TRAVEL NEWS UPDATE FROM CHAPTER ATA CANADA

Did you know? 

Fine cuisine seen as key to boost Kenya’s Tourism.

The MTTI, with a fully fledged department of hospitality centre of excellence, has partnered with Chaine des Rotisseurs, an international gastronomic society founded in 1950 to motivate aspiring chefs and devoted to promoting fine dining.

Air Nigeria launches daily Lagos-London route.

Gatwick airport has announced that Nigeria's national carrier air Nigeria will launch its first international route outside Africa starting 1 September with a daily Lagos-London route.

Kenya Airways plans routes to Libya and Tunisia.

Rwandair Express starts flights to Libreville, Gabon.

Arik Air announces new Lagos-Bamako at Routes Africa. The new flight is scheduled to be launched on August 26 and will operate via Cotonou in Benin.

South African Airways cuts airfares to attract tourists to Tanzania.

The Rwandanese Airline considers new prospects with the launch of new flights in many African destinations. Rwandair has partnership with Brussels Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines and Air Uganda.

South African airports voted tops at 2011 World Airport Awards.

Two North African Airports featured in the continent's Best Regional Airport department. King Shaka Airport took the top honours, Marrakech Menara Airport in Morocco and Sham el Sheikh in Egypt, snapped up the second and third places respectively. 

Mozambique makes a surprise appearance in the category that recognizes Africa's best Airport Hotel, with the Southern Sun Maputo featuring in fourth place. Tambo's InterContinental and Garden Court Hotels secured the first and second places respectively. Cairo's Novotel is in third position, while the Iberotel Cairo Airport Hotel came in fifth. 

Best African Airport award 2010 given to the International airport of Bole in Ethiopia.
The Association of African Airlines (AFRAA) offered the Bole international airport, Addis ababa, the best "African airport of 2010".

Number of countries in Africa - 54 and a couple of disputed territories (Western Sahara and Somaliland) South Sudan is Africa's newest country, officially born on July 9, 2010 and there are over 2000 languages spoken in Africa.

52 official African cities. Sudan has more pyramids than Egypt. The 223 pyramids are smaller and steeper than their Egyptian counter parts. 

Great NTA CELEBRATION IN LAS VEGAS!
ATA Team in Las Vegas.

ANNOUNCEMENT PLANS FROM NTA CONVENTION 2011 IN LAS VEGAS, Dec.5-9 attended by 2,000 travel professionals.
NTA's annual all-member Convention brings together the most diverse group of buyers and sellers of any travel industry show. with its all-inclusive format and prevent business-building design, NTA's Convention has been described as "business meeting extraordinaire, designed to maximize the opportunities for networking.
NTA Convention 2011 project it will provide business and networking opportunities to more than 400 tour operators and 1,400 plus suppliers.
Celebrating its 60th year, the Lexington, KY based association's membership includes more 700 tour operators and more than 2,200 tour suppliers and destination marketing organizations from 40 nations.
Last month at the North American Trade Symposium, in Toronto, NTA President Lisa Simon sait a primary way to rebuild tourism is by tapping into growth markets.
"Looking at today's operator marketplace, NTA sees many opportunities involving new business, burgeoning markets and a fresh way of looking at the tried and true," she said.
NTA and the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) are putting together a joint task force focusing on the U.S Hispanic market.
As for 2012,there will be no NTA convention. That is because NTA and UMA are combining their conventions Jan. 19-23,2013 in Orlando, Fla. 
Faith-based tourism is a important focus at the 2011 NTA Convention in Las Vegas. This forum will bring together experienced leaders who can identify trends within the market", said Lisa Simon, NTA President.
Earlier this year, NTA formed its Faith-based Tourism Advisory Council to help expand business opportunities for members, and that's also the goal of the forum, according to Malia Asfour, a member of the council.
NTA President lisa Simon noted that NTA also hopes to provide education and sell resources for adventure travel and the African-American travel.
Twenty -seven companies have already attending the forum. The National Tour Association is a trade organization for thousand of Tourism professionals involved in the packaged travel industry.
NTA members represent some of the most reliable and creative in the industry, with companies spanning 40 countries. Their members include tour operators, tour suppliers such as hotel and attractions, and destination marketing organizations.
NTA emphasizes that all members exhibit professionalism and integrity, as well as abide buy the NTA Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility. 
Contact NTA Website: http://ntaonline.com/
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Did you know?
In the African skies, air traffic in full flight

Flying in black Africa to go to Ouagadougou, Maputo for a seaside holiday or for business in Pointe Noire has never seemed more simple. But flights, booming, remain among the world's most expensive and least safe. In larger countries, like South Africa, the low-cost airlines are emerging: Kulula, Mango, 1time and soon, the Santaco announced by the taxi industry to ensure underserved domestic routes.

To grow, the airlines on the continent, however, must overcome many obstacles: regulatory locks, high taxes, poor security and poorly equipped airports.

This does, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) predicts sub-Saharan Africa's second highest growth in terms of passengers by 2014.

And foreign companies to the mainland also make this bet, betting on the rise of a middle class willing to take more aircraft.

In February 2012, Emirates Airline will make five trips a week between Zimbabwe, Zambia and Dubai. The company takes advantage of the difficulties of the national carrier Air Zimbabwe has reduced its offer because of numerous strikes for unpaid wages and a large debt.

More generally, Emirates Airline intends to expand its African network to 21 cities.
"We have long understood the enormous potential of Africa, now one of the regions with the fastest growing, due to its market of over one billion people, demand for consumer increasing and the abundance of natural resources, "says an officer of the company, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum.

The arrival of Emirates Airline worried.

The African Airlines Association (AFRA, 40 members) requires the maintenance of protections to prevent competition to any non-African hair and pleading with governments to allow more regional flights.

They fear above all to see local passengers to hubs sucked then redirected to the distant continent, explains Siza Mzimzela, leader of the South African company, South African Airways.
This is already happening in some locations, particularly when it comes to cross the old colonial boundaries. Flying from Johannesburg, the Commonwealth, in Pointe Noire, the oil city of Congo - Brazzaville, a former French possession, involves one to two stops to choose from: Paris, Frankfurt or Zurich.

The market is too open, critical Keelan Morris, a spokesman for the company's Nigerian Arik Air: "Travel in Africa account for less than 5% of world traffic, but the rates are among the highest in the world" .

Arik Air has embarked on the Nigerian market in 2006 with the first new aircraft in the country for 20 years. It now provides 29 domestic destinations and abroad, and plans to open five new additional flights to Africa by the end of the year.

Arik Air starts non-stop flights from Lagos to Luanda.

Luanda is a strategically important capital for the oil & Gas and extraction industry.

By afp.com
 
AFRICA TRAVEL ASSOCIATION 
CHAPTER CANADA
Contact: Muguette Goufrani:  airhwy@smartt.com
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