No hassles, no lay overs, direct to Kenya from the U.S.

KENYA'S National Airliner Kenya Airways launched its direct flights from Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on 28th October, 2018 to New York John F. Kennedy Airport. This new route is intended to open up the 2 vibrant economies.

Travel from the USA to #Kenya will only be 15 hours or there about with no connection hassles, no lay overs and stop overs. Trade and investment, Horticulture, Technology and Tourism are the most key sectors that are likely to benefit from the introduction of this route.

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Marriott International crosses Africa

MARRIOTT International has announced rapid expansion plans across #Africa. Strong demand for select-service brands and conversion opportunities are driving the momentum of growth for the company, amplified by five new hotel signings. 

The new signings will further consolidate Marriott International's presence in Ghana, Kenya, Morocco and South Africa and mark the company's entry into Mozambique. The signings put Marriott International on track to increase its portfolio by 50 percent with over 200 hotels and 38,000 rooms by 2023 estimated to generate 12,000 new job opportunities.


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Visit Kenya's Second City

BORDERING the Indian Ocean, tropical Mombasa is Kenya’s main coastal tourist destination and a popular gateway to the country’s amazing white beaches and coral reef diving. The cosmopolitan city has also become a destination in its own right, thanks to its diverse cultural mix and old town charm.

Qatar Airways is pleased to announce that it will launch direct flights to Kenya’s second city, Mombasa, opening up the country’s beautiful coasts to international holiday-makers. The new four-times weekly service will be Qatar Airways’ second Kenyan destination, in addition to existing flights to Nairobi.

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Picture Credit: www.hickey-fry.com WaterLovers Loungers #2 via photopin

Flamingo Hotspot

FLAMINGOS are very popular and trendy right now around the world - be it on clothing, decor - or floating in your paddling pool! But at Lake Elmenteita in Kenya, they are always the star attraction. Just 2 hour’s drive from Nairobi, Lake Elmenteita in Kenya’s famous Great Rift Valley is popular as a Lake extension alternative to the beach.

This UNESCO Heritage Site provides perfect nesting grounds for the lesser flamingos and great white pelicans that inhabit the alkaline waters of this lake. Birders will love spotting the Grey Crowned Crane, Secretary Bird and Yellow Billed Stork among the 400 bird species. 


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Ride with Rhinos

OL PEJETA Conservancy is a 90,000-acre (360 km2) not-for-profit wildlife conservancy in Central #Kenya. The conservancy is now offering guests the opportunity to explore the 600 acre endangered species enclosure on #horseback. Confident riders can choose from a morning or afternoon 1 or 1.5 hour ride where you can get up close to some of the wildlife. Less experienced riders can opt for a 30-minute ride on the open plains close to the stables. 

Ol Pejeta was home to Sudan, the last male Northern White Rhino who was recently put to sleep after age-related complications worsened significantly.The last 2 females, his daughter and grandaughter are still to be found at the conservancy.

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Down by the watering hole

THE Kilaguni Serena Safari Lodge in Tsavo National Park has been recognized as one of Kenya’s top 10 Hotels by the US Travel Website TripAdvisor. 

Kilaguni emerged 7th out of 10 overall and this is a testament to Serena Hotel’s commitment in providing exceptional guest experiences, quality products and services across all our properties in the region.

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12 hours in Nairobi

MOST travelers search for the best way to spend time in any city of the worlds whether they are visiting or just transiting through. Nairobi City in the #Kenya Republic is no exception. With many places to visit in Kenya most travelers just want to get in touch with the #Wildlife for what is best known for in Kenya.

Any traveler now has a chance to visit most key attractions in Nairobi in approximately less than 12 hours with Cruzeiro Safaris. Starting at 6am to end at 5pm on a daily basis. 

The first experience is to visit the wildlife in their Natural habitat at the Nairobi national park, then proceed to the Elephant Orphanage , then have lunch at one of the most popular 100 Top restaurants of the world The Carnivore. Then on to the Giraffe Center and Karen Blixen Museum to end the day and then drive back to the hotel or to the Airport. 

