travel africa
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
In This Issue… April-May 2022 4
From the Publisher…
Industry News 8
9 10 11 13 14 16
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United Airlines Teams Up with Travel Company to Book Curated Travel Experiences in Africa Zimbabwe’s Air Zim Expects to Join IATA in 3 Months South African Airline Comair’s Fleet Grounded Indefinitely Expansion in Asia and Africa: TUI Blue set to Grow to 300+ Hotels Worldwide New Booking Systems Signal Next Step for Blockchain How to Create a Smart Budget for the Comeback of Business Travel South Africa Relaxes COVID-19 Restrictions in Hopes of Boosting Tourism Industry The US Extends its Aviation Mask Mandate Despite Growing Opposition Business Travel is Growing on Ethiopian Airlines’ Busy US Routes Gender Neutral Passports will be Available in April 2022 Nigerian Airlines Halt Operations Over Rising Jet Fuel Costs 7 Most Visited African Countries by International Tourists, According to Latest Available Stats
Feature Stories 25 26
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Travel Influencer Cedtripping Takes 20 Travelers to Zanzibar 8 Visa-Free African Countries for U.S.
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Citizens Ten African Languages Added to Google Translate Will Metaverse Change the Future of Travel? ‘Chef of the Year’ Wandile Mabaso Wind Down at These Six Luxurious Wine Resorts Around the World (focus: 2 South Africa wine resorts) Rick Ross Receives Warm Welcome in Angola, Blesses Local Residents Sleep In Africa: The Instagram Account Helping People Find Black-Owned Accommodations Across Africa Black & Abroad - Talk the Importance of Black Luxury Travel Jessica Nabongo: First Black Woman to Visit All 195 Countries to Release Book in June Travelers Will No Longer be Restricted
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Right of Way
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When Packing Liquids, Thanks to this New Technology Packing Tips from the Experts on Maximizing Space JW Marriott to Open First Luxury Safari Retreat in Kenya in 2023 Your Top Questions About Moving to Ghana Answered Here are the Top Exciting, Cheap (and Overlooked) African Countries to Move Abroad Netflix’s New Reality Series ‘Young, Famous and African’ Highlights All Things African Luxury Park Rangers Enter Fray in West Africa’s Battle with Militants
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Ski Africa Golf Africa African Cuisine! Republic of Reunion Events Around the African Continent and the World
Travel Africa 60 62 64
Cruising - RV African Dream WORLD HERITAGE SITES Travel Africa 3 | ABA Publications | Africa TRAVEL | May 2022
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From the Publisher…
Publisher’s Message
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y Publisher’s Message to you is this inspiring atticle by Koffi Kouakou from tGhana News. In Travel Africa, we strive to celebrate Africa by presenting the myriad of worthy, beautiful, exciting spaces on the continent that the world should experience. This article also reminds us all of the whys we celebrate AFRICA! Thank you for taking the time to visit our publication. Make your plans to celebrate Africa using the wide range of information in this and past issues. Harambe!! www.africabusinessassociation.com
Celebrating Africa Day Is Worth It
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odern Africa has come a long way. From slavery, colonialism, neocolonialism, the Bandung Conference, the Bretton Woods structural adjustment chokeholds, along with their inexhaustible debt relief and poverty alleviation schemes, right up to liberation struggle traumas, idealistic PanAfricanist dreams, dismal leadership and elite failures, and, most recently, health sovereignty challenges brought on by the Covid-19 crisis, it has been a dreadful era for Africans. Yet, amid the travails, Africa resiliently keeps thriving. Nevertheless, every year, a sceptical and ritualistic question arises about whether to celebrate Africa Day. It is the annual commemoration of the foundation of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) on May 25, 1963, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, hosted by Emperor Haile Selassie. It was called African Freedom Day, to “mark each year the onward progress of the liberation movement, and to symbolise the determination of the people of Africa to free themselves from foreign domination and exploitation”. It is celebrated in many countries on the continent and worldwide. It was formerly known as African Freedom Day and African Liberation Day.
