This brand new week, we bring you our fresh new weekly Top Ten (10) digest for the most important things in Uganda’s Tourism, the world of Aviation and Travel that have trending especially in this COVID-19 Era. As always, we will be giving you highlights that make News rounds all through from start of the week. Below is our Weekly Newsletter for your readership.
01. Domestic tourism on the rise as National parks counter check Pandemic after effects
All has been well with Uganda National park tourism since the partial lifting of the lockdown in mid- July last year having seen national parks register an increase in tourist numbers. With an change in marketing strategies by parks such as service subsidies, findings show that more Ugandan domestic tourists have taken up travel and tourism in the recent past.
The Covid- 19 pandemic which affected the country’s national parks’ operations has forced Uganda Wildlife Authority to work with public health officials to navigate the changing conditions, and protect tourists and wildlife health.
02. 2022 is the year of the travel rebound – TripAdvisor report
A new travel trends research paper released today by Tripadvisor in partnership with Ipsos MORI, reveals how consumers are planning to travel in 2022 and beyond, and how their attitudes and behaviours in relation to travel have changed as compared to pre-pandemic.
While outside factors like COVID-19 variants, international travel rules and staffing shortages still can represent existential threats to traveller behaviours, year-end sentiment and search data shows ongoing demand for travel remains high. Who benefits from the tourism demand? As travellers spend more, cultural experience providers (tours and attractions), tourism businesses catering to domestic audiences and companies adhering to safety standards will win the hearts and minds of travellers.
03. Entebbe Expressway road toll collection begins-Here is what you need to know
Motorcycles with more than 400cc and not boda bodas will pay shs3000, light vehicles shs5000, medium goods vehicles(2-3axles) shs10,000, large goods vehicles and buses (4-5 axles) shs15000 whereas large goods vehicles will pay shs18000 per trip.
Using the road will greatly help ease traffic jam from Uganda’s capital, Kampala to Entebbe as well as reducing the travel time for motorists to the airport from 120 minutes in the past using the narrow old Entebbe road to only 30 minutes.
04. City transport enhanced as the historical Old Taxi Park reopens with new look
The old Taxi park, also Uganda’s biggest, serves over 200,000 passengers daily especially city dwellers that work in but live out of the city. The old taxi park occupies 0.949 hectares of land, meaning the majority of the land belongs to private developers.
Taxi operators flocked the park on Saturday morning to resume operations in jubilation.
05. Heathrow partners with Microsoft to trial AI tool to detect wildlife trafficking
Heathrow has teamed up with Microsoft to trial the world’s first artificial intelligence (AI) system to combat illegal wildlife trafficking.
The initiative, named ‘Project SEEKER’, detects animal trafficking in cargo and baggage passing through the airport by scanning up to 250,000 bags a day. Initial testing of the algorithm which took place at Heathrow has shown a success rate of over 70% in identifying trafficked animals, including ivory.
06. Brussels Airlines launches new brand identity as part of transformation programme
The new brand identity includes a new version of the Brussels Airlines signature red and blue colours, now a deeper red and a darker shade of blue. The dotted “b” on the carrier’s logo and tailfins has now been replaced for dots of different sizes in the form of a square, to represent the diversity of the airline’s customers, destinations, and employees.
The two words of the brand name are now stacked, with the word “brussels” gaining more importance with its larger type font to emphasise the airline’s Belgian identity. The new aircraft livery, shows a zoom on the dotted logo on the tails, a fresh white body and a continuation of dots in different shades of blue and grey.
The dotted “b” on the carrier’s current logo and tailfins has now been replaced for dots of different sizes in the form of a square, to represent the diversity of the airline’s customers, destinations, and employees. The two words of the brand name are now stacked, with the word “brussels” gaining more importance with its larger type font to emphasise the airline’s Belgian identity.
07. Emirates recommences passenger operations to Entebbe
Passengers travelling to Dubai on direct flights and passengers transiting via Uganda to Dubai need to present a negative COVID-19 PCR test certificate with a QR code, and the test should be taken within 48 hours of departure. A negative COVID-19 Rapid or Real Time PCR test certificate with a QR code conducted at the departure airport must also be presented and should be valid within 6 hours of departure. Passengers with Dubai as their final destination will undergo an additional Covid-19 PCR test upon arrival, and should remain in self-quarantine until the results of the test are received. Children under the age of 12 are exempted.
08. Unique tree-climbing lions roar again in Uganda – Op-Ed
Just six months has passed since the killing and mutilation of six lions in the Ishasha sector of Uganda’s Queen Elizabeth National Park (QENP).
If you were to visit the park, you would see these so-called Ishasha lions lazing around in the myriad branches of towering fig trees. This group is one of only two populations of lions known to climb trees, making the majestic beasts fascinating subjects for study and a popular tourist attraction. Sadly, however, these lions face numerous threats, including habitat loss, snaring, human-wildlife conflict, illegal wildlife trade and the trafficking of lion body parts.
09. How travel will look like in 2022 and what will change
On March 2, four new occurrences of the virus were announced, two of which were the first cases of community transmission. These two cases were acquired in Australia, although all previous cases were imported from outside. Both cases were reported in New South Wales, with one obtained from a close family and the other from a health care worker in Western Sydney.
The federal government announced on March 25 that Australian citizens and permanent residents would be required to seek exemptions to leave the country.
10. Ugandan Schools reopened after nearly two years of pandemic-induced lockdown
More than 10 million school going children have not attended school in Uganda since March 2020 when schools were locked up due to the COVID-19 pandemic that had swept the world.
Despite earlier efforts and shorts at remote education, a less percentage of the entire students could access and effectively take up the initiative given logistical and other challenges such as infrastructure.
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