Other popular safaris Holidays that are offered by Cruzeiro Safaris include 4 days safari to Lake Nakuru and Masai Mara, 3 Days Safari to Masai Mara, 6 days Safari to Amboseli, Lake Nakuru and Masai Mara, 9 days to Mount Kenya and Masai Mara.



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Kenya to open 13 new hotels and add 2,400 beds in the next five years

A number of international hotel brands are expanding their presence in #Kenya, expecting to bring an additional 2,400 hotel beds in the next five years. The multi-billion shilling investments will see renowned hotel groups such as Radisson Blu, Amber, Ibis Styles, Swiss Lenana Motel and Villa Rosa Kempinski open new developments in the country by 2021. 

A range of new developments, such as the Hilton Upper Hill, are also opening their doors in Kenya in response to the increasing number of domestic and international tourists helped by an increase in flights to Kenya, lower park fees and a stable economy. 

A report by consultancy firm PwC estimates that the number of available rooms will increase from 18,600 in 2016 to 21,000 in 2021. Assistant Director of Tourism, Ms Keziah Odemba, said that these new openings show a positive development in Kenya’s tourism, which is expected to reach 1.4million visitors by the end of the year. 

www.magicalkenya.com

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Plastic bags banned in Kenya

THE Government of Kenya has recently passed a new law in view of reducing the negative impact of plastic bags on the environment. As of August 2017, the use, manufacture, and importation of plastic bags have been made illegal in #Kenya. 

This plastic bag ban refers to both carrier bags such as grocery bags, supermarket bags, and duty-free bags. The above mentioned plastic bags including duty-free bags will be confiscated at the airport/entry points in Kenya. The use of plastic bags within Kenya can now incur heavy fines and possible imprisonment. Bags which are used as packaging in which the product is in direct contact with the plastic (such as chip/crisp bags) and in which the product is packaged at the source are exempt from this law.

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Hole In One

THE Great Rift Valley Lodge & Golf Resort won in the Nature Protection category in the 2017 IAGTO #Sustainability Awards for its reforestation programme alongside the Kenya Wildlife Service and Rafiki Foundation in the local Eburru community.

Each year global #golf tourism industry body IAGTO (International Association of Golf Tour Operators), in partnership with GEO (Golf Environment Organization), celebrates the outstanding sustainability achievements of golf facilities, resorts and destinations around the world.

Alongside her partners, the Great Rift Valley Lodge & Golf Resort will help in restoration of one thousand acres of native forest in Eburru Forest, providing valuable habitat for local wildlife, encouraging biodiversity and protecting watersheds and soil from erosion. The introduction of zebras, impalas, antelopes and reedbucks will also return a balance to the ecosystem and a more natural food-chain cycle.

The Great Rift Valley golf course lies 12 km off the Nairobi to Nakuru highway on the slopes of Eburru Range. From the golf course one can view the Mount Longonot volcano, Lake Naivasha, the Mau escarpment, Mt Kipipiri and the Aberdare ranges. Built to USGA specs with “tiffgreen” grass, the course has 3 par 5’s, 11 par 4’s and 4 par 3’s with the 3rd hole par 3 the most spectacular. Every golf hole is a challenge, with the par 5 - 17th the “signature” hole being 654 yards from the championship tee.

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New East African Tourism Portal Launched

A NEW #EastAfrica #tourism portal has been jointly launched by neighbours Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda. The launch happened in the presence of the CEO of Kenya Tourism Board (KTB),and other top tourism officials from Uganda & Rwanda at the Pearl of Africa Trade Expo in Kampala, Uganda.  The portal is an online platform that is expected to boost tourism in the three East African countries.

The shared platform will aim to market the region as a single destination, and aims to offer trade operators from the three countries market multi-country packages and experiences as well as provide a new channel to reach regional and international audiences.

