africa Travel Magazine News from ‘Uganda.- Gifted by Nature’... and the East African and Indian Ocean region Final edition of 2009 gardens. Sadly, the weather was org where against a modest unseasonably cool and windy, fee of 1 US Dollar a particular FULL HOUSE – SORRY with occasional rain showers but gorilla can be made a friend This correspondent received a few some traditional mulled red wine through Facebook and similar frantic calls just at the very onset helped to keep the bodies warm social network sites. Take some of the long Christmas weekend on Christmas Eve and Christmas time over the holiday season, for assistance to find space Day. visit the site and make friends somewhere either upcountry or in with a gorilla, all in the name of the national parks, sadly a belated UN YEAR OF THE GORILLA conservation. and ultimately unsuccessful 2009 ENDS It can meanwhile however be attempt for some of those who While the official celebratory confirmed that the annual ‘Kwita wanted to come to Uganda at the year dedicated to the mountain Izina’ festival is once again very last moment. However, there gorillas is officially coming to on in Rwanda in 2010 when was space available in Entebbe an end, the campaign towards the newborn gorilla babies are and Kampala at the leading hotels conserving their environment and expected to be formally named and resorts in the city and along species continues and will remain again, no details on the plans for Lake Victoria and at least two a major focus of the conservation celebrations in Uganda for next couples from Kenya seemingly fraternity in Uganda, Rwanda and year are however available to this did in the end enjoy their the Eastern Congo. The Uganda column as yet but will be reported Christmas holiday away from Wildlife Authority this year also just as soon as the particulars are home on the tranquil lake shores, invented a new way to stay in at hand. as did incidentally yours truly too touch with the prized animals in the serene surroundings of his through www.friendagorilla. THE BATTLE FOR THE Africa Travel Magazine Africa Travel Magazine BOTTLE RAGES ON responsibly and don’t drink and NEW REGULATORY REGIME The two leading Ugandan drive – satisfied? FOR KENYAN HOSPITALITY beer brewers are engulfed in a SECTOR IN 2010 ‘battle for the bottle’, after Nile GOOGLE MAIL MESSES UP The newly inaugurated Hotel and Breweries, a subsidiary of SAB CHRISTMAS MAILINGS Restaurant Authority will play Miller obtained a court order Gmail’s apparent – and largely an important role starting next banning Uganda Breweries, a unknown – feature to restrict the year, when all new hotel, resort subsidiary of Kenya Breweries number of mails one can send in a and lodge projects require to be (itself owned by Diageo), from single day, messed up thoroughly licensed first, before commencing using a long neck bottle, initially this correspondent’s Seasons any construction, by the HRA in introduced to the market by the Greetings dispatch, when it began Nairobi. This measure, according Jinja based brewery. While the to reject the mails transacted to tourism minister Najib Balala, case has caused bemusement through a POP feature on my is aimed to ensuring quality amongst the public, wondering mailing programme, condemning and compliance with relevant what the beer giants will sue over 2.000 recipients to only get other laws and regulations and each other next for, the present their mail eventually on Christmas promoting excellence in the legal loser will undoubtedly Day, Boxing Day and the hospitality sector. do all possible to have the following two days. There appears The authority will also embark on decision overturned on appeal, to be a ‘cooling off’ period of a nationwide exercise of grading in the process making sure of 24 hours, after which the system and classification, using the East both ongoing publicity for their again accepts 500 mails, before African Community regulatory products as well as keeping their restricting further transactions. regime now in place for all the lawyers in bread and butter. The ‘feature’ is reportedly used five member states. The battle fought in East Africa by Google Mail to prevent SPAM On the same occasion the minister however also seems to have from being sent through one of also confirmed that his ministry another dimension, as the two their hosted mail accounts, but will ask a 5 percent ‘fund-back’ global brewing giants, SAB judging by the amount of SPAM based on the tourism sector’s Miller and Diageo Plc are also and SCAM mails I get from overall financial performance, engaged in a growing dispute over Gmail addresses it does only in order to finance aggressive a previously agreed market and seem to prevent honest mailers marketing abroad, so that the 2 production deal for