LIST OF THE 15 CHEAPEST AIRLINES ON THE GLOBE

An Australian airline booking portal analyzed all low cost airlines including Ryanair, easyJet, WizzAir, Indigo and many more.

The company came up with a list of the 15 least expensive airlines on the globe. Average fares start from $44
Here are the 15 most inexpensive airlines operating today:
1. Firefly (Malaysia) $44
2. VivaAerobus (Mexico) $69
3. Air Asia (Malaysia) $72
4. SpiceJet (India) $76
5. FastJet (Tanzania) $77
6. Onur Air (Turkey) $81
7. Atlasjet (Turkey) $91
8. tigerair (Singapore) $91.50
9. Pegasus Airlines (Tukey) $94
10. Ryanair (Ireland) $95
11. IndiGo Air (India) $99
12. Peach (Japan) $102
13. Wizz Air (Hungary) $102.50
14. Jetstar (Australia) $112
15. Allegiant Air (US) $114

KENYA TOURISM BOARD LAUNCHES GLOBAL PR CAMPAIGN

The Kenya Tourism Board (KTB), aka Magical Kenya, launched a global online media campaign under the hashtag headline #WhyILoveKenya which will cover the country itself, the wider Eastern African region, the continent of Africa, and all the main markets in Europe, North America, the Gulf, India, Russia, and Asia

This is coming at the backdrop of travel advisories issued by some of the foreign missions from the top tourist source markets, a situation that has dealt a blow to the destination’s image.

With the campaign theme; #Why I love Kenya, KTB is rallying tourists, celebrities, corporate bodies, public and the private sector and friends of tourism sector to tell the world about the uniqueness of the country and how tourism business activities are ongoing despite the travel advisories.

Riding on Kenya’s pride as the world’s leading safari destination, KTB will be engaging audience to send good will messages accompanied with images of tourism sites through the social media platform.

“I appeal to Kenyans to rally together and use the hash tag #why I love Kenya to spread the word that Kenya is the country to visit and get the country tourism flourishing” says KTB Managing Director, Muriithi Ndegwa.

He said besides other strategies employed to reassure tourists of Kenya’s safety, the online media strategy, he added, will widen the scope.

Ndegwa said it was reassuring to note that despite the travel advisories, tourists have demonstrated their love for and confidence in Kenya and are continuing with their holidays in the country.

“I am happy to note that the beginning the new 8th wonder of the world, that is the annual wildebeest migration in Masai Mara Game Reserve, will trigger more bookings as a result of expected increase of tourists to the country,” he said.

THE WORLD'S CUTEST DESERT FROG

LET'S TAKE AN ELFIE (ELEPHANT SELFIE)

Scott Brierley dropped his phone in an enclosure only to discover later on that 22-year-old female Latabe had snapped herself with it A man who dropped his phone at a wildlife park was stunned to find a elephant had taken a SELFIE on it. Scott Brierley was making his way through West Midlands Safari Park taking snaps of the giant African animals. But as he took a pic of himself with one of them he dropped his phone into the enclosure. Ordered to stay in his vehicle and keep moving the 23-year-old wasn't able to retrieve it until later on. But when he did he was shocked to find 22-year-old female Latabe had taken a picture of herself with it. Events manager Scott says he has now got the world's only elephant selfie following the hilarious incident. "I live quite close to the park so I've been there a few times," he said. "The elephants are my favourite along with tigers. "Me and a friend were driving past the elephant enclosure, I took a few pix of me with one of the elephants. "But when I turned back around I hit my phone on the side of the car door and it fell down onto the grass. "The elephant was all over it, I think he thought it was food. I didn't dare get out the car to get it. I just drove to one of the workers I could see and he went to get it. "I really couldn't believe when the iPhone came back, I pressed the centre button to check it was still working and wow there it was - me and my friend were in shock. "The elephant had taken two pictures, but the second isn't very good. I have shown everybody the elephant selfie, and they all love it."

MIGRATION ARRIVES IN THE MASAI MARA ‘WAY AHEAD OF SCHEDULE’

‘The migration is back’ came the shout  from the Kenyan side of the trans-boundary Serengeti – Masai Mara ecosystem as the advance ‘troops’ of the million and a half strong herds of wildebeest and zebras have reached the rivers and are piling up numbers before the first major crossings will provide visitors once again with sights often equated with one of nature’s greatest spectacles.

Unusually early, the migration normally arrives by mid to late June and at times as late as July, is the return of the great herds a boost for Kenya’s struggling tourism sector as the annual migration is one of the country’s major selling points for safaris.Adjoining the Masai Mara are a number of conservancies which provide a crucial buffer between the main reserve and the land used for grazing cattle or farming. These large tracts of land have regenerated over the space of a few years, have become real wilderness areas again and are now home to a large number of game including the big cats like lion, cheetah, leopard, hyenas but also of a number of smaller predators like foxes, jackals, Civet and Genet cats and even wild dogs, aka hunting or painted dogs.

Tourists seeking that special added touch of greater privacy therefore often opt to stay at the tented safari camps, there are no lodges on the conservancies, all of them small, intimate, offering great personalized service and are at times outrageously luxurious. There guests can take guided walks, do night game drives, enjoy sundowners and when the migration is on enter the main Masai Mara Game Reserve on full day game drives to see the great herds at the river crossings.Adjoining the Masai Mara are a number of conservancies which provide a crucial buffer between the main reserve and the land used for grazing cattle or farming. These large tracts of land have regenerated over the space of a few years, have become real wilderness areas again and are now home to a large number of game including the big cats like lion, cheetah, leopard, hyenas but also of a number of smaller predators like foxes, jackals, Civet and Genet cats and even wild dogs, aka hunting or painted dogs.

