• Home
  • Post a press-release
  • Visibility packages
  • Subscribe email updates
  • Event Calendar
  • Contact

For Immediate Release | Official News Wire for the Travel Industry

Where press releases are breaking news

  • Home
  • Post a press-release
  • Visibility packages
  • Subscribe email updates
  • Event Calendar
  • Contact

Boat Charter Policy private stakeholder consultative meeting

April 18, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

A consultative meeting with private sector stakeholders to discuss the revision of the tourism Boat Charter Policy was held on the 5th April 2019 at the International Conference Centre of Seychelles (ICCS).

The Meeting was chaired by the Principal Secretary for Tourism Mrs. Anne Lafortune and in attendance was the Director for Policy, Research, Monitoring and Evaluation Mrs. Bernice Senaratne, Director for Standards and Monitoring, Mr. Louis Desnousse, relevant government agencies and boat charter operators.

The aim of the consultation meeting was to present and discuss the proposed amended Boat charter policy which dates back to 2008 in order to collect the views and recommendations of the private sector, mainly boat charter operators who will need to abide by this policy.

During the meeting, it was unanimously agreed that Boat Charter businesses should be reserved to Seychellois including all assets.  The operators highlighted that by not allowing leasing of capital assets from foreigners, the charter businesses will remain free from foreign involvements. The Principal Secretary also assured the meeting that all 300 registered Boat Charter businesses are fully owned by Seychellois as per the Tourism Department’s records.

One of the main concerns raised by the Boat Charter Operators during the meeting was regarding the availability of qualified and skilled labour. According to the operators, graduates who qualify under ‘My first Job scheme’ do not have the required skills and training for the job. The Assistant Director of the Seychelles Maritime Academy (SMA), Captain Wilton Ernesta also present during the meeting explained that the Academy provides the necessary training for maritime based operations and as of this year they have adopted a new strategy to recruit and produce quality students as opposed to quantity by the year 2020.

The boat charter policy comprised of 11 policy statements which include ownership and investment in the charter business, Fleet size, Qualifications required, Conditions of Licence, Standards to be maintained, Environmental actions, Preservation of the Environment, Operators subjected to Integration policy , Information to be submitted to the relevant Authorities, Non-compliance and Emergency and Evacuation procedures.

The main recommendations submitted by the operators in the meeting were regarding the preservation of the environment statement, whereby they emphasized on the need for better infrastructure and facilities to support this policy. The example of introducing a black water pump out system for the disposal of waste was given in view that currently waste is being disposed in the sea. They will be unable to implement the policy requirements without the proper infrastructure in place. It was also recommended that a Boat charter association should be set up to facilitate dialogue and support the operators and the different activities of this sector.

The Tourism department will be taking into consideration all comments and issues raised during the meeting. The proposed draft will be amended and presented to the stakeholders in a follow up validation workshop.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Filed Under: Press Release Tagged With: and, Anne, April, assets, Assistant, association, Assured, attendance, authorities, based, better, black, boat, Boat Charter Policy, Breaking Travel News, Business, businesses, capital, captain, Centre, charter, charter operators, charter policy, collect, comments, Compliance, concerns, conditions, conference, currently, dates, department, dialogue, different, director, Discuss, draft, emergency, environment, environmental, evacuation, evaluation, Evaluation Mrs, explained, facilities, first, fleet, follow, foreign, foreigners, free, government, held, in, including, information, infrastructure, integration, International, international conference, Investment, issues, IT, job, Leasing, licence, Main, maritime, meeting, monitoring, Mr, Mrs, need, New, new strategy, News articles, Non, operations, operators, order, out, ownership, Place, policy, present, presented, preservation, private, private sector, procedures, proposed, provides, qualified, quality, quantity, raised, recommendations, records, requirements, research, revision, s, scheme, sea, Secretary, sector, Set, Seychelles, Seychelles travel news, Seychellois, Size, skills, stakeholder, stakeholders, standards, statement, statements, strategy, students, support, system, taking, The Seychelles, to, TO BE, tourism, Tourism Department, Tourism Mrs, training, Travel & Tourism Organizations News, Travel Destination News, Travelwire News, unable, up, validation workshop, view, views, waste, water, were, WHO, workshop, year

United Airlines plans nonstop service between New York/Newark and Cape Town

April 15, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

United Airlines today applied with the U.S. Department of Transportation for authority to begin new service between New York/Newark Liberty International Airport and Cape Town International Airport. United plans to operate nonstop three-times weekly flights to Cape Town starting in December 2019.