Later, on July 9, 2002, the OAU became the African Union, in Durban. The celebratory day has continued ever since. While I find such a question irritating, I also enjoy the due pressure it puts on Africans to constantly re-evaluate the gains of the liberation Struggle ideals many of our early compatriots fought for. Africa Day celebrations deserve praise because they remind us of how far the continent and its people have come and the associated sense of pride, healing and dignity with a mixture of pain, joy, fear and hope. So, the question is not whether Africa Day is worth celebrating but who, what, and how it should be done beyond cultural jamborees. In short, those who genuinely care about Africa and its future must celebrate and rejoice on this special day and do so in their own ways, peacefully. The significance and celebration of Africa Day remind me of two notions. The first is the idea of the Afropocalypse. It is the dreadful chronicle of the tragic challenges of all things hellish facing Africans. It includes poverty, inequality, unemployment, and corruption. It conjures the stereotypical image of a degenerated Africa falling apart and off the face of the Earth. There is a deep perception, rightly so, that the decolonisation of Africa is incomplete and
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that much is moving in reverse. And that former colonial masters and new global powers like China may be holding the freedom and development of Africa hostage, with modern financial loans and highly indebted-based schemes. Furthermore, the AU’s agenda to Silencing the Guns on the continent is failing as foreign powers keep fuelling conflicts in many regions of the continent by providing weapons to protagonists. Child labour, the shameful and abominable practice of using children for the extraction of economies such as cocoa, coffee, mining and other natural resources, was discussed recently during the Child Labour Conference in Durban. It will take time to eradicate it, given the immense unemployment, material inequality, and high poverty rates on the continent. Rising xenophobic, Afrophobic, patriarchal, and homophobic trends across the continent are also slowing the African unity agenda. While there has been steady progress in gender issues, women and the youth remain poorly integrated into economic growth activities. Finally, Africa Day is more than just African unity and culinary celebrations. It should also be about assessing the state of the AU, the continental institution that embodies the ideals of Pan-
Africanism. In practice, Africans should celebrate Africa Day with caution. Over the years, many African leaders have betrayed the ideals of Kwame Nkrumah. The AU remains bureaucratically slow, fragmented, silent and toothless on the burning issues of the continent. Known by many as the club of dictators, its poor reputation for dealing vigorously with the challenges of the continent is at stake. Worse, the AU’s finances and operations depend heavily on foreign donor funding. This unacceptable situation cannot be justified on the grounds that Africa is poor and financially incapable of funding itself. That’s not true, and it’s no freedom at all. But the institution’s poor reputation and foibles should not distract Africans from recognising the challenges to the Pan-Africanism ideals and celebrating its gains on Africa Day. Upholding the Pan-African ideal is not an easy task. Even nations of the EU with more experience are struggling to hold on to their unity. Therefore, Africans must be realistic about freedom in unity. My second notion, Afreedomia, is an expression I made up to capture the combined utopic idea of an African land fully free. In fact, the idea of Afreedomia is not as mythical as it sounds. There are already signs of success stories on the continent, which are poorly told. The AU, for all its failures, remains the unique embodiment of the PanAfricanist ideal. While its successes are not yet visible, no other institution holds such a symbol of unity and identity on the continent. Its most recent success story could be tagged to its visible role in public health during the Covid-19 crisis with a swift funding-driven strategy for vaccine procurement and other medical actions. In January last year, it successfully spearheaded and launched the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement to make cross-border trade and freedom of movement of goods and people among nations possible and more effective on the continent. The AU negotiating a silent presence in many crisis-prone African nations must be lauded in areas of counter-terrorism in order to maintain
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Publisher’s Message Africa Day - from page 5 peace and security. In truth, much of Africa is more at peace today than it was 60 years ago, around the so-called independence days. These are a few significant achievements to recognise and appreciate in the face of the enormous challenges the continent faces. Africa Day is indeed envisioned as a constructive expression to affirm some improvements on a continent with great potential for sound investments, and sustainable development with an estimated “population of 1.25 billion, with the fastest urbanising continent and a growth rate of
more than 2.6%.” As former South African president Nelson Mandela said in his autobiography, A Long Walk to Freedom, Africans must work relentlessly toward African unity. Today, our surest liberation hope resides in the actionable, the ideal of freedom, and celebrating Africa Day is worth it. Afreedomia ahoy! https://www.ghanamma.com/2022/05/22/ celebrating-africa-day-is-worth-it/ Image credit: juzaphoto.com, Culture Trip
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About the
Africa Business Association The Africa Business Association is an independent international business development organization. We offer access to the latest resources, information, and best practices in advocacy and communications for the African Diaspora and the African entrepreneurs in Africa. We work to help you have access to news and events as starting points for constructive conversations and calls to action. We seek to cut through the froth of the political spin cycle to underlying truths and values. We want to be so focused on progress that together we can provide a credible and constructive generation of Africans that take seriously our previous generations and act upon all their wishes, our hopes and aspirations to make lasting change for all future generations.
