The Nation Newspaper

Category: Travels on Saturday

  • Gambia promotes conference tourism

    Gambia promotes conference tourism

    As the management, board of directors and shareholders of many of Nigeria’s blue chip companies prepare to deliberate on their end of year accounts ahead of the season of annual general meetings, pre-AGMs and AGMs, The Gambia is now promoting its facilities for conference tourism.

    “The Gambia, famed for its hospitality is a natural choice when it comes to hosting business events.

    “Instead of travelling all the way to Europe and North America to experience jet lag and unfriendly weather, Nigerian business executives see The Gambia as a home away from home, enabling conference participants to get maximum value for time and conduct their affairs with minimum distractions, ” said Adama Njie, Marketing Director, Gambia Tourism Board.

    The highly sought-after tourist destination is also fast becoming the preferred location for business events, including conferences and workshops. The famous Gambia hospitality has been matched by a growing range of facilities designed to cater for all forms of corporate events, from conventions and exhibitions to international conferences. Purpose designed meeting arrangements are available throughout The Gambia.

    Several of such facilities have interpretation loops for international conferences. Experienced and trained event facilitators are on hand to ensure that things run smoothly, with as much or as little input as you desire.

    Catering services designed to meet specific tastes of conference delegates are available too, allowing participants to enjoy good food in the course of their business.

    “Tourism in the Smiling Coast of Africa has evolved over time and gigantic strides have been registered to make the sector to even more effectively respond to needs and aspirations of the discerning visitor. This is evident in the mix of high quality facilities at our disposal. We have the capacity to cater to the needs of all categories of visitors,” said Adama Njie.

    Spacious conference halls and event centres with capacities of up to 1,500 people provide ideal venues for such corporate occasions. Many of the well-appointed hotels in The Gambia also have VIP syndicate and smaller meeting rooms for up to 80 people.

    Many resorts provide conference participants first-rate accommodation, cuisine and recreational facilities, such as swimming pools, gymnasiums, spas and massage and wellness treatment. These, coupled with the courteous and professional hotel staff plus the pleasant climate of The Gambia, create the perfect ambience for leisure when business meetings and other serious matters of the day are done.

    “Indeed, we are cognizant of the fact that our esteemed guests have a choice and this has given us the motivation to constantly redesign and rebuild our product offering,” Abdoulie Hydara said.

    After the conference business of the day is done, conference participants are spoilt for choice from the wide variety of things to do in The Gambia. Visitors only have to stroll down the streets in Banjul to hunt for bargains in the numerous craft markets in Fajara, Kokoli, Bakau and Brikama.

    Ground tour operators in The Gambia are a highly organized group. They provide opportunities to conference delegates for cultural, gastronomic and other tailor-made excursions. Arrangements can be made for sightseeing, from one-day experiences such as city tours to overnight excursions and three-day safaris on road and river transport on the Gambia River.

    Popular tours include a day trip to MAKASUTU – an ecological forest on a tributary in the Gambia River; two-day excursions to the old capital Georgetown; bird watching excursions; a bush and beach safari to beautiful, untouched villages as well as sport fishing. Shorter one-day river trips such as the ROOTS Tour, one of the biggest attractions in The Gambia which includes a visit to a former slave station on James Island, on the Gambia River, are also available.

    “With such a wide choice of attractive facilities for corporate meetings and conferences in The Gambia, the Smiling Coast of Africa is your perfect location for your next pre- and annual general meeting,” says Adama Njie.

  • Splendour as Lagos holds Black Heritage Festival

    Splendour as Lagos holds Black Heritage Festival

    The 2015 Lagos Black Heritage Festival was the last by the current Lagos State administration.

    It was another opportunity for the people of Lagos to celebrate their culture, creativity and generally have fun. The event has become permanent in the annual calendar of tourism events in the state and has begun to draw tourists both locally and internationally.

    56-57 Tourism 25-04-2015.Key events were held in an old colonial prison now transformed into a place for the celebration of creativity- Freedom Park, Marina.

