CWT Expands African Presence

Carlson Wagonlit Travel has announced that it is expanding its African presence to Mozambique, through a partnership with TopAtlântico Mozambique, a subsidiary of the Portuguese travel management group, Espírito Santo Viagens.
 TopAtlântico, in partnership with CWT, has provided travel management expertise to corporate travellers in Portugal since 2002 and in Angola since 2006. Based in Lisbon, the company is a travel agency with over 600 employees. “Mozambique is an important and growing market for corporate travel,” said Helder Alves, Vice-President of TopAtlântico.
 In partnership with CWT, we will be handling the business travel needs of Mozambican-based companies, as well as those of overseas companies with investments or facilities in Mozambique that are looking for local support for their corporate travellers when they are visiting the country.”
 CWT has an operational presence in over 40 African countries. “Mozambique is the newest addition to the CWT network and is a key country for our energy services clients,” said Richard Saunders, Senior Director of CWT Global Partners Network for Europe, Middle East and Africa.

RwandAir Appoints Holiday Aviation as SA GSA

 RwandAir and Holiday Aviation have signed a partner agreement that appoints the latter as the airline’s official general sales agent in South Africa. Holiday Aviation is a division of Holiday Holdings International. The organisation operates the local incorporated office of APG Global Associates, which has a presence in 160 countries on six continents. RwandAir operates one of the youngest fleets in Africa, serving 15 destinations beyond Kigali with four Boeing 737s, one Bombardier Dash-200 series and two brand new CRJ900 regional jets. “We’ve seen a big increase on our regional and medium haul routes out of Johannesburg, and the strategic partnership with Holiday Aviation will strengthen the carrier’s presence and growth potential,” said John Mirenge, CEO of RwandAir. “We plan to expand our operations in South Africa, with Cape Town featuring prominently in our plans for the near future”.

New CEO for SAA

South African Airways has a new chief executive officer.
 Monwabisi Kalawe will fill the position of the national carrier's new permanent CEO and he takes over from Nico Bezuidenhout who has been acting CEO for the past few months.
Kalawe is currently the Country Managing Director of Compass Group South Africa, a food services company, as well as the CEO of Thebe Tourism Group.
His appointment comes after the board of directors of SAA suspended the national carrier's acting CEO, Vuyisile Kona, earlier this year. Kalawe is expected to take office in the next few weeks.

New Radisson Blu in Nigeria

According to breakingnewstravel, the Rezidor Hotel Group has announced the construction of the Radisson Blu Hotel Port Harcourt Olympia in Nigeria.
The property is scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2016. This would bring Rezidor’s Nigerian portfolio to 1,100 rooms in operation and under development.
Rezidor already has the Radisson Blu Anchorage Hotel, Lagos VI; the up and coming Radisson Blu Hotel Abuja and the Park Inn by Radissons in Lagos (Apapa), Ikeja (Abeoukuta) and Abuja. Nigeria is a key development market for Rezidor – the group is the first international operator to apply its international standards to the three major financial hubs of Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt.
 The hotel site is located in the southern part of the city in the less congested old Government Reserve Area directly opposite the Port Harcourt Club 1928 Golf course, with spectacular views over the course. Besides 206 rooms, with Radisson Blu signature services such as free high-speed Internet, the hotel will offer an all-day dining restaurant, a specialty restaurant and bar, and the largest conference facilities in the Niger Delta, with 2,100 square metres of conference and meeting space. Additionally, there will be a gym, spa, outdoor swimming pool, business centre and rooftop bar and terrace.

Turkish Airlines Expands Global Network

 According to breakingnewstravel, Turkish Airlines has announced additional flights from Istanbul to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 25 April.
This will make the airline the world’s fourth largest flight network, with 222 destinations in 99 countries. Beginning later this month, roundtrip flights between Istanbul and Kuala Lumpur will be operated three times a week on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
 Flights between the two cities will be increased to four times weekly, with the addition of a Wednesday flight beginning 17 June.
The addition of this destination also means that Turkish Airlines passengers coming from UK airports (London Heathrow, London Gatwick, Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh), will now be able to reach Kuala Lumpur via Istanbul.