Kenya and from distributing their seasonal million visitor arrival mark can Tanzania, which appears to have greetings but not halt the ‘dirty be met by 2012 at the latest. Such been ditched by Diageo, arguably traffic’. Fodder for thought funding from the treasure would prompting the legal tussles over Google chaps, to ‘open up’ ahead also cover a multiyear period to bottle shapes. of festive occasions and not ensure that the KTB’s activities In an added development did punish people with large mailing could roll out as planned and were then the High Court in Jinja, lists who enter the recipients via insulated from the annual rush for incidentally the home of bcc to avoid disclosing other more funds, which is known to be the plaintiff’s, clear Uganda addresses. disruptive of marketing activities Breweries to use the disputed So my apologies to those due to the uncertainties attached bottles for the time being, lifting who may have thought they to this method. the injunction until the main case were forgotten, when nothing It was confirmed by the minister has been heard. Happy New Year arrived on Christmas Eve or the that such a budget would amount and let the beer flow, regardless subsequent days, while I struggled to over 3 billion Kenya Shillings, from which kind of bottles. And to send my greetings to you, as considered sufficient for the before I get a whole lot of flak, and when Google Mail permitted! Kenya Tourism Board to be I should of course add: not for present at ALL major tourism sale for persons under 18, drink Kenya News and adventure travel trade shows Africa Travel Magazine around the world, open up new repairs went underway, grounding and aircraft. The same source markets and support destination all air traffic for several hours. was also swift in pointing out marketing in emerging markets This time round it appears also the complete lighting failure through flanking measures like according to sources from the earlier in the year in Mombasa, media invitationals and agents main Nairobi international airport when operations for days at end fam trips. that the lights suddenly dimmed, were restricted to daylight hours The minister, while speaking and a so called ‘notam’ was after an underground electrical at a golfing event in Mombasa, immediately rushed out to air duct had flooded due to poorly also confirmed that sports and operators warning them of the maintained drainage, causing domestic tourism would remain problem. While apparently some severe interruptions of the flow of high on the agenda to cash in other airlines did operate their tourists and business travellers to on Kenya’s sporting reputation flights from Nairobi to Mombasa, and from the Kenya coast at that abroad and making use of some Kenya Airways decided to go time. of the facilities available, like by the book and rather delay golf courses, to attract more the departures than operating in NEW CARGO CENTRE FOR tourists. In regard of domestic conditions which according to KENYA AIRWAYS tourism it was also appreciated international standards were ‘not A new dedicated cold cargo that the downturn over the past safe’. centre able to hold up to 100 two years was cushioned by an In fact a source close to KQ, standard pallets of ready to ship increase in domestic travel, which although pointing out that he agricultural, horticultural and the minister said has become was not authorized to speak on fish exports at a time, will be a backbone for the country’s behalf of the airline, did tell this opening in early 2010, according tourism industry. Mr. Balala also column that as Kenya Airways to sources close to Kenya Airways intimated, that following the is an IOSA – IATA’s Operational in Nairobi. Cargo shipments recent ‘Kenya Week’ in the United Safety Audit – cleared airline, have reportedly stabilized and Arab Emirates he was confident they would go by such very high there seems a trend emerging of that leading hotel groups from the safety standards, while others growing demand for air cargo Gulf would take a fresh look at may judge from case to case and space once again, which is good the opportunities in the country leaving the decision to their pilots news not just for KQ but other to opening top class new tourism if to take off or land under such airlines too flying in and out of resorts along the coast starting circumstances. However, should Nairobi in particular and Eastern from next year. an incident occur they would Africa in general. At the same Good prospects and new hope for nevertheless be held responsible time a new tracking system will 2010 then, way to go Kenya! and legally liable for having also be launched, permitting ignored the problem, especially customers of Kenya Airways to KENYA AIRWAYS DECIDES after being issued with a ‘notam’.