“We are always looking at ways to expand our industry-leading international route network to offer our customers more convenient options. We’re thrilled to announce the addition of Africa to our global route offering,” said Patrick Quayle, United’s vice president of International Network. “This new flight will provide customers with the only nonstop service between the United States and Cape Town.”

United’s nonstop service between New York/Newark and Cape Town will decrease the current travel time from New York to Cape Town by more than four hours and provide customers from more than 80 U.S. cities with easy one-stop access to Cape Town. If approved, United’s service between New York/Newark and Cape Town will be operated with Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft featuring 48 seats in United Polaris business class, 88 seats in United Economy Plus and 116 seats in United Economy.

Proposed Flight Schedule, Beginning December 15, 2019*

From To Depart Arrive Aircraft
New York/Newark Cape Town 8:30 p.m. 6:00 p.m. +1 Boeing 787-9
Cape Town New York/Newark 8:50 p.m. 5:45 a.m. +1 Boeing 787-9

*Subject to government approval

Cape Town is the oldest city in South Africa and the country’s center of trade and commerce. Located at the shore of Table Bay, the city is home to some of the most popular attractions in South Africa including Table Mountain, Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens and the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront. Travelers to South Africa often begin their African journey in Cape Town before touring the Cape Winelands, viewing the African penguins at Boulder Beach or traveling beyond Cape Town to explore South Africa’s natural beauty including its many national parks, game reserves and beautiful coastlines and beaches of the KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape provinces.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Filed Under: Press Release Tagged With: American Travel News, and, announce, approval, approved, attractions, authority, Aviation News, aviation-website, Bay, beach, beaches, beautiful, beauty, begin, Boeing, Boeing 787, botanical gardens, Breaking Travel News, Business, business class, Cape, Cape Town, center, cities, city, class, commerce, convenient, country, current, customers, December, decrease, depart, department, Department of Transportation, Dreamliner, Economy, Economy Plus, expand, explore, featuring, flight, flights, free, game, gardens, Global, government, government approval, home, hours, in, including, Industry, International, International Airport, International Travel News, journey, kwazulu-natal, leading, Liberty International Airport, looking, M, most, most popular, mountain, national, national parks, natural, network, New, new flight, new service, new york, Newark, Newark Liberty International Airport, News articles, nonstop, nonstop service, offer, offering, one-stop, only, operate, operated, options, parks, plans, popular, president, proposed, provinces, reserves, route, route network, s, said, schedule, seats, service, South, South Africa, South Africa travel news, states, stop, Table Mountain, the United States, time, times, to, today, touring, tourism, town, Trade, Transportation, Transportation News, Travel, Travel Destination News, travelers, traveling, Travelwire News, U.S. Department of Transportation, United, United Airlines, United States, vice, vice president, Victoria, waterfront, ways, We, weekly, weekly flights, Western, Western Cape, World News, York

Cable Car to be introduced on Mount Kilimanjaro, amid protest

April 4, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

A cable car is to be rolled out on Mount Kilimanjaro by a foreign company to improve access and boost tourism, amid strong protest from key local industry players.

Overlooking the sprawling Savannah plains of Tanzania and Kenya, the snow-capped mountain of Kilimanjaro rises majestically in splendid isolation to 5,895 metres above the sea level, making it the world’s highest freestanding peak.

Tanzania Deputy minister for Natural Resources and Tourism Constantine Kanyasu says the Cable Car facility was part of the government’s latest strategy to woo tourists with over 50 years of age.

Mr Kanyasu says that they hope that the cable car will allow more ageing tourists to experience the wide variety of nature and wildlife of Mount Kilimanjaro.

Instead of the familiar views of snow and ice, this cable car would offer a day trip safari with a bird’s eye view, contrary to the eight-day hiking trip.

The initial work for the cable car has just taken off with AVAN Kilimanjaro hiring the Crescent Environment and Management (CEM) Consult Limited to conduct Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA).

CEM officer Beatrice Mchome had engaged tour operators and other mountain stakeholders in Kilimanjaro and Arusha region where she made presentations on the proposed cable car and a lodge projects as part of the ESIA process.

Uproar

Key industry players, namely tour operators, guides and porters strongly protest the new facility, saying climbing the magnificent Kilimanjaro Mountain on foot is a lifetime experience that should never be compromised by cable cars.

Mount Kilimanjaro Porters Society (MKPS) opposes the cable car product outright, saying it will deny employment nearly 250,000 unskilled porters scaling up Mount Kilimanjaro for a wage each year.

“Much as the cable car service doesn’t require porters, majority of tourists will climb Mount Kilimanjaro on day trip basis using the new product to cut down costs and length of stay,” MKPS vice chairman Edson Mpemba explains.