Africa Business Association
"Travel Africa" PUBLISHER/PRESIDENT Ricky Katsuya
ADVISORY BOARD
Earl 'Skip' Cooper, II, CEO, Black Business Association H.E. Sheila Siwela, Ambassador H.E. Kone L. Tanou, Ambassador
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Ricky Katsuya
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Publisher’s Message: luxuryescapes.africa
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Industry News
United Airlines Teams Up with Travel Company to Book Curated Travel Experiences in Africa By Brunno Braga
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ertified Africa is a Black-owned travel agency that books all-in-one private and group travel experiences to the African continent. Founded by the young husband and wife team, Kristin Tellis Quaye (African American) & Nii Armah Quaye (Ghanaian), the company utilizes their connections and network on the African continent to curate authentic and exclusive experiences for travelers to multiple African countries such as Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, and Egypt. Now, the company is teaming up with United Airlines to create convenient options for travelers looking to visit Africa for African heritage experiences. Through this partnership, travelers can book all-in-one private or group travel experiences that include United flights visiting the Certified Africa website. The packages also include accommodations, airport pick up/drop off, transportation, cultural tours, activities along with some meals and guides. Certified Africa also helps ensure travelers are prepared and informed about travel requirements like visas, immunizations, Covid-19 precautions and travel insurance. “One of the most intimidating aspects of traveling abroad is the unknown. Every new culture has its own customs, languages, and traditions, which can be hard to navigate if you’re not used to them,” said Certified Africa Co-Founder Kristin Tellis Quaye in a press release. “With Certified Africa’s staff and guides accompanying you and the added convenience of United flights included you can feel comfortable and ready for the unknown when traveling to Africa and immersing yourself in heritage and culture,” Quay added. On teaming up with Certified Africa, United Airlines reinforces its presence in the African continent. Last year, the airline company launched three
new nonstop routes to Africa, with direct flights from the U.S. to Accra, G h a n a , and Lagos, Nigeria. They operate three times a week from Dulles International Airport in the Washington, D.C. metro area and the airline also started a year-round, daily nonstop service from Newark Liberty International Airport to Johannesburg. “This partnership will be welcome news for United customers who are eager to explore Africa but may need a little help creating their ideal itinerary,” said Glenn Hollister, vice president of sales strategy and effectiveness at United. “Certified Africa’s deep expertise and extensive network of local partners made them a great choice for United to work with.” Over the past few years, many people from the African diaspora have embraced heritage trips to Africa in order to connect to their roots and culture. These types of experiences have become increasingly popular with the 2019 Year of Return campaign in Ghana. The Year of Return brought many African-American travelers to Ghana and helped to boost the Ghanaian economy. For more information on these new travel packages or to book a trip, visit Certified Africa. https://travelnoire.com/united-airlines-teamsup-with-travel-company-to-book-curated-travelexperiences-in-africa Image credit: Certified Africa, Flickr
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Industry News
Zimbabwe’s Air Zim Expects to Join IATA in 3 Months By Luke Bodell
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imbabwe’s national carrier, Air Zimbabwe, expects to rejoin the International Air Transport Association (IATA) over the next three months. The airline has been suspended from IATA multiple times over the years due to unpaid debts and safety concerns. Tafadzwa Zaza, acting CEO at Air Zimbabwe, said, “The process is underway to rejoin IATA, which I think in the next three months we should be a member of the IATA Clearing House. It’s very critical to join the IATA Clearing House to be able to contribute to the aviation global distribution system. Right now it’s difficult to pick us on the system since we are not a member.” The IATA Clearing House (ICH) provides settlement services in the air transport industry. It is one of several IATA Settlement Systems (ISS) which enable reliable and efficient movement of funds around the industry. In 2017, ISS settled a whopping $433.3 billion. $140 million debt in the way The airline’s membership of the IATA Clearing House has not been forthcoming due to unpaid debt. However, IATA has now stated that Air Zimbabwe is making progress on repaying its estimated $140 million debts. Membership in IATA would offer a wide range of
perks to Air Zimbabwe, including more partnership opportunities and financial security. Zaza added, “Once we are a member we will be able to get into these alliances as well as business sharing models with other airlines so that we can have our passengers, for example, traveling all the way to Harare or German or Dubai without a hassle. We will also be able to sell tickets for our passengers here in Dubai or connect passengers from here all the way to Victoria Fall.” Fleet and network expansion in 2022 Air Zimbabwe is hoping to expand its fleet in the next year, which will impact both domestic and international operations. Air Zimbabwe’s CEO was also part of a national delegation that visited Dubai recently and plans to expand the airline’s network into Dubai. Zaza said, “With Government support, we are going to expand and increase our frequency and we are open to engaging investors. In 2022, after consolidating on the domestic routes to enable tourism, we will grow regionally. We plan to do at least one inter-continental destination and one of the destinations earmarked is Dubai.” The airline has a fleet of eight aircraft, including two Boeing 777s that aren’t entering service anytime soon. According to Zaza, Air Zimbabwe is looking to wet lease or dry lease the aircraft in the short term. In the long term, its 777s could be converted into freighters. https:// simpleflying.com/ zimbabwe-air-zimiata-3-months/ Image credit: getty Images
