Travel

Lufthansa takes over Brussels Airlines

Lufthansa said on Thursday it was exercising an option to buy the remaining 55 per cent of Brussels Airlines for 2.6 million euros ($2.7 million), and integrate it as a subsidiary of Eurowings, in a move seen to further strengthen the budget carrier’s market position. The purchase was previously approved last September by the Board of Lufthansa Group. The German …

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Interview: “Africa is a very promising market for civil aviation,” says Chokri Wallani, Director, Tunisair Germany

Tunisair, founded as a state-owned airline in 1948, has a fleet of about 30 aircraft. Most of them are of the A320 family as well as the Boeing 737 type. Recently, the company expanded their fleet through the delivery of two new A330s which are serving routes with more than four hours flying time. Chokri Wallani (53) is the country director of Tunisair …

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First cruise ship docks in Tunisia since 2015 attack

A celebratory band played Thursday 6 October as a cruise liner docked in the port of Tunis for the first time since a March 2015 jihadist attack killed 21 tourists in the capital. The German-operated MS Europa motored into La Goulette with 350 passengers on board for a one-day stopover. The tourists, cameras at the ready, were greeted by a …

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Turkish Airlines ultra-modern arrival lounge in İstanbul

Three years ago, Turkish Airlines opened its new arrival lounge at the İstanbul Atatürk International Airport, offering its premium passengers the opportunity to freshen up on arrival. Passengers of the carrier have since been enjoying the superb comfort offered by the ultra-modern facility. The concept of the arrival lounge, according to Turkish, is to meet the needs of their guests …

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NIDOE promotes Nigerian tourism in Vienna

Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation Europe (NIDOE) held a two-day event in Vienna in July to promote the Nigeria tourism sector. The event was declared open by the Chargé d’Affaires of the Nigerian Embassy in Austria, Gazing Dangtim, after a welcome address by the NIDOE Austria chair, Oluyemi Ogundele, who said: “Nigeria could generate foreign exchange, provide employment and accelerate rural …

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Tips for first time travellers to Ghana

Our Associate Publisher Bugs Steffen, who has been travelling to Ghana for more than 30 years, writes on the interesting places to visit in Accra and beyond. People often ask me what would be THE thing to do and what would have to be included in the must-see list of things if one were to go on a holiday to …

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Cape Town – Suspended between Past and Future

Cape Town’s hypermodern airport welcomes visitors with its shiny and squeaky clean appearance. Everything is well-organised and immigration formalities swiftly and efficiently dealt with. And yet something seems to be missing and soon it becomes obvious: there are hardly any Black Africans. This jars with the idea of an African country. The drive to the city deepens the impression of …

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Brussels Airlines introduces Economy Plus

In addition to its Business and Economy Class, Brussels Airlines now offers a new choice on its intercontinental flights: Economy Plus. The airline’s customers who fly to Africa, the US or Canada now have the choice out of three classes instead of two. Economy Plus is Brussels Airlines’ answer for passengers travelling in Economy Class who want a comfort upgrade …

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Why German passport is the best in the world

In a newly published global ranking of countries according to the travel freedom that their citizens enjoy, the German passport came in first position, offering visa-free travel to 177 countries, out of a possible 218. The Germans dethroned the Americans who held the first position last year and in 2014, according to the Henley & Partners Visa Restriction Index, released …

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Accra’s Kotoka International Airport becoming a regional hub for air travel

Situated 10 kilometres from the centre of Accra, Kotoka International Airport (KIA) is the first point of call for businesspeople as well as tourists visiting the country. KIA, the only international airport in Ghana, is fast becoming the regional hub for air travel in West Africa. Thanks to Ghana’s increasing profile as a preferred business hub and tourist destination, KIA …

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Social media campaign launched to promote tourism in Ghana

Africa’s leading hotel booking website, Jovago, has launched its #MyGhana social media campaign promoting tourism in the country worldwide. The campaign runs on Facebook and Twitter. To take part in the campaign, social media users are required to take beautiful pictures of any eye-catching monument, landscape or landmark; post them on social media using the hashtag #MyGhana, tag five friends …

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Ethiopia rebrands despite drought fears

The Ethiopian government is promoting the country as a favourite tourism destination despite fears of famine due to an ongoing drought. Ethiopia’s Tourism Minister Aisha Mohammed Mussa proudly presented the country’s new tourism slogan: ‘Ethiopia – Land of Origins’ at the International Tourism Bourse recently, in a new campaign to rebrand the country.  The country is proud of many unique …

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So much more to Discover on a trip to Cape Verde

Literally translated, Boa Vista, the easternmost island of Cape Verde, means “beautiful view” and it lives up to its name, surprising visitors with stunning views. But there is so much more to Boa Vista than spectacular landscapes and observation points, as our Associate publisher Bugs Steffen discovered when he went to explore.  I was asked how I came up with …

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Brussels Airlines opens new lounge at Kinshasa Airport

Brussels Airlines has opened a state-of-the-art lounge for its Business Class passengers at the N’Djili International Airport in Kinshasa, the capital of DR Congo. “With the opening of our very first own lounge in Africa, we further strengthen our footprint in Africa and confirm our commitment to the continent,” said the airline in a statement. The lounge, called THE SUITE, …

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Tourism now 20 per cent of Gambia’s GDP

Visitor numbers in The Gambia continue to grow thanks to increasing halal tourist options and a new five-star resort opening outside Banjul. Only six hours from Brussels and with a negligible time difference from mainland Europe, Gambia has been steadily leveraging its golden beaches and excellent birdwatching opportunities to build up a tourist industry that accounts for around 20 per …

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Brussels Airlines resumes operations, thanks all

March 22, 2016 was a black day for Brussels Airport because of the terror attacks of that day. It was also a tragic blow to Brussels Airlines, which has its home base at the airport, with the carrier’s flight operations massively disrupted by the closure of the airport for clean-up and security review and upgrade.  The airport is now slowly …

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Botswana chosen as official partner country for 2017

The 50th anniversary of the International Tourism Bourse (ITB) Berlin, the world’s largest travel trade fair, took place on 9-13 March on the Berlin Exhibition Grounds ICC.Many of the stands were very busy. Remarkably, the mood at the fair this year was buoyant in spite of the many different challenges facing the sector. African destinations, such as Egypt and Tunisia, …

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