Mpemba wonders that decision makers had overlooked interests of the huge number of unskilled labour force, which solely depends on the mountain to eke out a living.

“Think of the ripple effect on families of the 250,000 unskilled porters,” he stresses, cautioning:

“The cable car facility will initially look like a noble and innovative idea, but it will, in a long run, ruin the future of the majority of local people whose livelihood depends on the mountain.”

Seasoned tour guide Victor Manyanga echoes his fears saying the glittering cable car product will contradict the country’s conservation policy, as it will encourage mass tourism and become a major threat to the ecology of Mount Kilimanjaro.

“The cable car will be installed along the Machame route, which doubles as an irreplaceable birds migratory route…I am greatly worried over electric wires severely affecting the migration of birds,” Manyanga says.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a tour operator accuses authorities of deliberately violating the law of the land by allowing a foreign investor to operate a cable car service on Mount Kilimanjaro.

“The law provides for exclusivity of Mount Kilimanjaro services to local operators, how come a foreign company is licensed to operate a cable car against it?” he queries.

Section 58(2) of the 2008 Tanzania Tourism Act No 11 clearly says mountain climbing or trekking registration will be issued to companies fully owned by Tanzanians.

Tour operators are also worried over the cable car harshly affecting revenues in a long run, owing to the service significantly reducing the length of stay from eight to one day.

“Assume all 50,000 tourists hiking Mount Kilimanjaro a year opt for the cable car, the national park will get $4.1 million fee, down from the current $55.3 million,” the tour operators say.

They fear the multiplier effect of the decline to the entrance, camping, rescue and crew fees will also be reflected on the national economy.

Chief Park Warden with Kilimanjaro National Park (KINAPA) Betty Looibok says the cable car is but only one of several additional tourism products embedded into Mount Kilimanjaro’s General Management Plan (GMP) in an effort to boost revenue.

“Cable car is for physically challenged persons and aged tourists who want to experience the thrill of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro up to Shira Plateau without wishing to summit,” she explains.

Looibok says the construction of the cable car will depend on the outcome of the environmental and social impact assessment study, which is currently underway.

Plans for the cable car service on the Kilimanjaro Mountain are not entirely new; as the discussions date back 1960s when they were not successful.

The feasibility plan in place will, however, bring the cable car one step closer to reality and make the mountain more accessible than it has been so far.

Some of the 50,000 tourists conquering Mount Kilimanjaro peaks a year though use challenging specialist routes, most of them opt for one of the six separate walking routes to the roof.

They generally take seven to eight days and are provided with accommodation in camps pitched around peaks for them to adjust to the altitude as they ascend.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Filed Under: Press Release Tagged With: and, Arusha, assessment, authorities, bird, birds, boost, cable, cable cars, camping, camps, car, car service, cars, CEM, Chairman, chief, climb, climbing, come, companies, company, conservation, construction, costs, country, crew, current, currently, cut, date, day, day trip, Days, decision, decline, deny, deputy, down, ecology, Economy, effect, effort, eight, electric, employment, entrance, environment, environmental, ESIA, experience, facility, families, far, fear, fears, fee, fees, foot, force, foreign, future, general, government, guide, guides, highest, hiring, hope, ice, impact, improve, in, Industry, innovative, Instead, introduced, investor, isolation, issued, IT, just, Kenya, key, Kilimanjaro, Kilimanjaro Mountain, Land, LATEST, law, length of stay, like, Limited, Living, local, lodge, major, Make, management, mass, mass tourism, migration, migratory, million, minister, minister for natural resources and tourism, MKPS, most, Mount Kilimanjaro, mountain, mountain climbing, Mr, national, national economy, national park, natural, natural resources, nature, nearly, New, News articles, number, offer, officer, only, operate, operator, operators, out, over, park, peak, People, persons, Place, Plains, plan, plans, Plateau, players, policy, presentations, product, products, projects, proposed, protest, provides, reality, region, registration, require, rescue, resources, Revenue, revenues, rises, roof, route, routes, ruin, s, safari, Savannah, saying, says, sea, sea level, service, services, seven, significantly, snow, snow and ice, social, social impact, society, stakeholders, stay, strategy, strong, study, successful, summit, Tanzania, Tanzania tourism, Tanzanians, The National, The World, think, threat, to, TO BE, tour, tour guide, tour operator, Tour Operators, tourism, tourists, Trekking, trip, underway, up, uproar, use, using, variety, vice chairman, victor, view, views, wage, walking, were, WHO, wildlife, wires, wonders, woo, work, World, worried, year, years

Thailand: The 1,000 Spire Pagoda

April 3, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

Tourists in Thailand visiting Ko Khao Yai at Ban Bo Chet Luk, which is part of the Ko Phetra National Park of Satun province, will be greeted by a mass of nearly a thousand bizarre-looking spire-like rocks. This spectacular site is like a bridge connecting us to the pre-human evolutionary age. During the summer low tides, the seawater recedes below the sandy ground revealing gigantic tunnel-like cavities. To the locals, this mass of rocks is known as ‘The 1,000-Spire Pagoda’.