    This year’s creative activities  focused on drama as the central theme. Outside the Freedom Park were activities that attracted the interest of many people.

    The Miss Carnival Beauty Pageant (Agbeke Eko) was an exciting, keenly contested event at the Glover Hall, Marina. It was an event that required both knowledge of tradition, brilliance and beauty. At the end of the contest,  Damilola Edwards emerged the winner of the pageant. She was distinct in her choice of costume. That is the the costume of Yeye Osun. She also had stage presence and carriage. She won the Carnival Queen for 2015 and went home with a cash price of 1.5m naira and a brand new car.

    The first runner-up was Tobi Philips and the second runner-up was Akinrimade Opemipo.

    This year’s Lagos Boat Regatta was fun filled and exciting. Being the sixth edition, it was a specially packaged annual water-based festival and the valedictory session for Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola.

    The event is a cultural, sporting and recreation activity to exhibit the diverse functions of the boat as put in use from community to community.

    56-57 Tourism 25-04-2015.Colourful boats were on parade to the delight of the guests. It was fun all the way, watching boats of various sizes, shapes, colours and types on the waterways.

    All the floats consisted of large fishing boats, yatches, ferries and other marine vehicles adorned to depict cultural, social and folklores as well as the occupational aspects of the people of Lagos.

    Different clubs, men of the Nigeria Police Force,  organisations, associations and local governments took turns to show off their skills. They rode on creeks around, Victoria Island, Ikoyi and the Lagos Island.

    Various acrobatic displays by members of the Jet Ski Club became the high point of the event when their ski divers pulled a stunt. They were pushed above by a gush of water. It was spectacular and everyone fought to have a glimpse of the show. It was an occasion many had looked forward to and they came in their numbers to watch the displays by various groups.

    There was also the paddled canoe racing competition and male and female competitions.

    Parents who came with their children were  assured that their kids would be taken care of. A portion of the venue was turned into a mini-amusement park where they played different games according to their age groups. Exciting games and comedies kept the children occupied.

    The most decorated boat won the competition and went home with the grand trophy and other gifts.

    Chairman of the occasion, Otunba Jawando, said the event was scheduled to hold on Easter Sunday as is done annually, but was rescheduled due to the recent elections.

    He said the event was to celebrate the aquatic splendour of Lagos State in recognition of Lagos being surrounded by the ocean and lagoon and the beautiful role water plays in the socio-economic lives of the people of Lagos.

    With the participation of other West African states of Togo and Ghana in this year’s competition, the Lagos Water Regatta is gaining international and national recognition.

  • Dubai to introduce new court for tourists

    Dubai has announced that it will establish a new court to deal with cases, involving tourists who have committed petty offences.

    New tourists’ court will begin operations later this year, according to officials speaking at the launch of Dubai Courts annual report.

    Mohammad Abdul Rahman, a director of Dubai Courts, said the new tourists’ court will handle petty crimes which are common occurrences in the city.

    “Tourists come to Dubai every day and sometimes they are involved in minor problems, such as consuming alcohol, drink-driving or bouncing cheques,” he said.

    “We don’t want to make them stay on because of that. So we will have a specialised court for tourists facing minor cases. This will speed up the procedure.”

    The misdemeanours’ court will similarly speed up the process for residents in the emirate.

    The three Primary, Appeal and Cassation courts in Dubai recorded a combined number of 118,077 cases in 2014, an increase of 14 per cent over 103,847 cases in 2013.

    The number of civil cases registered in the Dubai Courts rose 13 per cent and the number of criminal cases registered in the Dubai Courts increased 15 per cent.

  • Nigeria rich in cuisines

    Nigeria rich in cuisines

    56-57 Tourism 25-04-2015.The Executive Chief of Southern Sun Ikoyi Hotel, Chef Alex Mwaura, has described Nigeria as country blessed with great culture and rich in cuisines.

    Alex made this observation during an interactive session with travel journalists. He was talking about the efforts of the Southern Sun Ikoyi Hotel (formerly Ikoyi Hotel) in popularizing and improving Nigeria’s indigenous cuisines.