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Industry News
South African Airline Comair’s Fleet Grounded Indefinitely By Wendell Roelf
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outh Africa’s civil aviation regulator grounded Comair’s planes indefinitely on March 13th over unresolved safety issues, in a move that also affects low-cost airline Kulula and British Airways, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded. A spokesperson for the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) said it had extended a 24-hour precautionary suspension of Comair’s operator certificate indefinitely. The suspension was meant to end on March 13th but Comair has not adequately addressed all the necessary safety issues, the SACAA said. read more “This morning we communicated to them (Comair) that their air operator certificate is now indefinitely suspended until they close all of the findings,” SACAA spokesperson Phindiwe Gwebu told Reuters, effectively grounding the company’s fleet of Boeing (BA.N) aircraft. Comair said it was unable to confirm when it would start flying again, after working through the night to provide documentation to SACAA following a review of certain policies, systems and procedures. “This is a huge blow to our customers, employees and the flying public as it effectively takes 40% of the capacity out of the market,” Glenn Orsmond, Comair chief executive said in a statement. There would be considerable implications for the aviation sector and the country should the suspension be prolonged, he added. CHARTERED FLIGHTS Airports Company SA (ACSA), which runs the country’s largest airports, said some of the stranded passengers were placed on chartered flights arranged by BA and Comair, specifically for commuters on the popular Johannesburg and Cape Town route. “Priority is also given to those passengers who have onward
international connecting flights,” Terence Delomoney, ACSA’s group executive operations manager said. Issuing the precautionary notice on Saturday, the regulator said in the past month Comair had experienced safety problems ranging from “engine failures, engine malfunction and landing gear malfunctions,” among others. In its investigations, SACAA said it had discovered three so-called “level 1” findings “which pose an immediate risk” and must be addressed immediately. Gwebu did not elaborate on what outstanding safety issues Comair, which flies local and regional routes from South Africa under the British Airways (BA) livery as part of a licence agreement, needed to address before flying again. Besides flying BA planes, Comair also operates the Kulula brand. A notice on Kulula’s website showed that Comair had been aiming to resume its schedule by 12 p.m. (1000 GMT) on Sunday, subject to SACAA’s approval. “We will do everything we can to accommodate customers affected by the suspension on other flights, prioritising vulnerable customers and those who most urgently needed to travel,” Comair said, adding that customers would also be kept informed via text. https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospacedefense/safricas-comair-airlines-fleet-groundedindefinitely-says-regulator-2022-03-13/ Image credit: REUTERS\Mike Hutchings/File Photo
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Industry News
Expansion in Asia and Africa: TUI Blue set to Grow to 300+ Hotels Worldwide By TUI Group
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UI Group will continue to expand its successful and profitable hotel segment. Following the relaunch of its operating business, the global hotel brand TUI Blue is again focusing on expansion and aims to grow to 300+ hotels. The focus is on the development of new regions for expansion in Southeast Asia, China, Africa and the Middle East. An important driver for the future growth strategy are international partnerships in which TUI Blue hotels are operated either under management contracts or by franchisees. “TUI has a an unrivalled strong expertise in designing, developing and successfully operating leisure hotel brands as well as developing holiday destinations”, said Erik Friemuth, Managing Director TUI Hotels & Resorts. “TUI Blue’s new management and franchise model allows our future partners to benefit from this and offer guests unique holiday experiences. Together, we aim to become the leading leisure hotel brand with more than 300 hotels worldwide.” The TUI Blue business model was presented to investors as well as representatives of the hotel industry at a hybrid event in Dubai today. In the metropolis at the Arabian Gulf and Hong Kong, TUI Blue will establish its own hotel development team. “We are delighted that Wesam Okasha, an experienced Global Head of Business Development, has joined us. Among other roles, he previously held the position of Senior Director Development West Africa for Hilton,” says Artur Gerber,
Managing Director TUI Blue. “Our dedicated team in Asia has already started and has successfully managed to sign contracts for the first TUI Blue hotels in China.” The TUI BLUE model offers partners the opportunity to increase the performance and revenue of their hotels, optimise costs and make hotel operations even more efficient. In addition to TUI’s operational expertise and marketing and sales power with 27 million customers per year, it also provides access to a digital hotel platform. The smart technology enables efficient hotel management and a seamless digital customer experience. For example, through the digital front office which streamlines collaboration across departments and different hotel areas in order to process the guest’s wishes faster and more efficiently. All elements of the comprehensive ecosystem are based on the long-standing knowhow in designing holiday experiences. https://www.4hoteliers.com/news/story/22375 Image credit: https://www.tui-blue.com/en/en/ hotels/tui-blue-bahari-zanzibar/#c805
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TUI BLUE BAHARI ZANZIBAR
Industry News
New Booking Sy By Mitra Sorrells
with different strategies, both are focused on putting more control and more revenue into the hands of hoteliers and rental hosts.