The presence of reddish Cambrian sedimentary rocks and grey Ordovician limestone has convinced geologists to speculate that this area could have been the first landmass of Thailand. Thanks to this unique feature, Ko Khao Yai became Thailand’s first geological site to be declared a UNESCO World Geological Site.

Ko Khao Yai’s tourism is community-managed.  Local residents proposed ideas, implemented them and designed tourism programmes that conform to their original way of life. Today, the ‘1,000-Spire Pagoda’ is amongst Thailand’s most perfectly conserved natural attractions. An ideal site for studies in geology, natural history and cultural anthropology, Ko Khao Yai is a piece of well-recorded evidence of sub-oceanic conditions of 500 million years ago.

“The Seasons Episode 6: The Ancient Stone” is part of the 12- episode travel documentary series that reveal the untold stories of the unique way of life of the Thai people and the amazing scenery of natural attractions in different regions. There are four episodes for each of the three seasons that Thailand has in a year: rainy, cool and summer.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Filed Under: Press Release Tagged With: ancient, and, area, attractions, ban, Ban Bo Chet Luk, Bizarre, Breaking Travel News, bridge, community, conditions, connecting, Corporate News, cultural, Cultural Travel News, designed, different, documentary, evidence, Feature, first, geology, ground, history, Human, ideas, in, Khao, known, Ko, Ko Khao, Ko Khao Yai, life, like, local, locals, looking, low, mass, million, most, national, national park, natural, nearly, News articles, original, Pagoda, park, People, Pre, presence, proposed, province, recorded, regions, residents, reveal, rocks, s, sandy, scenery, Seasons, series, site, spectacular, stories, studies, Sub, summer, Thai, thailand, Thailand Travel News, Thailands, thousand, tides, to, TO BE, today, tourism, tourists, Travel, Travel Destination News, Travelwire News, tunnel, UNESCO, unique, US, visiting, way, World, Yais, year, years

Oman Air climbs to first place in one of Heathrow’s greenest years yet

March 18, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

Oman Air has landed first place in the latest Heathrow “Fly Quiet and Green” league table, due to its use of ‘Continuous Decent Approach’ which helps to reduce fuel burn and minimise noise by arriving aircraft. This achievement builds on the strides made in the previous quarter (Q3) which saw Oman Air leaping up 26 spots after phasing out their older aircraft and replacing them with the ultra-quiet and green 787 Dreamliners. Oman Air’s drastic improvement shows the impact technology can have on an airline’s environmental performance and the importance of the “Fly Quiet and Green” league – the UK’s first in advocating sustainable action.

The latest Heathrow “Fly Quiet and Green” league table publishes the top 50 busiest airlines at Heathrow on seven noise and emission metrics from October to December 2018. The results show Heathrow airlines have a clear commitment to modernising their fleet and working to adopt techniques which will help to reduce the airport’s impact on local communities. In addition to this public ranking, Heathrow encourages new technology through environmental pricing incentives, which reduce landing charges for airlines operating their greenest and quietest aircraft at our airport. The top environmental performers such as the Boeing 787 Dreamliners and Airbus A350s now make up over a tenth of planes at Heathrow.

Other airlines at the top of the League rankings included British Airways (short haul fleet), which jumped up to second place due to its improved punctuality benefitting both local communities and passengers alike. SAS placed third, moving up three places in the latest table due to the introduction of A320 neos to their fleet. Icelandair earns most improved airline, jumping an astounding 40 places to take the 11th spot. The airline has worked to improve its use of Continuous Decent Approach, whilst sticking more closely to the designated flight paths set for pilots, which assists the provision of predictable respite for local communities.

This news comes shortly after the conclusion of Heathrow’s eight-week Airspace and Future Operations consultation during which local residents were given the opportunity to share their views on the airport’s future airspace design – both for the existing two runways and as part of the proposed expansion. Heathrow’s consultation is part of a nationwide move to modernise the country’s airspace for the first time since the 1960s, potentially boosting punctuality for passengers by reducing the need for routine stacking as well as providing guaranteed respite for the airport’s local communities and reducing airplane emissions.