BA Completes Interesting Research

Online check-in has been voted the best travel innovation, in a study of over 2,000 European travellers by British Airways. The top five technological innovations, heralded for immeasurably improving short-haul travel, are: Online check-in; electronic tickets; option to choose your seat online; mobile boarding pass; kiosk check-in. “It is clear from this study that customers appreciate the brilliance of self-service,” said Frank Van Der Post, British Airways’ managing director of brands and customer experience. Looking to the future, participants in the study also threw down the gauntlet to the industry with a wish list of further innovations. Nearly one in five travellers (18%) said they would like to fly in an aeroplane with a panoramic roof, while 10% opted for a special ‘child-zone’ with nannies on board.

Air France Launches Digital Press Offer

Air France has launched its new “AF Press” app, offering its French travel saver card users (customers travelling on a Travel Saver fare) equipped with an iPad, the opportunity to download free of charge a selection of magazines and newspapers onto their tablets.
Each year, Air France offers its customers access to several million newspapers and magazines around the world, available in its lounges, boarding areas and onboard its cabins at the front of the aircraft.
The “AF Press” app completes this paper press offering by enabling customers to download their preferred publications up to 24 hours before their flight, until the time of departure, and read them before, during and after their trip.
 The new Air France app will be gradually supplemented with French and international publications. It will be extended throughout the year to all the company’s customers equipped with a personal screen, smartphone or iOS, Android or Windows 8.
Moreover, the Air France Magazine and Air France Madame publications are available for download free of charge, with or without a flight reservation, by all “AF Press” users. Air France has been investing in digital innovation for many years in an aim to offer its customers even more services available on smartphone and tablet.
The digital press offer is already accessible on iPads, available for customers to use in the La Première lounge and the Business lounges in Halls L and M at Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport.

SAA and Jet Airways Enter Codeshare Agreement

According to economictimes.indiatimes.com, private carrier Jet Airways has announced details of a codeshare arrangement with South African Airways, as a way of offering seamless travel to South Africa-bound passengers.
In a Jet Airways press release, it stated that Jet Airways will codeshare on South African Airways' flights between Mumbai and Johannesburg, and beyond to Cape Town and Durban. Similarly, South African Airways will codeshare on Jet Airways' operations between Mumbai and Delhi, and beyond to Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai and Thiruvananthapuram.
 "The agreement further supports the objectives of the BRICS member states. It will help meet the high demand for air travel between India's large business hubs and South Africa," said Manoj Papa, Acting General Manager (Commercial) of SAA. The agreement is expected to come into effect on 18 April.

EgyptAir adds more direct flights between Cairo and Doha

 According to breakingnewstravel, EgyptAir will operate two more direct flights between Cairo and Doha starting the beginning of June, using Boeing 737-800 aircraft. T
his will increase the total number of weekly flights to 14 flights a week, in a double daily operation to Doha. The new timetable between Egypt and Doha will see the Cairo flight depart at 10h00 and arrival in Doha at 14h10.
 Departure from Doha will then take place at 15h10 and arrival in Cairo will be 17h25. Thereafter, a flight will depart Cairo at 23h15 and arrive in Doha at 03h25. That will be followed by a Doha departure at 04h25 and arrival in Cairo at 06h40.

Legacy Lifestyle and SAA Voyager Join Forces

 Legacy Lifestyle and SAA Voyager have partnered to conclude what they believe is one of the biggest rewards deals in the travel industry.
The new partnership will provide Legacy Lifestyle members with the opportunity to exchange their Legacy Rands for Voyager Miles, whilst Voyager members will be able to convert up to 20,000 of their Miles to real cash value in the form of Legacy Rands.
This in essence allows Voyager members access to the 200+ brands currently on the Legacy programme. Legacy Lifestyle will gain new membership and Voyager will gain a host of redemption partners, whilst also gaining support from the large Lifestyle membership base.
 Members wishing to convert their Voyager Miles or Legacy Rands should visit www.voyagerbylifestyle.com. Legacy Lifestyle is a luxury rewards programme, and has aligned over 200 aspirational luxury brands to allow members the ability to earn and redeem rewards whenever they transact. The lifestyle programme is unique in South Africa as it works on a 1 – 1, ZAR to Legacy Rand basis, and registration is free.
The exclusive brand partners represent all areas of lifestyle, including accommodation, adventure, art, beauty, dining, entertainment, fashion, furniture, health, home, jewellery, spas, speciality, travel and wine estates. Brands include Hugo Boss, Pringle, Fendi, Salvatore Ferragamo and most recently the Cross Trainer group. Travel partners include Legacy Hotels, LUX* Island Resorts, Hunter Hotels, Avis and Europcar.
Lifestyle members further receive a 20% discount at all Legacy Lifestyle hotels and further rewards back based on their membership status, and as they climb the membership levels they get access to further special privileges and benefits at hotel partners. There is a launch offer of 20,000 Miles, valid until 31 July 2013