    Alex, a Kenyan, is the head of the Kitchen Department of the hotel. He has been with the hotel since inception in 2009.

    He said: “ This my 27th or 28th year in the industry. In Southern Sun Ikoyi, we had a straight focus of what we wanted to do in Lagos when we started. We saw what was on offer and decided that we were going to offer the best that we were capable of doing. We had already evaluated what other people were offering. We set that goal, and that is what we are doing, even up till date.

    “We have one of the best culinary offers in Lagos. We have had a consistent Sunday brunch which brings people here every Sunday. For the last four years, we have been averaging over 280 people every Sunday. The strongest part of it is that we are very consistent with our meals, and we are very consistent with what we cook.”

    He talked about the Nigerian cuisines. “When we arrived here, we had a serious cultural shock. We had over hundreds of meals out of the Nigerian food. Whatever we were seeing was completely new. We had to make sure that we first of all understood the culture, then the food. The best way we thought we could go on was to do  proper research on Nigerian food.

    “So we went about looking for elderly people who understood meals from different perspectives because really the younger generation with us were so much into buying ready-made food than doing the art of cooking. So, we decided to go to people who understood the real cooking.

    “That way, we ended up having real, original recipes. Those recipes have helped us to be consistent, and we have been developing them as time goes on. Like you find out that the oil that was being used originally, was far more better than the one  being used now. So we dug deep to look for the original oil, so that we would have original meals that we want to put on our table.

    “The other thing that we looked at was presentation. The other thing we found out was that in most places, for example, pounded yam was just put in a plate and every body came fighting with the spoon. We thought we could do better. We started packaging it in a smaller quantity. The meat parts were often chunky to us. Then, we decided to go into smaller cuts which will be easy for one to eat, knowing that you can have as much food as you want. It is not that we are restricting somebody to have one chunk of meat. We went down on the cut of meat and we have seen people appreciating it.”

    He also talked about Nigerian eating habit and how foreigners see Nigeria’s spicy food offering: “I think we are one of the hotels where we have chefs inside the restaurant. My own way of running a kitchen is that a kitchen becomes interactive with the clients and you are able to get direct feedback from them.

    “In this, you are also able to introduce new dishes and give them a trial. One of the things that we have been doing is that we have a buffet. We will make a few dishes out of our continental food and pass around as tasting. This has also paid dividend because people come back to ask for the dish when they come back. It has boosted our clientele”.

    He talked on Kenyan food. “Kenyans don’t eat pepper. It is an additive used in very small quantity. The pepper that we know is the green chilies, and rarely find anybody having one piece in a meal.

    “Mostly it comes as a big shock for a Kenyan when he visits Nigeria. You will find most of them eating chicken and chips. Later, after awhile, you find them taking other meals like the pepper soup, bitter leaf soup and so on. But one of the most popular meals that any Kenyan will come here and enjoy is suya. Kenyans have a culture of eating meat any time, breakfast, lunch and dinner.

    “To them, suya is much more closer to what they are used to having. From the North, we also have Tuwon Masa, which is a stable food in Kenya. It is called ugali, it is an every day meal with meat in Kenya.”

  • Ethiopian Airlines connects Japan to Africa

    Ethiopian Airlines, the largest airline in Africa, has announced it has started new services to Tokyo Narita International Airport from the 21st of this month in codeshare partnership with fellow Star Alliance member, All Nippon Airways, Japan’s leading airline.

    The thrice-weekly flight, the only direct connection between Africa and Japan, will be operated through Hong Kong with the ultra-modern Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft  which offers customers the best on-board comfort with the biggest windows in the sky, high ceiling, less noise than any aircraft with less carbon footprint  and higher cabin humidity ideal.

    Chief Executive Officer of Ethiopian Airlines Group, Ato Tewolde Gebremariam, said: “As the only direct service between Africa and Japan, our flights to Narita will give our customers the best possible connectivity options and will be critical role in enabling greater people-to-people, investment, trade and tourism ties between a rising Africa, the second fastest growing region in the world, and a highly industrialized Japan, the third largest economy in the world.”