Dtravel’s pivot
This Travel Africa reprint from Phocuswire is focused on the short term rental segment of the travel booking market. Read the full article using the link at the end of the presentation. fforts to create decentralized, blockchainbased travel booking platforms have been in development for several years but now two new systems are debuting – one for hotels and the other for short-term rentals. The creation of these new direct-to-consumer channels, for hotels by Winding Tree and rentals by Dtravel, marks a new stage in the evolution of blockchain for travel distribution – and evidence that what may have initially been viewed as a fad is now gaining much broader acceptance and adoption. And while these two new offerings are launching
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Dtravel launched last June as a marketplace for blockchain-based bookings of private accommodations. Now the company is changing its model. After meeting with hosts over the last several months to learn more about their needs, it will launch a direct booking product that is set to go live in May. “There’s a real desire [from hosts] to drive more bookings back to their direct sites,” says Melanie Amos, head of operations at Dtravel. “OTAs (online travel agents) bring a lot of demand and there are some benefits that come with it. But for a lot of hospitality entrepreneurs, vacation rental property managers, they are getting repeat bookings and repeat guests, so being able to drive them to a direct booking product was something that was going to add real value to their business.” Dtravel is starting with a minimum viable product launching in partnership with Hostaway. Through an API integration to its property management system, Hostaway customers have the option to “turn on” Dtravel as a distribution channel, enabling on-chain bookings without a big learning curve or change in operations for hosts. “But the booking is facilitated through a smart contract. That’s where the transparency, the
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ystems Signal Next Step for Blockchain
control comes back to the host in the settings that they’ve indicated for cancellations, pricing – that smart contract, once the booking is executed, effectively takes care of when the payment goes out, when cancellation is available or not,” Amos says. “From the front end as a guest or as a host it’s a very familiar booking experience, but it’s the transparency and control on the back end through the smart contracts and blockchain that is really the differentiating factor.” By enabling Dtravel as a distribution channel, hosts get a “listing page” for their properties that can be shared directly with guests to complete a booking. Payment can be made in cryptocurrency, with no fee to the guest, or with a fiat currency, in which case the guest would pay a conversion fee. Hosts must create a cryptocurrency wallet – Dtravel provides assistance if needed – and connect that to the system to access their revenue. For each booking hosts pay a 5% fee that goes into Dtravel’s community treasury, which is used to run the platform. Like Winding Tree’s WIN, Dtravel is a decentralized autonomous organization, giving all members ownership and the ability to participate in governance, including decisions on how funds are spent. “They don’t need to worry about the smart contract space, because we do all of that for them,” says Cynthia Huang, head of growth at Dtravel. “But eventually the vision, as we move to true decentralization, is that all aspects of the smart contract could be controlled by a host. We recognize that not all hosts will want this responsibility but for the ones that do... they could
deploy their own smart contract and manage it and make changes to it as well. That’s the vision we’re building toward.” Hostaway founder and CEO Marcus Rader says he believes systems such as Dtravel will continue to gain traction in part because “there are a lot of people who are not fans of big, centrally-controlled systems.” “Dtravel’s cutting-edge approach to community and its mission around empowering hosts to not only know but personally realize the benefits of Web3 is inspiring and will surely change the way this business is conducted well into the future,” he says. Rader says about 2,000 property managers with 40,000 properties currently use Hostaway and some have started to ask questions about blockchain-based distribution. While he will not predict how many will choose to enable bookings through Dtravel, he expects it will attract interest. “Usually, property managers want to minimize the amount of time that they spend, because time is money and it eats into their profit margin... so most focus on the channels that work really well for them,” Rader says. “But I think for Dtravel they are bit different because there will be a lot of passion-driven decisions – people will choose to go live with this whether it brings them bookings or not. And having a simple reservation process actually makes it easier for the property manager compared to some of the new OTAs that have come out in recent years.” https://www.phocuswire.com/new-bookingsystems-from-winding-tree-dtravel-signal-nextstep-for-blockchain-distribution
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Image credit: appadvice.com
Industry News
How to Create a Smart Budget for the Comeback of Business Travel By Greg Williams
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f nothing else, the past two years have taught business travel managers that it’s wise to plan for the unexpected. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us thought we’d be back to business as usual in a couple of weeks. Yet nearly two years later, people are lined up in droves to get tested for the omicron variant. Kenyatta International Confe And business travel, while higher Dakar International Conference Center than it was at this time last year, isn’t predicted to return to prepandemic levels until 2024, according to research 2024. Despite setbacks in recovery in 2021, the research predicts that pent-up demand in 2022 by the Global Business Travel Association. A lot of uncertainty remains around the future will help business travel spending reach more of corporate business travel, which is no surprise than $1 trillion. At the same time, hotel rates are expected to rise as we consider some factors surrounding the industry: new variants of the virus continue to 13% globally in 2022. This includes higher room disrupt the world, many people have come to rely rates for upscale hotels, which are expected to on video communication platforms to conduct experience higher occupancy levels as business business meetings and some companies’ travel travel returns. Airfare won’t surge quite as much but is anticipated to cost 3.3% more in 2022 than budgets have been reduced. According to a recent Skift survey, however, in 2021. Corporate travel and entertainment is normally 45 percent of corporate travel decision-makers said their company’s COVID-related travel a company’s second-highest indirect expense just policy changes were temporary, while 22% said behind payroll, according to Mastercard. While it their organization hadn’t altered its policy at all. would make sense on paper to slash corporate Business travel is trending in a positive direction, travel in favor of Zoom, Microsoft Teams or particularly as global travel bans ease up in many other video communication platforms, it’s hard to replicate face-to-face meetings, especially when countries. As corporate travel increases, it’s important you’re meeting a new client for the first time or to plan 2022 budgets to meet the needs of your closing a sale. Based on these predictions and trends, here are employees, especially as the cost of traveling is expected to rise for businesses, too. Here are a few takeaways to make the most of your 2022 a few expectations for the industry, followed by travel budget. suggestions for better business travel budgeting. 1. Plan Your Spending Wisely A Few of Our Business Travel Predictions To make the most of your 2022 allocation, business As mentioned earlier, the GBTA business travel managers should take a look at corporate travel index forecasts that global business travel travel spending in 2018 and 2019. Account for spending will surge in 2022. A return to pre- the number of business trips taken, the average pandemic spending of $1.4 trillion is expected in length of stay and the cost of airfare, ground 14 | ABA Publications | Africa TRAVEL | May 2022
African Union Headquarters
rence Center
transportation, food,
lodging and entertainment. Next, consider what new areas you spent money on during the pandemic. Did you provide employees with personal protective equipment (PPE) or communication materials about health and safety guidelines? It’s important to continue providing these measures to help keep your employees safe and comfortable while traveling, so make sure to include these in your budget. Has your employees’ preferred method of transportation changed? Morning Consult’s State of Travel and Hospitality report found that out of people who have to travel for their jobs in the next three months, 62% would take their personal vehicle, 46% would fly and 25% would rent a car. This suggests that companies might begin to spend more on ground transportation, including gasoline, than in previous years. Because of rising travel-related costs across the board, it’s important for company travel managers to require employees to book their trips through preferred vendors, such as a core list of car rental companies and preferred hotels. A Deloitte study found corporate travel decision-makers are rethinking travel spending by encouraging the use of corporate booking platforms and agents, which will optimize the money allocated toward business trips.
