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Kenya plans to build an international airport at Taveta near the Tanzanian border, a move that could pose a challenge to the Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA).

The new airport is aimed at taping the tourism potential in both Kenya and Tanzania and could substantially lessen dependency on international airports in Nairobi and Mombasa.

“The site has been secured at Taveta and construction will start anytime from next year,” Mutinda Mutiso, the Kenyan High Commissioner to Tanzania said here on Tuesday evening.

Speaking to business community members based here from both Kenya and Tanzania, the flamboyant Kenyan diplomat said the project would cost about Ksh10 billion and that it would be completed within two years.

He said the new airport would be located a short distance from Holili, the border post between the two countries along the Moshi-Voi-Mombasa highway.

Also to be constructed in the area is an inland port to handle the cargo traffic from Mombasa port to the hinterland and landlocked countries in the region.

Besides Kenya, the port handles cargo from or destined for northern Tanzania regions, especially Arusha and Kilimanjaro regions.

Ambassador Mutiso said the new airport is aimed to tap the tourism potential of south east Kenya and north east Tanzania which are endowed with various attractive sites for visitors.

These include Tsavo West and Amboseli game reserves in Kenya and Mt Kilimanjaro and newly elevated Mkomazi national park in Tanzania.

“We want to see the Taveta/Holili border region fully integrated for investments and business,” he said, adding that his country would upgrade the Mombasa-Taveta railway line to attract more traffic, especially to northern Tanzania.

Other transport infrastructures in the area lined up for upgrading include the Mombasa-Lunga Lunga road to the Tanzanian border and Horohoro-Tanga section in Tanzania.

The diplomat defended the new international airport for his country saying it would reduce the costs and inconveniences by tourists from abroad who had to change planes several times to reach the famous game sanctuaries in the area.

However, when pressed further on the critical need for the airport in the area that has two international airports at Mombasa and KIA, the Kenyan envoy admitted that their intention was to lessen dependency on the Moi International Airport in Mombasa.

Should the project go ahead, it is likely to impact negatively on KIA which had not been used to the optimum due to high landing and fuel charges which has resulted in less traffic than anticipated when it was constructed 40 years ago.

Officials of the Kilimanjaro Airports Development Company (KADCO), a private company that runs the underutilised airport, could not be contacted on their mobile phones yesterday to comment on the matter.

However, a source familiar with the aviation industry wondered on the motive of having “an international airport” in the vicinity and hinted it could be aimed to pose more challenge to KIA which has not succeeded to beat Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi in handling tourists to northern Tanzania.

Currently the second largest airport in the country handles various international and regional aircrafts including the Royal Dutch Airlines (KLM) and the Ethiopian Airlines.

However, its main traffic is with Nairobi’s JKIA where several flights land and take off each few hours mainly by Precision Air, a local airline presently under the management of Kenya Airways.

Source: The Citizen (http://thecitizen.co.tz/news/4-national-news/1061-kenya-to-build-international-airport-at-taveta-near-kia.html)

Western Cape Finance MEC Alan Winde is considering naming and shaming overnight accommodation establishments which are found to be charging soccer fans excessive rates during the tournament.

He made the announcement at the V&A Waterfront, where the 6th annual Cape Town Tourism Destination Conference is underway.

Winde said they are just about ready to start welcoming World Cup visitors to the Western Cape.

The MEC said he was encouraged by a recent pledge by several tourism associations in the province. They have agreed to keep hotel, backpacker and restaurant prices reasonable.

For those who do not play the game, Winde has a surprise in store.

The MEC said if they receive reports of excessive pricing, they will investigate and might be forced to name and shame the culprits.

Source: Eye Witness News (http://www.eyewitnessnews.co.za/articleprog.aspx?id=35918)

A survey conducted by the National Tourism Board and the Tourism Council of Zambia through the Cornell University in the United Kingdom has revealed that about 60 percent of people in the west do not know about Zambia’s existence.

Tourism Board Chairman Timothy Mushibwe says the survey has also proved that the current brand that Zambia is using to market itself as one of the best tourism destinations is not effective.

Mr Mushibwe said this at a briefing to announce the launch of a new project that will be conducted by National Tourism Board and the Tourism Council of Zambia with the support of school of Hotel Administration department of Cornell University of the United Kingdom.

He said the school has been brought on board to package and design persuasive and attractive catch lines to compell more people to visit Zambia.

Mr Mushibwe observed that the current Zambia the Real Africa brand did not contribute to its marketing efforts but has instead left misconceptions among Zambia’s potential tourists.

And Cornell school of hotel administration marketing Associate Professor Rob Kwortnik says a six member student delegation from the school is embarking on new ways to analyze every facility that Zambia has and how best to market them.

He says there is need to devise a brand that will set the country apart if Zambia is to sustain its tourism market which attracts about 850 thousand tourists per year as compared to other African states.

Mr Kwortnik however said that the picture portrayed of Africa by the western media as a poor, dilapidated and war tone continent remains a barrier to Zambia’s attainment of its targeted market for tourism.

Meanwhile the National Tourism Board says it is putting in place mechanisms to attract visitors that will be attending the 2010 FIFA world cup tournament in South Africa starting in June.