    Tokyo is one of the world’s most populous metropolis and serves as Japan’s political, economic and cultural hub. Japan is the world’s third largest economy and one of the main financial and economic centres with growing investment, trade and tourism ties with Africa. Ethiopian flights to Tokyo will enable the strengthening of investment, trade, tourism and people-to-people ties between Africa and Japan.

  • International tourism exports rise to US$ 1.5 trillion

    International tourism exports rise to US$ 1.5 trillion

    International tourism receipts increased by US$ 48 billion in 2014 to reach a record US$ 1,245 billion. An additional US$ 221 billion was generated from international passenger transport, bringing total exports from international tourism up to US$ 1.5 trillion.

    Receipts from international visitors spending on accommodation, food and drink, entertainment, shopping and other services and goods reached an estimated US$ 1,245 billion (euro 937 billion) in 2014, an increase of 3.7 per cent in real terms (taking into account exchange rate fluctuations and inflation). International tourist arrivals increased by 4.4 pr cent in 2014, reaching a total 1,135 million, up from 1,087 million in 2013.

    Aside from international tourism receipts (the travel item of the Balance of Payment), tourism also generates export earnings through international passenger transport services (rendered to non-residents). The latter amounted to an estimated US$ 221 billion in 2014, bringing total exports from international tourism up to US$ 1.5 trillion, or US$ 4 billion a day on average.

    “International tourism is an increasingly significant component of international trade as seen in export earnings from international tourism and passenger transport, which reached US$ 1.5 trillion in 2014” said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai.

    “In a scenario with decreasing commodity prices, spending on international tourism grew significantly in 2014, proving the sector’s capacity to stimulate economic growth, boost exports and create jobs”, he added.

    International tourism (travel and passenger transport) represents 30 per cent of the world’s exports of services and 6% of overall exports of goods and services. As a worldwide export category, tourism ranks fourth after fuels, chemicals and food, ranking first in many developing countries.

    UNWTO also forecast that international tourism will grow in each region. Europe, which accounts for 41 per cent of worldwide international tourism receipts, saw an increase in tourism earnings in absolute terms of US$ 17 billion to US$ 509 billion (euro 383 billion).

    Asia and the Pacific (30 per cent share) saw an increase of US$ 16 billion, reaching US$ 377 billion (euro 284 bn).

    In the Americas, (22 per cent share), receipts increased by US$ 10 billion to a total of US$ 274 billion (euro 206 bn).

    In the Middle East (4% share), tourism receipts increased by an estimated US$ 4 billion to US$ 49 billion (euro 37 bn) and in Africa (three per cent share) by US$ 1 billion to US$ 36 billion (euro 27 bn).

    In the top ten ranking by tourism earnings, China climbed from 5th to 3rd place following a 10% increase in earnings to US$ 57 billion in 2014.

    The United States (US$ 177 billion) and Spain (US$ 65 billion) maintained first and second positions in the ranking.

    The United Kingdom (US$ 45 billion) moved up two positions to 7th, boosted by the lasting effects of the Olympics and the appreciation of the UK pound (increasing receipts calculated in US dollar terms).

    France, Macao (China) and Italy occupy the 4th to 6th positions respectively, while Germany, Thailand and Hong Kong (China) complete the top ten.

  • Farin Ruwa Waterfall Abode of gods

    Farin Ruwa Waterfall Abode of gods

    The Farin Ruwa Waterfall is the face of tourism in Nasarawa State. Although the state could boast of other tourism endowments in culture and other eco-tourism sites, however, once tourism is mentioned in the state, the first place that comes to mind is the waterfall.

    The waterfall is located in the  Wamba Council Area of the state. From Wamba, one could take a vehicle or commercial cyclist a to the waterfall. The road to the fall could be quite challenging.