Tourists seeking that special added touch of greater privacy therefore often opt to stay at the tented safari camps, there are no lodges on the conservancies, all of them small, intimate, offering great personalized service and are at times outrageously luxurious. There guests can take guided walks, do night game drives, enjoy sundowners and when the migration is on enter the main Masai Mara Game Reserve on full day game drives to see the great herds at the river crossings.Multiple daily scheduled flights from Nairobi’s Wilson Airport, like with Safarilink, Kenya’s premier safari airline, deliver visitors within an hour from the Kenyan capital to the Masai Mara, an altogether different world where companies like Porini take their guests back in time to the good old days of the classic tented safari camps while at the other end of the scale for instance the Olare Mara Kempinski is an oasis of unadulterated luxury. This gives visitors to the Masai Mara and the conservancies a wide range of options, from the very exclusive small properties where a host of staff is at their visitors’ beck and call to the main lodges inside the reserve and even the budget camping options for those who merely want to take in the sights and do it on a small budget by using mini-busses for road transport and game drives.

Kenya is a perfect example of a destination where both the super-rich as well as the average Tom, Dick and Harry can come for a vacation, and each of them, according to their budget and accustomed lifestyle, find exactly what they were hoping to find during their holidays.

Some may opt to take airline shuttle buses from the airport to the city centre and walk to their budget hotel and others may afford the stretched limo service from Royal Home Town Limo and Event and stay in suites at hotels like the Kempinski, the Fairmont Norfolk, the Sarova Stanley, the Nairobi Serena and other 5 star properties.

Some may opt for road transport to the parks, others may afford to use the scheduled flights and yet others may decide to go for private charters, taking off at a time of their own choosing. From the sundrenched beaches of the Indian Ocean where a wide range of accommodation facilities from self-catering to boutique resorts are found to the safari parks across the country, Kenya very much has what it takes to make a holiday become that dream come true, and the annual migration, now that the big herds have returned, is but one of nature’s spectacles tourists can expect.

AFRICA’S SPA ASSOCIATION PROMOTES WELLNESS TOURISM

As more Spa’s open across Eastern Africa and wellness tourism is on the increase, it is becoming increasingly important to have some form of quality control and certification process in place to ensure that local and international guests, who come with high expectations, actually get value for their money.

A recent article here about the Uzuri Spa at the Leopard Beach Resort & Spa went to show what level of sophistication has been reached in Kenya, and with leading hotel groups like Serena and Sarova, now joined by Kempinski which has just opened their own branded Spa, rolling out their own in-house creations, the trend at present seems unstoppable. Recently opened new lodges like Enashipai on Lake Naivasha in fact have entered the market by storm for the very fact that they have a top of the range Spa, besides the location and quality of services of course as a Spa alone does not make a property.

The Spa Association of Africa is the continent’s leading professional body under which quality Spa’s come together and which provides certification for members in line with an elaborate audit process.

‘The Spa & Wellness Association of Africa is an organization created to develop and maintain internationally recognized standards and education for the spa industry in Africa. The association works alongside tourism boards and operators to set quality standards and encourage education and preventive health measures within the spa, health and wellness industry’ informed Janine Shipra, who is a SWAA Board Member and its Vice Chair and who recently moved from the Uzuri Spa in Diani to Tanzania to prepare for the opening of several Spa’s. Spa’s seeking membership in SWAA are carefully vetted and given advice in case some areas are found in need of changes or improvements, and when finally the membership certificate is issued guests can be sure to enter a Spa which is worth being called a Spa by international standards and not, as has happened, find themselves in a so called Jua Kali outfit with glaring deficiencies in set up and application.

Run by a board of directors and supported by an Advisory Board which has injected added expertise into the organisation, is SWAA the authority right now in Eastern Africa and across the continent to give Spa users the certainty that they can expect value for their money. Meanwhile of course can tourists from abroad, as they do in more fancied destinations, book their wellness packages in advance with some of Kenya’s leading beach resorts like the Leopard Beach in Diani, the Whitesands along Bamburi and the Serena at Shanzu, and of course the already award winning Lion in the Sun, owned by Flavio Briattore, in Malindi. Time to visit, as Kenya still got what it takes to make for that holiday in a lifetime.

CONDOR AIRLINES SET FOR AN ADDED FLIGHT TO MOMBASA FROM EARLY JULY

Information has been obtained that Condor, the German charter airline, is planning to up their current three weekly flights from Germany to Mombasa and on to Zanzibar to four, come July.

While the added seats will not make up for the loss of the charters from the UK, which were halted in a panic reaction to a travel advisory issued by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, which going by common undertones from Kenya was aimed at nothing else but to inflict pain and damage on the Kenyan government and by prolongation the tourism industry, at least will it allow for greater numbers of German tourists to come and visit the Kenyan coast.

Although the flight moves on from Mombasa to Zanzibar, an East African island destination with growing appeal in Germany, has the announcement rekindled hope among the tourism and resort stakeholders at the coast and reaffirmed the strategy to continue working existing markets alongside new and emerging markets to showcase Kenya as a safe and desirable destination for tourist visitors.

Charter flights to Mombasa from Europe started to fizzle away from as early as February this year due to a lack of demand and with many tour operators no longer willing to guarantee the minimum number of seats needed to operate such charter flights without incurring losses, several airlines decided to cut down on flights to reduce their risk, leaving the Kenya coast for the first time in decades short of flight capacity to fill the resort beds.