Quickbeds Joins Travelport

Travelport has announced that Quickbeds.com has joined its hotel booking engine, Travelport Rooms and More.
The implementation of hotel content from Quickbeds.com will provide an additional 4,200 Australian-based hotel offerings to the already extensive Travelport Rooms and More database. Quickbeds.com, which is a division of Flight Centre, is the 21st supplier to be implemented in Travelport Rooms and More since the engine was launched in 2011.
The engine was introduced by Travelport to help travel agents improve the efficiency of searching for hotel content across numerous websites and aggregators. It searches multiple sources on behalf of the user and returns an easy-to-read list of accommodation choices that optimises content choice and potential commission revenue earned.
The commission on Travelport Rooms and More is on par or better than current solutions and is paid directly via Travelport as a single consolidated payment, simplifying the reconciliation process. Travelport Rooms and More is now available to travel agencies in over 70 countries, and in six languages - English, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Polish. Visit www.travelportroomsandmore.com for more information.

Air France Updates Menus

Air France is bringing a breath of fresh air with new dishes on its a la carte menus, available as an alternative to the menu of the day (free of charge) offered in Premium Economy and Economy cabins on most long-haul flights departing Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Paris-Orly.
Since 1 April, customers have been able to enjoy brand new ‘Ocean’, ‘Tradition’, ‘Bio’ (organic) and ‘Une Sélection LENÔTRE’ menus.
With the ‘Tradition’ and ‘Une Sélection LENÔTRE’ menus, specially created for Air France by the renowned Maison Lenôtre, customers can enjoy a genuine French fine-dining experience.
 Among the new dishes proposed, the Tradition menu features a foie gras terrine, gingerbread, dried fig chutney and baby spinach, followed by veal with blanquette cream sauce, glazed pearl onions with thyme, mushrooms and Basmati rice, and the Une Sélection LENÔTRE menu features marinated sautéed shrimp, pan-seared scallops with Dugléré orange sauce, vegetable risotto, carrots, sugar snap peas, celeriac, and a strawberry entremets.
 The Ocean and Bio menus offer delicate flavours and fresh produce with salmon dumplings, blini and cabbage with horseradish, baby spinach, Alaskan hake fish with lemon and butter, mashed potatoes with tomato and ratatouille or sautéed shrimp, sautéed radishes and mango with olive oil, Julienned carrots and zucchini with honey and soy sauce.
 The Air France a la carte menus, available at a price varying between €12 and €28, can be ordered online on the airfrance.com website at the time of booking, or in the View/Modify my bookings section, and at Air France call centres and ticket offices up to 24 hours before departure. On departure from the French Overseas Departments; Fort-de-France, Pointe-à-Pitre, Cayenne and Réunion, three menus are available; Italia, Ocean and Tradition, which will be renewed for winter 2013.