Matt Gorman, Heathrow’s Director of Sustainability, said:

“As we prepare to expand our airport, we’re working with airlines to encourage fierce competition for the top spot of the ‘Fly Quiet and Green’ league table and it’s brilliant to see more airlines vying for pole position. As airlines modernise their fleets, we’ll also be engaging with local communities to modernise the UK’s airspace, enabling aircraft to more efficiently use the skies around us, increasing punctuality whilst reducing emissions and noise in future.”

Abdul Aziz Al Raisi, Chief Executive Officer, Oman Air said:

“We follow Heathrow’s Quiet and Green league table very closely and it is indeed gratifying to see Oman Air rank first for the fourth quarter of 2018. Moving to the quieter, more efficient Boeing 787 Dreamliner has had a positive impact and shows our commitment to operating the most environmentally friendly aircraft across our growing international network. This is indeed a proud moment to see our efforts recognised by one of the world’s leading airports.”

Travel News | eTurboNews

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Filed Under: Press Release Tagged With: and, arriving, Aviation News, aviation-website, Boeing, Boeing 787, Boeing 787 Dreamliner, Breaking Travel News, British, British Airways, burn, busiest, charges, chief, chief executive, chief executive officer, Clear, commitment, communities, competition, Corporate News, country, December, design, director, Dreamliner, Dreamliners, due, efforts, eight, emission, emissions, encourages, environmental, environmental performance, environmentally friendly, executive, existing, expand, expansion, first, first place, fleet, fleets, flight, fly by, follow, free, friendly, fuel, future, green, greenest, Heathrow, Heathrows, help, helps, Icelandair, impact, importance, improve, improved, improvement, in, incentives, included, increasing, International, International Travel News, introduction, IT, landing, landing charges, LATEST, leading, local, Make, metrics, most, move, moving, Nationwide, need, network, New, News, News articles, noise, October, officer, Oman, Oman Air, Oman travel news, Operating, operations, opportunity, out, over, passengers, paths, performance, pilots, Place, places, planes, position, positive, pricing, proposed, proud, public, quarter, Quiet, quieter, ranking, reduce, residents, Responsible Tourism News, results, runways, s, said, SAS, second, second place, see, seven, Share, short, show, shows, skies, spots, Sustainability, sustainable, Technology, The World, through, time, to, top, top 50, top spot, tourism, Transportation News, Travel Destination News, Travelwire News, UK, UK Travel News, ultra, up, US, use, views, We, week, were, worked, working, World, World News, years

Search




Recent Articles

  • The St. Regis Venice Triumphs at Marriott’s EMEA General Manager’s Conference 2023
  • The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Aviation & Investments Returns to SUN ‘n FUN Aerospace Expo under the theme ‘Soaring into The Bahamas GoldenJubilee’
  • Kingston Cops Award for Best Creative Destination for 2023
  • Jamaica Tourist Board Announces Retirement of Donnie Dawson
  • Curacao is Calling with Enticing Escapes
  • Frankfurt Airport: 2023 Summer Flight Schedule with New Destinations and Increased Seating Capacities
  • Minister Bartlett Welcomes Resurgence of Villas Sub-Sector
  • Tourism Seychelles Principal Secretary shares industry successes at 10th Arab Aviation Summit
  • Speed Networking Events Generate Over $650 Million in Revenue for Small Businesses Supplying Tourism Sector, says Bartlett
  • Enjoying the Suite Life at Sandals Resorts

Subscribe to daily email update

RSS eTN Articles

  • Importance of Wine? Win/Win
  • Barbados Tourism: What the Future Holds
  • The St. Regis Venice Triumphs at Marriott’s EMEA Conference
  • VisitBritain Releases Online Accent Game with AI Voice Technology
  • Disney Cruise Line Sails to New Island Destination
  • Bahamas Tourism Returns to SUN ‘n FUN Aerospace Expo
  • Budapest Airport: New Routes, New Airlines in Summer 2023
  • Heathrow: A Year of Sustainability Progress
  • Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Secures More Airlift
  • Qantas’ Jetstar Repeatedly Mistreats Disabled Passenger

Archives

  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • August 2016

Content

and Breaking Travel News Business CEO experience first free hotel Hotels in including Industry International International Travel News IT minister most New News articles only over People s said sandals The World through time to TO BE tourism Tours Transportation News Travel Travel & Tourism Organizations News Travel Destination News Travelwire News up We were WHO World World News year years

Copyright © 2023 · Metro Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in