All of this is made easier with the East Africa Tourist Visa which allows multiple- entry to Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda. The visa is as a result of joint initiative by respective Heads of States to ease regional travel and create opportunities for tourists to explore East Africa’s attractive diversity.

visiteastafrica.org

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Kenya sees increase in visitor arrivals

KENYA’S tourism industry has seen a resurgence in the first half of 2016, with visitor arrivals up 16.8% compared to the same period last year. The #Kenya Tourism Board is anticipating 1.5 million visitor arrivals for 2016, 400,000 more than in 2015.

MOUNT KENYA – the highest mountain in Kenya and second highest in #Africa – is to have a cable care, to improve access and boost tourism in the area.

ACCOLADES picked up by Kenya at this year’s World Travel Awards included: Africa's Leading National Park for the Maasai Mara National Reserve and Africa's Leading Beach Destination saw Diani Beach retain top position. Kenya Airways won Africa’s Leading Airline, and Leopard Beach Resort and Spa won the award for Africa’s Leading Family Resort.

SARUNI CAMPS has announced the opening of Kenya’s first elephant-proof photographic hide at its property, Saruni Samburu. The hide will be camouflaged next to a waterhole. The Saruni Samburu lodge has six luxury villas in 200,000 acres of wilderness.

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Picture Credit: CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=245329

Kenya acts to boost tourism

THE KENYAN government has announced initiatives as part of a strategy to spur growth in the tourism sector. 

• Families travelling to #Kenya do not need to pay visa fees for children under the age of 16, saving approximately £35 per child. 
• Tourists visiting Kenya Wildlife Service national parks in Kenya will benefit from park conservation fees being capped at $70 (£49.68). 
• Value Added Tax on park fees will be abolished from July this year 

The country’s Cabinet Secretary, Mr Najib Balala, said he expects Kenya to see a 20% boost in international tourist numbers from mid-July to December. Government officials have held talks with tour operators and travel agents in the UK, Italy, Germany, France, and Spain to promote the country as a tourist destination.


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Kenya to waive visa fees for children

THE KENYA TOURISM BOARD will waive visa fees for children under the age of 16 from next month in a further bid to woo back visitors. The waiver applies to all nationalities and is designed to encourage more families to visit #Kenya. 

In addition, all Kenya Wildlife Service park fees will also be capped at £41 for the financial year 2016/17, down from £62.

The moves come after Kenya introduced incentives for charter airlines at the start of this month.

The country has seen international arrivals drop dramatically following a number of terrorist attacks. At the end of last year, Mombasa was served by only three charter airlines, down from 30 a few years ago.

Major UK operators including Thomson, First Choice, Cosmos (now Monarch) and Kuoni evacuated their clients from Mombasa in May 2014 after the UK Foreign Office advised against travel to the area. Gradually the travel advisories have been lifted and parts of the coast are now re-open to tourism.

The latest incentives are part of the Kenyan government's commitment to the tourist industry, especially in the coastal regions.

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Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/13718235@N00/4929127313">Wildlife - Crescent Island, Lake Naivasha, Kenya</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/">(license)

FCO advice opens up Kenyan coast

THE UK’S Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) has relaxed its #traveladvice for #Kenya, lifting a barrier to travel to the country’s coast. Now there are no restrictions to travel to the Kenyan coast between Malindi in the north and the border with Tanzania in the south. 

‘This covers the main coastal destinations,’ said Kenya Tourism Board managing director Murlithi Ndegwa. ‘We hope that the remaining advice against travel to Lamu will be removed soon too. We welcome this change to the advice, but it provides no guarantee that tourists will return – we need to encourage them, and our tourism minister announced three initiatives geared to helping this happen.’

These initiatives include the waiver of landing fees for charter flights to the coast for the next two years, an incentive of £10.35 per passenger for passengers landing with a charter on the coast, and a waiver of visa fees for under 16s visiting any area of the country.

The aim is to encourage the reintroduction of charter flights with partners who have suspended them and to open up relationships with new carriers, and to stimulate the family market.

Mr Ndegwa says the initiatives will be applied as soon as possible, ideally in time to encourage travel during this winter season.

A global TV and online advertising campaign highlighting Kenyan attractions is due to launch soon.

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Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/26745817@N00/91935145">Malindi coast</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/">(license)