Tsogo Sun Unveils Refurbished Hemingways

This 4-star hotel and casino is located in the city of East London, in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. The project launched in January 2012 and included upgrades to the casino floor and slots and table games expansions; a new bar restaurant; a bigger smoking casino; two stylish new Salon Prives (one smoking and one non-smoking); six cinemas and the biggest 3D cinema screen in the Eastern Cape; and a fully-equipped crèche for up to 30 children.
 The Hemingways Casino building also received an external facelift. The expansion and upgrade included two new wings with an extra 41 luxury rooms and executive suites, bringing the total number of rooms to 108; a new hotel restaurant, swimming pool, and gym; as well as an additional 107 secure undercover parking bays.
 In addition, Venue@Hemingways, a multi-purpose conferencing and event venue, with a pre-function reception area and state-of-the-art sound and lighting systems, has also been constructed adjacent to the hotel. This venue was completed by the end of 2012 and is being used for conferencing and banqueting functions, music concerts, entertainment, comedy shows, and lifestyle events such as expos, food and wine fairs, fashion shows, and product launches.
 Venue@Hemingways can accommodate from 10 to 750 people in different seating configurations, including schoolroom style, banqueting, cinema-style, and U-shape seating.
The venue also offers clients and visitors the added convenience of entertainment, restaurants, and the casino within the centre, as well as a link to the adjacent mall. Built on 11 hectares, the Hemingways Hotel and Casino Complex is bounded by the N2 highway, Two Rivers Drive and Western Avenue, offering easy access to and from main roads, highways and the airport, as well as various tourist attractions in the area.

Travelport Launches New Product

Travelport has unveiled the Travelport Merchandising Platform, which transforms the way airlines deliver their products and the way that those products are displayed to travel agents.
The platform enables airlines to: differentiate and distribute their full suite of products and services, including fares and ancillaries, with complete consistency across all channels; distribute their content using whichever technology best suits their business model; achieve greater brand consistency by controlling how their product is presented across all channels; maximize return on investment by demonstrating differentiation from their competition and increased ancillary sales.
 Travelport Merchandising Platform enables travel agents to: access the full range of airline products, including ancillaries, in their familiar, consolidated and integrated workflow, which will assist them in making the best informed choice for their customers; offer a better, more complete service demonstrating their deep product expertise to customers; maintain high levels of productivity and reduce training times.
Travelport Merchandising Platform encompasses industry-leading technologies that facilitate the acquisition of additional, richer content from airlines, whatever the source of that content, i.e. through APIs, through industry standard data filing protocols, such as ATPCO, or through a blend of both.
The Travelport Merchandising Platform then enables the ability to display and promote this content across all points of sale. It also provides three retailing solutions: Travelport Aggregated Shopping (launching now); Travelport Ancillary Services (already available); Travelport Rich Content & Branding (launching later in 2013). Travelport Merchandising Platform is the outcome of the company’s investment in industry-leading technology to allow airlines to differentiate their products via the travel agency channel, whilst enabling travel agencies and consumers to fully understand and compare products and offers from those airlines.

KLM Launches Space Campaign

KLM has launched a promotional campaign – ‘Claim your place in Space’ – encouraging its customers to support Space Expedition Corporation, a revolutionary space project that aims to launch the first commercial space trip from Curacao as of 1 January 2014.
 The campaign, launched on www.klm.com/space, offers participants the chance to win a real space flight. Participating is easy. On the 22nd of April, KLM will launch a special high altitude balloon from the Nevada desert in the US.
It carries cameras and a GPS to monitor and follow its exact progress into space. As the balloon approaches space, it expands and eventually pops, its load floating back to earth on a parachute. Before KLM launches the balloon, participants can predict online, where the balloon will reach its highest point.
The most accurate prediction of this place in space will win a flight for two to Curacao, a stay at one of Curacao’s luxury hotels, and a unique space flight for one, aboard the SXC Lynx spaceship. With this campaign, KLM supports SXC in finding a way to make space accessible in a responsible, sustainable manner, promoting new technologies.

Medical Cover from Europcar

 Europcar has announced that it now offers its customers emergency medical assistance. With this new product offering, customers have access to emergency medical transportation 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in the event of a medical emergency when using Europcar’s rental vehicles. The Emergency Medical assistance, provided by Europ Assistance, gives customers access to an independent national network of about 5,000 emergency medical personnel ready to respond to a call. At just R20 a day, the cover includes the following benefits: 24-hour emergency advice and assistance call centre; immediate dispatch of emergency medical services in order to provide life-saving assistance; emergency transportation by air or road ambulance; following an accident, the customer’s children are transported to a place of safety; return of mortal remains in the event of a death as a result of a medical emergency. This cover is valid for travel in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Swaziland and Lesotho.

