and it is the 100th in…

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Botswana is gearing up to host the inaugural AfCFTA Forum on Tourism, Creatives, and Cultural Industries, with the launch to take place during the Africa Tourism Leadership Forum (ATLF) and Awards at the Gaborone International Convention Centre on October 4-6. The emergence of creative tourism reflects the growing integration between tourism and different place-making strategies, including promoting the creative industries. It is against this background that the AfCFTA Secretariat has partnered with Africa Tourism Partners to host the inaugural forum, which seeks to involve key Pan-African and intra-Africa travel and…

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Tanzania has surpassed 2019 (pre-pandemic) levels for the number of tourist arrivals in Q1 this year. According to data published by the Tanzanian National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the country received 409 082 tourists in the first quarter of 2023, more than the 339 279 arrivals recorded for the same period in 2019. This is also higher than the previous record of 364 886 arrivals in Q1 2018. For the full year in 2018, the country received 1 505 702 tourists, and in 2019, 1 510 151 tourists. The latter remains the…

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