2. Rely on Technology to Optimize Budgets Some
expense
management
technologies
that formerly focused on decreasing the cost of processing expenses have expanded into managing employee spending habits and integrating corporate policies into decisions related to business travel expenses.These digital tools can handle traditionally time-intensive tasks like finding hotels with pre-negotiated rates, locating employees on the road in case of emergencies and auditing and reconciling travel expenses. When you consider the number of hours it takes to manually organize and manage the details of business trips, from making reservations to reconciling receipts, it’s easy to see why companies are investing in technology that saves time and keeps increasing business travel costs at bay.
3. Prepare for the Unexpected Although speculation remains about how the business travel industry will bounce back, events like this year’s CES (Consumer Electronics Show) prove that businesses still want to meet and conduct events in person. As business travel rebounds, related prices are expected to be higher than they were before COVID-19. Business travel managers can use travel management platforms to help them do their jobs more efficiently. https://www.worth.com/smart-budget-business-travelcomeback/ Image credit: airfrance.com, pinterest.com, https:// www.gooood.cn/dakar-international-conferencecenter-by-tabanlioglu-architects.htm
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Industry News
South Africa Relaxes COVID-19 Restrictions in Hopes of Boosting Tourism Industry By Brunno Braga
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outh Africa has announced the easing of COVID-19 restrictions as cases continue to fall in the country. The African country is currently experiencing a moment of low transmission and, consequently, a drop in coronavirus-related deaths and hospitalizations. The relaxed restrictions include the end of mandatory mask use outdoors, and vaccinated travelers are now allowed to enter the country without having to provide a negative PCR test. All unvaccinated travelers entering the country who want to be vaccinated will be offered vaccination. Since March 2020, when the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in South Africa, the country has been severely hit by the pandemic, registering one of the highest numbers on the continent. According to the official data, over 100,000 people died of COVID-19 and more than 3.7 million infections were recorded since the outbreak started two years ago. South Africa’s tourism suffered big losses. Now, the country is working to bring tourists back to pre-pandemic levels, when over 16 million foreign tourists visited the country in 2019. In 2019, tourism in South Africa contributed to 6.9% of the country’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product) and, with the pandemic, it dropped to 3.7% in 2020. President Cyril Ramaphosa publicly announced the new measures. “We are returning, as far as possible, to the lives that we lived before the pandemic. It means that we are opening our economy still further and that
we are resuming many of the social and cultural activities that we have missed over the last two years,” Ramaphosa said. For him, the ease of restrictions will boost the economy, adding that the pandemic has negatively impacted many livelihoods and devastated South Africa’s economy, leading to the closure of many businesses and the loss of some two million jobs, especially in the tourism sector. The new rules also include allowing sports stadiums and music festivals to fill up to 50% of their capacity with people who are vaccinated or present valid negative PCR tests. https://travelnoire.com/south-africa-relaxescovid-19-restrictions-in-hopes-of-boostingtourism-industry Video: https://twitter.com/i/ broadcasts/1ynKOZjbAeQxR Image credit: cdn.primedia.co.za
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Industry News
The US Extends its Aviation Mask Mandate Despite Growing Opposition By Devansh Mehta
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he United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has decided to extend the mask mandate on airplanes for another 15 days. The mandate, which was set to expire on April 18th, also applies to trains and other transit hubs. The mask mandate will now be in effect until May 3rd. The extension comes just a few days after the White House hinted at the possibility. The new White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator, Dr. Ashish Jha, said an extension was “absolutely on the table.” While listing reasons for the 15-day extension, the CDC has said it needs time to monitor the recent surge in seven-day moving average Coronavirus cases. Weekly COVID-19 cases in the US increased by more than 20% on April 11th compared to the week before. The government agency added it was closely monitoring the BA.2 Omicron subvariant that is believed to be responsible for the sudden rise. The CDC said in a statement, “In order to assess the potential impact the rise of cases has on severe disease, including