Air Uganda Names New CEO

 According to eturbonews, Air Uganda has appointed Cornwell Muleya as its new CEO. He joins Air Uganda from ALS Limited in Kenya, where he was chief executive of what was a growing aircraft leasing business for the past three years. Muleya is an engineer and chartered accountant by trade and spent the early part of his career in audit and financial consulting with Deloitte and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Muleya has extensive airline management experience, having worked as a CEO and CFO for several airlines in Africa, including Air Mauritius, Air Botswana, Air Tanzania and Zambezi Airlines.

Update on Air Mauritius Durban Route

 Further to last week’s news that Air Mauritius will be introducing flights to Durban, South Africa once again, the airline has announced that the 5th of July will be the start date of this reintroduction. The daily Johannesburg flight will be retained, but as of the 2nd of May, the Johannesburg night flight will fall away. “Despite the fact that our night flights will be suspended during low season periods, we would like to assure all passengers that supplementary midnight flights will be added during peak travel periods, to meet market demand,” said Carla da Silva, Air Mauritius Regional Manager, Southern Africa and Latin America. The current Cape Town schedule remains unchanged. The Durban flight will see an A319 departing at 12h10 and arriving in Mauritius at 18h00, whilst the return flight leaves at 09h00 and will arrive in Durban at 11h20. “During peak periods and holiday seasons, we will introduce additional capacity, to accommodate our partners, and where required, an equipment upgrade will be affected for group travel,” said da Silva. Air Mauritius cancelled the Durban route last year, with only seasonal flights taking place. But, according to the airline, the reintroduction of the route is due to “submissions from the market, government and other stakeholders, which meant that we re-assessed the situation and monitored our peak period flights results”.

Travelport and KDS Extend Agreement

Travelport and KDS, an international provider of travel and expense management systems, have signed a new, extended agreement. As part of the enhanced relationship, KDS and Travelport aim to bring the benefits of Travelport’s open platform and Universal API to KDS customers. To progress this approach, KDS has become a member of the Travelport Developer Network, which was established just over 12 months ago to facilitate the faster introduction of innovative new applications to Travelport’s 67,000 travel agency customers worldwide. Through its membership of the Travelport Developer Network, KDS plans to adopt Travelport’s Universal API and will also have access to a wide range of software resources, dedicated technical support and an entry in the Travelport Developer Directory. The deal also gives Travelport the ability to continue providing KDS Portal and KDS Corporate to both its travel management company customers and its corporate subscribers.  

Travelport Establishes Operation in Kenya

Travelport has launched a new direct commercial presence in Kenya. Travelport currently operates in 47 countries across the continent and East Africa is firmly in the group’s sights.

 No surprise, considering the healthy GDP growth in the region, which is expected to reach 5.6% in East Africa in 2013. Since 1997, Galileo, a Travelport global distribution system, has grown as the leading GDS in East Africa and was previously distributed in Kenya by Kenya Airways.

 With the new Travelport operation for travel agents now in place and an expanded Travelport team on the ground, the travel technology provider plans to introduce new customer support services and deploy a wide range of innovative products over the coming months, all aimed at helping Kenyan travel agents take advantage of the region’s growth and earn new revenues.

To head up the new Kenya team, Travelport has appointed Rajab Itambo as General Manager for Kenya. In addition, he will have responsibility for Travelport’s business in Tanzania. Over the past year, Travelport has been steadily growing its presence in Africa with the acquisition of its Galileo operation in Southern Africa last May, and the entry into 10 new African countries over the past 12 months.

 As well as investing in an expanded African network, Travelport has also deployed new travel agency solutions across the continent, including new mobile offerings, such as Travelport Mobile Agent, and new point of sale technology, such as Travelport Smartpoint. It has also secured numerous full content agreements with many of Africa’s fast-growing airlines and tripled the hotel content available in its system.  

ET Partners Oman Air

 According to breakingnewstravel, Oman Air has entered into a codeshare partnership with Ethiopian Airlines on the Muscat and Addis Ababa sectors, which will offer greater choice for customers of the two airlines.
 This codeshare agreement will cover flights between the Omani capital of Muscat and the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa. The service will be operated using Ethiopian Airlines aircraft and will build on the airline’s four flights per week between the two cities. It will be marketed by Oman Air.
The codeshare also expands the choice available to those travelling from Ethiopia, who can now fly via Muscat to any one of Oman Air’s 42 global destinations

Tsogo Sun Invests Big in Durban’s Golden Mile

Tsogo Sun is consolidating and relaunching its Southern Sun Elangeni and Southern Sun North Beach hotels into one complex – Southern Sun Elangeni & Maharani.