Source: Zambia Watchdog (http://www.zambianwatchdog.com/2010/03/24/survey-europeans-dont-know-country-called-zambia/)

At midday on Tuesday, March 16, 2010, Cape Town’s major tourism role players will present a united front in the campaign against overpricing during the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ when they sign the Code of Responsible Pricing for Cape Town.

Representatives of Cape Town Tourism, the City of Cape Town, the Western Cape Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Tourism, Cape Town Routes Unlimited, FEDHASA, SATSA, Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa, Backpackers South Africa, and The Portfolio Collection will gather at Cape Town Tourism’s City Centre Visitor Information Centre for the signatory ceremony.

The event includes addresses by Cape Town Tourism CEO, Mariette du Toit-Helmbold, and Minister Alan Winde from the Ministry of Finance, Economic Development, and Tourism.

Cape Town Tourism’s Du Toit-Helmbold said that the tourism body has been consistently firm in its stance on pricing and has embarked on an industry awareness campaign around responsible pricing and practice in the run up to the World Cup. “We have taken heed of the lessons that other destinations have learnt during global events in the past, and we have communicated these messages to our membership and the tourism sector as a whole,” Du Toit-Helmbold stated.

Cape Town is an immensely popular tourism destination; voted by the UK Telegraph as their readers’ favorite holiday destination in 2009. “We are intent on using the great marketing opportunity that the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ affords us to showcase the destination as a place to which you want to return. High prices and a lack of good service will not reflect well on us, and we are focusing all our energy on ensuring that not only our infrastructure but also our mindset is on target and ready to welcome the world. The Code is an industry tool to visibly and effectively manage perceptions towards a realistic and positive pricing picture of the Cape Town tourism industry,” commented Du Toit-Helmbold.

Cape Town Routes Unlimited CEO Calvyn Gilfellan said: “Viewing the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ as a cash cow will harm South Africa’s burgeoning tourism industry. Up to 290,000 extra visitors are expected to come over the five years after the tournament because of South Africa’s heightened visibility. The Code is Cape Town and the Western Cape’s united voice against price gouging.“

The Code of Responsible Pricing for Cape Town has been created around four core principles:

“Fair Value” means that the tourism sector will create fair and reasonable rates for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ that are linked to current seasonal rates.

“Responsible Tourism” underlies Cape Town’s commitment to be a destination that values and promotes social responsibility and environmental protection.

“Sustainable Tourism,” whereby businesses will be expected to be mindful of the interests of maintaining a legacy for Cape Town beyond the 2010 FIFA World Cup™.

“Consumer Protection” against hidden costs and fees that surprise and annoy consumers.

“The Code of Responsible Pricing for Cape Town is a very important charter,” said du Toit-Helmbold, “As the leadership of the tourism industry, we are collectively committed to the code and the future preservation of a successful Cape Town brand. We are eager to ensure that Cape Town’s good reputation is not spoiled by greedy individuals out to capitalize on the short-term opportunities the FIFA World Cup™ offers. A few weeks of distorted pricing may well be at the expense of a responsible sector that has worked non-stop at putting this destination on the global map.”

Cape Town Tourism has committed to spreading awareness of The Code through their international PR network and through their relationship with members and stakeholders in the tourism trade.

Said du Toit-Helmbold: “For the most part, accommodation establishments in Cape Town are posting rates for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ that are equivalent to their peak season rates. A good indication of the public’s favorable response to this is that many of them are already fully booked. Average costs for a night in a centrally-located bed and breakfast are forecast at no more than R500-R800 (£40-£64.10), whilst an award-winning, four-star city hotel is charging on average R1900–R2400 (£152.24–£192.30) per night for a room. Renowned five-star waterside hotels are asking in the region of R5000 per person per night, sharing (£400).”

Source: http://www.forimmediaterelease.net/pm/3302.html

Most people made the mistake of leaving the marketing of accommodation for the 2010 World Cup soccer tournament in Fifa’s hands, and then resting on their laurels, says Calvyn Gilfellan, CEO of Cape Town Routes Unlimited.

The result has been an anticlimax.

Bookings for accommodation in Cape Town and the Western Cape generated by Fifa’s accommodation agent Match were not as good as initially anticipated.

In January, Match relinquished the right to let 65 000 available room nights in the host city of Cape Town.

For that reason, says Gilfellan, his company decided to put in a team effort and interlink all marketing efforts for the tournament to arrive at the best possible marketing impact.

These efforts include commitment to a code of responsible pricing, which will this week be signed by players in the local tourism and hospitality industry.

According to Gilfellan, price in particular is the biggest deterrent for prospective visitors to the tournament in the light of the international economic downturn.

Another unexpected trend is the less-than-anticipated interest in attending the tournament coming from people in other African countries.

In contrast the response from America has, surprisingly, been the best.

Apart from the late impact of the global recession on the continent, Gilfellan attributes the smaller amount of interest to an overestimation of the extent to which the digital revolution has advanced in Africa.

He explains that simply because people in Africa often have more than one cellphone, this does not imply that they are well connected to the internet, and Match’s marketing effort has principally been online.

He remains optimistic because, since foreign visitors will number less than the estimated 450 000, there will be opportunities for more South Africans to attend matches and find accommodation.

Source: Fin 24 (http://www.fin24.com/articles/default/display_article.aspx?Channel=News_Home&ArticleId=1518-2386-2401_2576075&IsColumnistStory=False)