    The ubiquitous commercial motorcyclist came to the rescue. Heading towards the fall, one could take the Marabaor Sisibaki route. However, for a better view of the wonderful Wamba landscape, detouring through the Maraba route is the best.

    The road to the fall is a little isolated. Only one or two farmers could be seen coming back from their farms. Along this route is a rather simple bridge built with wood. That might just be the obstacle to those who may be making the trip in their private car. Although the width is relatively safe, it could be scary since there are no rails by the sides and the river below is quite active during the rainy season. After crossing the bridge, one would then burst on the untarred road, passing through villages like Marhai, Mama and Kulere.

    The Wamba landscape is picturesque and one drink from nature’s beauty here. This is common in a large chunk of the North Central Nigeria area. It might not be very adviseable for one to embark on a trip to the fall during the rainy season as the streams are very active and could be dangerous.

    56-57 Tourism 18-04-2015.
    Eggon-hills-Nigeria

    From almost 15 kilometres, one could see a tall hill will a gash of white in the middle. It gives the impression that one was almost at the fall, but it is wrong as one has to still travel quite a distance. At a point, the motorcycle was discarded due to the steep nature of the rocks. We climbed down and then up again before the fall dramatically burst before us. It was a sight. Close to 100-feet water forming a whitish foam and cascading from above to the ground, sending tiny droplets of water all over the place, Farin Ruwa is really a sight to behold, but until the issue of accommodation and accessibility is taken care of, the waterfall may not receive the kind of tourism traffic it deserves.

    The Nasarawa State government had begun an initiative to diversify the economic base of the state and tap the abundance of nature to make life better.

    In 2007, the waterfall was supposed to be the site for an eco-tourism resort project. The project was supposed to transform the complexion of the state and turn it into a destination. According to those that conceptualize the project, it would be a source of great economic revival for Nasarawa as about N3.5b would have been invested to make the waterfall a source of revenue in job creation and means of relaxation for fun seekers. So far, almost ten years later, nothing has come out of the project.

    Emir of Lafia
    Emir of Lafia

    Outside the Farin Ruwa Waterfall, the state can boast of other tourist attractions like the Dyeing Pits and Calabash Carving Centre, Lafia. It is located near the Kotal Pada at the Emir’s Palace, it is one of the oldest dyeing pits where traditional clothes in various sizes and designs are woven and dyed.

    Eggon Hills and Caves: Eggon Hills range over 30m and they are famous for adventure. The rocks which shape like kopjes and inselbergs have long attracted visitors ever since the colonial rule. Europeans settled at the peak of these hills and constructed houses beside the slow flowing streams and unique rock formation.

    Umaisha River Bank Resort: Umaisha is an old settlement built in the 14th century and its inhabitants are the Igbira in the Toto Local Government Area of the state. Behind the settlement is a river that runs across to the River Benue where the local people celebrate the Ogani Fishing and Cultural Festival. It’s a water sport festival that involves activities such as swimming, fishing, regatta, diving and boating.

    Peperuwa Lake: This is an elongated natural lake situated at the north-west of Assakio  in the Lafia Local Government Area of the state. The lake, which has an estimated surface more than 7  km in length and 3.8km wide, is famous for such aquatic creatures such as manatees, fish, hippopotamus, water ducks and geese.

  • Emirates doubles capacity to tourism hotspot Seychelles

    Emirates doubles capacity to tourism hotspot Seychelles

    Emirates is set to increase its capacity to the popular Indian Ocean Island of Seychelles, when it switches from the current Airbus 330-200 used on one of the two daily services to a larger Boeing 777-300ER from June 1.

    The introduction of the Emirates Boeing 777-300ER, which operates as flight EK705 from Dubai and as EK706 on the return flight, will increase overall capacity on the route by 1,722 seats per week and will make the route an all-Boeing 777 operation.

    56-57 Tourism 18-04-2015.“The Seychelles is a very popular leisure destination, and we have experienced consistent growth on the route since we started operations to the island on January 1, 2005 with three weekly flights using an Airbus A330-200.