 The South African hotel group has for many years featured prominently on Durban’s Golden Mile, with the two properties already mentioned, along with Garden Court Marine Parade, Garden Court South Beach, and the SunCoast Casino and Entertainment World, including the SunSquare and SunCoast Towers hotels. 

The first phase of the project, which will be completed in time for the Tourism Indaba in May, will consist of: a total refurbishment of the Maharani Tower, including the bedrooms, core infrastructure, conference centre and public areas; substantial new food and beverage offerings within the Elangeni Tower; the rework of the Porte Cochere’s creating a sense of arrival and better access to the complex; the renovation of the external building facades. 

The complex facilities  include 734 rooms, two gyms, three swimming pools (one heated), free Wi-Fi connectivity, 17 meeting and conference rooms, two fully-equipped business centres, and 11 restaurants and bars offering a variety of a la carte and buffet meal options. Phase two will see the opening in the third quarter of 2013, of The Camelot Spa, which will feature five treatment rooms, a double treatment room with a hydro therapy bath, and a Himalayan salt room in the Elangeni Tower.

 The historic Raffles area is being transformed into a multipurpose venue on top of the Maharani Tower available for conferences, launches, themed evenings and a myriad of other events. The final phase will include a refurbishment of the Elangeni rooms and additional public areas, and once complete, Tsogo Sun would have invested a total of R220 million.

Europcar Unveils New Logo

 Europcar’s latest logo took to the skies last month when the second kulula Boeing 737-800 showcased the car rental company’s new branding in South Africa. Europcar international has launched a new logo that, it says, “embodies the company’s values of dynamism and power”. The statement accompanying the media release went on to say that “this new iconic logo conveys mobility and acts as a quality stamp on all Europcar sub-brands and offers. The “e” symbol is a strong graphic design and has become a signature for Europcar’s tagline – ‘moving your way’. With the revamped logo, Europcar is making a brand promise to all of its customers that they can expect the same high quality service and products across the world.”

New Airline Set to Launch in Zambia

 According to eturbonews, a new airline is expected to start up in Zambia, competing with Proflight, the only airline currently providing flights within Zambia. Makuba Airlines is allegedly being set up by Zambian expats and locals. The plan is that the airline will be operational before the United Nations World Tourism Organisation general assembly, which will be co-hosted by Zimbabwe and Zambia in August. The two planes that will be used initially include a Turbo Prop ATR 42-500 and an ATR 72-500, which will be maintained by Air Botswana. The ATR 42 has a carrying capacity of 48, whilst the ATR can carry 72. Chairman of the company, Mwansa Chalwe, said the project has been meticulously planned and he hoped that the company will turn around the domestic flight market by making air travel more affordable.

New Le Méridien to Open in Cairo

 According to breakingnewstravel, Le Méridien recently announced 10 new hotel openings over the next year, and an additional new hotel in Egypt, where the brand currently operates four properties. Le Méridien Cairo Airport will open in September 2013. Located at Terminal 3, it will be the only hotel with direct access to Cairo International Airport terminals. Le Méridien Cairo Airport will feature 350 rooms, a 24-hour restaurant, specialty restaurant, coffee bar, lobby bar, lounge, fitness centre and swimming pool. The hotel will have approximately 750 square metres of meeting space, including a business centre, ballroom and six meeting rooms, for a variety of business functions. Le Méridien and its ownership groups are also planning to invest more than $200m in the renovations of 13 hotels and resorts in the Middle East and Africa region over the next three years.