hospitalizations and deaths, and health care system capacity, the CDC order will remain in place at this time.” No relief for airlines Today’s mask mandate extension is expected to severely upset US airlines, who have been seeking an end to all COVID-related rules for quite some time now. Airlines for America (A4A), a lobbying group representing major US airlines, wrote a letter to President Biden urging him to lift pre-departure testing requirements and the federal mask mandate. The letter was signed by CEOs of Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Hawaiian Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines, among others. The letter read, “Given that we have entered a different phase of dealing with this virus, we strongly support your view that “COVID-19
Dr. Ashish Jha need no longer control our lives.” Now is the time for the Administration to sunset federal transportation travel restrictions – including the international pre-departure testing requirement and the federal mask mandate – that are no longer aligned with the realities of the current epidemiological environment.” A4A didn’t stop there. The group’s President and CEO sent another letter earlier today to CDC Director Rochelle Walensky and Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra. The mask mandate conundrum It is easy to discredit pleas from airlines to end the mask mandate as corporate greed at the expense of passenger safety, but the issue isn’t that simple. Naturally, airlines are opposed to all COVID requirements and restrictions as they cause extra hassle to passengers, which in turn is likely to discourage the general population from flying. However, now that mask rules have been significantly relaxed for other locations, it doesn’t make perfect sense for mandates to stay when it comes to travel. On the other hand, the US has seen worse days in terms of weekly cases, but if the global pandemic has taught us one thing, it is to be extra cautious at all times. https://simpleflying.com/us-extends-maskmandate-may-2022 Image credit: usainfuture.com
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Industry News
Business Travel is Growing on Ethiopia Busy U
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ollowing two years of downturn, international travel has been bouncing back in recent months. With this in mind, Simple Flying caught up with Ethiopian Airlines’ USA Regional Director, Samson Arega, to talk about prospects across the Atlantic in this new chapter.
Using its expertise Ethiopian Airlines has been serving the United States market for over two decades. While the operator has robustly grown in North America over the years, the US is one of the strategic markets that the company is determined to develop. Samson noted that his airline is witnessing travel market growth in tandem with remarkable socioeconomic progress in Africa. With this pattern, the carrier is concentrating more on corporate & business travel. With growing ties between the US and African countries, these segments will significantly shape themselves as the next big emerging travel market. Thus, in this recovery stage, Ethiopian Airlines’ growth strategy runs in line with its refined focus. Samson told Simple Flying the following about the flight strategy: “We have scheduled to re-introduce three weekly flights to Washington Dulles Airport (IAD) via Lomé, Togo/West Africa. We are connecting Washington DC, the nation’s capital with West African cities starting in June. This direct flight is evidence of the
commitment that we have for our esteemed clients here in the US, to conveniently connect and provide hassle-free air services, and a part of our strategic market expansion in the US. Furthermore, we are also regularizing all our operations to the airports that we fly as the passenger demand eventually recovers.”
Plenty of potential Before the pandemic, Ethiopian flew to Houston four times a week from Addis Ababa via Lomé, Togo, in both directions, primarily for refueling purposes. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner was deployed on these operations, and the carrier is keen to restart service. However, it doesn’t have a timeline just yet. Altogether, Ethiopian now has four passenger routes to the US, which are all operating outbound via Dublin or Lomé. The 787-9 is the most used aircraft, followed by the 777-200LR, 787-8, and 777-300ER. In a typical month, there are 21
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n Airlines’ US Routes By Sumit Singh
▲ Bole airport terminal in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Photo: Ethiopian Airlines
◄ Ethiopian Airlines reported a 2020/21 revenue of $3.5 billion. Photo: Ethiopian Airlines ◄ Ethiopian Airlines Pilots. Photo: businesslist.co.ke
weekly bookable departures to Africa from the US. “We have more flights between North America and Africa than any other airline. Ethiopian Airlines was the thirdlargest Airline between North America and Africa in 2019, with some 595,000 passengers, behind Delta Air Lines and Royal Air Maroc. Now, in 2022, we have the highest capacity planned to date.”