    “Since then, we have had to gradually increase our frequencies and deploy larger aircraft to meet growing demand, and now ten years later, starting from June 1, we will have two Boeing 777s on the route,”said Laurie Berryman, Vice President, UK & Ireland at Emirates.

    “The island draws a lot of leisure travellers from across our network, with many coming from the Middle East, Europe and Russia. In 2014, Emirates carried well in excess of 200, 000 customers to and from the Seychelles,” he added.

    The Boeing 777-300ER will have a three- class configuration, with eight First Class Private Suites, 42 lie flat seats in Business Class and 310 spacious seats in Economy Class.

    Customers on Emirates flights enjoy the famed hospitality of its multi-national cabin crew, including nationals of the Seychelles, and gourmet cuisine.

    “The announcement by Emirates that they will be introducing a second Boeing 777 on the Seychelles route is indeed good news for the tourism industry of our islands.

    “This announcement also guarantees our visitors that they can now enjoy the Dubai – Seychelles service with three classes on both Emirates flights every day.

    “We take this opportunity to thank Emirates for their continued support and for believing in the tourism industry of Seychelles,”said Alain St. Ange, Minister of Tourism and Culture of the Seychelles.

  • UNWTO condemns Kenyan terrorist attack

    The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) has condemned the attack on the Garissa University College in North Eastern Kenya. UNWTO described the attacked as appalling.

    “I am appalled by this atrocious act of violence on innocent people. Our thoughts at this tragic moment are with the families and friends of the victims and the people of Kenya” said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai.

    “Kenya is facing a threat of international nature. We must stand by the Kenyans in these testing times and reinforce our solidarity and commitment to work side by side with them to ensure that violence and terrorism do not win over our values and the will of Kenya to progress and live freely.

    “The resilience of the Kenyan people, supported by the solidarity of their friends in the international community, will surely lead the country to overcome this terrible act.

    “Despite the aims of the terrorists to damage the image and the economy of Kenya, we are confident that the country will continue to be a preferred destination for people all around the world”, Mr Rifai added.

  • Award for Ethiopian Airlines

    Award for Ethiopian Airlines

    Ethiopian Airlines, the largest airline in Africa, is pleased to announce that it has won the Airline of the Year Award for the second time in a row at MICE Magazine’s 8th Annual Industry Golden Chair Awards held in Beijing, China on April 1.

    The annual Golden Chair Award is one of the most influential awards in China and ranks airlines, hotels, travel agencies and tourism destinations with the best performance.

    Ethiopian Group CEO, Tewolde GebreMariam, said: “We are honoured to receive this award for the second year in a row. I wish to thank MICE Magazine and, above all, our esteemed customers from China for their vote of confidence.

    “Ethiopian has become the airline of choice for Chinese travellers between China, Africa and Brazil. We offer the best and fastest connectivity options with a total of 28 weekly flights to four gateways in China that are Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong, and with immediate connection to 49 destinations in Africa and Sao Paulo in Brazil. All the flights are operated with the latest and most comfortable aircraft, the 787 and 777.

    “Thanks to our codeshare agreement with our fellow Star Alliance partner, Air China, we avail seamless and convenient connections with one ticket and the ability to accrue and redeem frequent flyer miles on the two airlines.

    “Going forward, given the growing economic and people-to-people ties between Africa and China, we will expand our reach in China, Africa and Brazil with new destinations and more frequencies with a view to enhance our service to our customers from China”. In 2014, Ethiopian received the Best Airline to Africa Award by Premier Traveller, one of the most prominent travel magazines in the United States.

    Ethiopian has also been awarded  the Best Airline in Africa and African Airline of the Year awards by Passenger Choice and the African Airlines Association (AFRAA).

    In 2015, Ethiopian was recognized as the Best Regional Airline by Air Transport World, the global leading aviation publication. Ethiopian is a pan-African global carrier, member of Star Alliance, operating the youngest fleet on the continent with an average of less than seven years and currently serving 85 international destinations across five continents with over 200 daily departures.