New Destinations for RwandAir

 According to eturbonews.com, RwandAir has announced the launch of direct flights from Kigali to Douala (Cameroon) and Juba (South Sudan). This follows the announcement that the airline will soon be flying to Accra (Ghana) five times a week.
Douala will be served four times a week and both flights will leave Kigali in the afternoon, whereas the return flight for Kigali leaves the following morning. Boeing 737-700NG or B737-800NG aircraft will be used on the route, offering both Business and Economy Class. The Accra and Douala services will launch on 1 June. The two cities will join Brazzaville, Libreville and Lagos as RwandAir’s West African destinations.
 The Juba service will launch on 1 July and will initially be served three times a week, with the recently-acquired brand new CRJ900NextGen regional jets. Departure from Kigali will be at 09h45 and the return flight from Juba to Kigali will take off at 13h00, South Sudan time. This will take the number of RwandAir destinations to 16.

New Property for Mantis

 Mantis Collection has announced that its latest project will be the development of a 5-star hotel on the island of St Helena, a British overseas territory located in the South Atlantic Ocean.
 St Helena is one of the most remote places in the world, more than 2,000 kilometres from the nearest major landmass. A team of six from Mantis including founder and chairman, Adrian Gardiner, visited the island in January of this year and identified Ladder Hill Fort as the location for the 5-star hotel, which will have 45 bedrooms including 10 self-catering units, as well as a restaurant, spa and fitness facilities.
 Over the next six months Mantis will be carrying out a feasibility and costing exercise with the aim of commencing building towards the end 2013 and opening the hotel in 2015. The island, which is currently accessed by the last commercially operating Royal Mail Ship, will be opening its own airport in January 2016.

Air Mauritius Posts Profit

Air Mauritius posted a net profit of 6.1 million euros for the third quarter (October-December) of the Financial Year 2012 – 2013, which represents an improvement of 9.7 million euros, compared with the same period last year.
The good performances for the second and third quarters made up for the negative results of the first. As a result, Air Mauritius has limited its losses to 3.1 million euros over the last nine months. The results, according to the airline, are a by-product of the recovery plan put in place last year, with regards optimising revenues and reducing operational costs by 13.7 million euros.
 Furthermore, the suspension of some European direct flights was compensated by rebalancing capacity towards emerging markets, namely new hubs like Kuala Lumpur, Johannesburg, Nairobi and Perth. 42,000 additional seats were offered on the non-European destinations in October-December 2012.
This helped to maintain tourist arrivals in Mauritius, while the new network contributed to a 15% growth in arrivals from the Asian and African markets.
Air Mauritius says it will continue to explore the possibility of a strategic partnership that would reinforce financial soundness, facilitate a re-fleeting exercise and provide access to a more diversified network.

Lonrho and easyHotels Open Johannesburg Property

Lonrho Hotels and Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou’s easyHotel Group have opened their first budget hotel in Africa. After signing an exclusive agreement with the property owner South Point, the former Lamunu Hotel will be converted to ‘easyHotel Johannesburg CBD by Lonrho’. 
The hotel has 60 rooms across seven floors and is situated on De Korte Street, at the heart of Johannesburg’s CBD. 
The hotel is in close proximity to Liberty Group’s offices, South African Breweries and the University of the Witwatersrand, as well as the City of Johannesburg’s offices. 
‘easyHotel by Lonrho’ will be the first trans-continental hotel brand in Africa specifically designed for those hotel guests with a small budget, and it’s the latest addition to the Lonrho Hotels portfolio, joining the Hotel Cardoso in Maputo; Leopard Rock in Mutare, Zimbabwe; the Grand Karavia in Lubumbashi, DRC; the Grand Hotel Kinshasa in DRC; and the Lansmore Masa Square in Gaborone, Botswana.
 “This new project between Sir Stelios and Lonrho starts the roll-out of easyHotels by Lonrho throughout Africa,” said Geoffrey White, CEO of Lonrho. “This will be the first of many hotels specifically designed to provide an international standard hotel room at a budget price starting from US$31 (R290) per room per night. easyHotel by Lonrho will meet a growing demand across the continent for a quality budget hotel chain.” 
2012 saw Lonrho and easyHotel announce the signing of a 20-year master franchise agreement, with both parties committing to establishing an easyHotel network across Africa. The MFA provided Lonrho with the exclusive rights to the easyHotel.com brand in Africa and set out an agreed opening schedule for 50 properties by 2016.
 The initial announcement last year was that Rissik Street in the Johannesburg CBD was going to be the site for the first easyHotel in Africa , but that deal fell through, and the two parties turned their attention to the property in De Korte street.