Further opportunities There are notable growth opportunities for the aviation industry across Africa, especially due to the emergence of new passenger segments. The population of sub-Saharan Africa is expected to
double by the middle of the century. Additionally, n e a r l y 60% of the continent’s population is under 25-years old. This aspect makes Africa the continent with the youngest population in the world. Additionally, many members of the young population are from an expanding middle class that is well adapted to global business patterns. So, Ethiopian Airlines will be keeping a close eye to ensure it meets the demand from these emerging segments. https://simpleflying.com/6-nigerian-airlines-formpassenger-service-alliance/
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Industry News
Gender Neutral Passports will be Available in April 2022 By Jo Yurcaba
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.S. citizens will be able to select the gender neutral “X” as a marker on their passport books starting April 11, the State Department said Wednesday. It made the announcement on the eve of Transgender Day of Visibility, an annual day on March 31 that celebrates transgender people. The U.S. special diplomatic envoy for LGBTQ rights, Jessica Stern, said adding an X gender marker to U.S. passports is “a momentous step.” “The addition of a third gender marker propels the U.S. forward toward ensuring that our administrative systems account for the diversity of gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics among U.S. citizens,” she said at a news conference Wednesday. “The issuance of X gender markers on U.S. passports does not create new definitions nor rights. This policy change recognizes the true identity of the passport holder.” The State Department announced in June that it would move toward adding a third gender marker but didn’t say when. Then, in October, it issued its first gender-neutral “X” passport. Stern added that the update is important because humans “do not always fit within a male or female category around the world.” “The lived realities of transgender, intersex, nonbinary and gender-nonconforming persons reflect that there is a wider spectrum of humanity than is represented by a binary sex designation on passports,” Stern said. Nonbinary and intersex Americans, who are
neither exclusively male nor female, are estimated to make up 1.2 million and 4 million people, respectively, according to the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law and interACT, an intersex advocacy group. Many of them have been unable to obtain IDs that accurately reflect who they are because of laws that differ by state. Fourteen states, for example, require proof of genital surgery to update the gender marker on a birth certificate. Douglass Benning, the State Department’s principal deputy assistant secretary, said people will be able to self-select their gender as “X” on their passport books and that no additional documentation will be required. The policy is consistent with one the department also announced in June, which allows applicants to self-select their genders as male or female, no longer requiring them to provide medical certification if their genders don’t match those listed on their other identification documents. The availability of a gender-neutral option on U.S. passports was preceded by a lengthy legal battle. Dana Zzyym, an intersex Colorado resident who uses gender-neutral pronouns, sued the State Department in 2015 after they were denied a passport for having failed to check male or female on an application. According to court documents, Zzyym (pronounced Zimm) wrote “intersex” above the boxes marked “M” and “F” and requested an “X” gender marker, instead, in a separate letter. The State Department’s denial of Zzyym’s passport prevented them from being able to travel to a meeting of Organization Intersex International in Mexico. The State Department wouldn’t confirm whether Zzyym received the first gender-neutral passport in October, citing privacy concerns. Lambda Legal, the LGBTQ legal organization that represented Zzyym, confirmed that they received the first “X” passport.
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At the time, Zzyym said they “almost burst into tears” when they received the passport. “I’m also ecstatic that other intersex and nonbinary U.S. citizens will soon be able to apply for passports with the correct gender marker,” they said in October. The Transportation Security Administration announced at Wednesday’s news conference that it would also roll out new gender-neutral screening processes. Jose Bonilla, the chair of the TSA’s Inclusion Action Committee, said the TSA is working with its manufacturer partners to develop a new algorithm for advanced imaging technology, or AIT, body scanners that would both enhance security and enable officers to provide gender-neutral screening. Transgender people have long called for changes to TSA policies, which some say result in invasive searches and humiliating experiences. For example, TSA scanners will often identify anomalies on a transgender person’s body. Bonilla said that, in response to some of the criticisms, the TSA is updating its procedures to reduce invasive pat-downs, which often result from AIT scanners being triggered “in a sensitive area.” This change will reduce the number of patdowns for transportation security officers “and the traveling public without compromising security and will be in effect until the gender-neutral AIT screening technology is deployed,” he said. With gender-neutral “X” becoming widely available April 11, Stern said, the U.S. joins other countries that “recognize their gender options on passports without additional verification beyond the person’s own affirmation.” “We hope in doing so we will help inspire other governments to make this option available to their own citizens,” she added. Australia, Canada, Germany, India, Nepal and New Zealand also allow citizens to designate a gender other than male or female on their passports. In addition to its announcement on gender neutral “X” passports, the Biden administration also released a number of sweeping measures aimed at making the federal government more inclusive of transgender people, including a new Department of Health and Human Services website that offers resources for transgender and
Nigerian Airlines Halt Operations Over Rising Jet Fuel Costs By Camillus Eboh
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omestic flights have been disrupted since March as some started to cancel internal schedules while others delayed operations, citing scarcity of jet fuel. Global jet fuel prices have soared after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Jet fuel has risen to 700 naira per litre in Nigeria from 190 naira over a short period, the airline association said in a statement, saying that the cost of a one-hour flight has more than doubled to 120,000 naira, which is unsustainable. The association said the continued rise in the cost of jet fuel has created operational pressures that put into question their financial viability. “To this end therefore, the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) ... inform the general public that member airlines will discontinue operations nationwide with effect from Monday May 9, 2022 until further notice,” it said. https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/nigerianairlines-halt-operations-over-rising-jet-fuelcosts-2022-05-07/
other LGBTQ youth, their parents and their health care providers. The Department of Education is also expanding trainings to support trans and nonbinary students, and the Social Security Administration will no longer require trans people to show proof of identity such as doctor’s notes in order to update their gender information in their Social Security record by the fall of 2022, among other reforms. The administration also once again condemned “the proliferation of dangerous anti-transgender legislative attacks” in state legislatures across the country, saying they “stigmatize and worsen the well-being and mental health of transgender kids,” and put loving, supportive families “at risk of discrimination and harassment.” https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-politicsand-policy/gender-neutral-x-passports-willavailable-april-rcna22292 Image credit: travelnoire.com
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Industry News
7 Most Visited African Countries by International Tou Available Stats By Emmanuel Abara Benson
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ourism is quite the revenue driver for many African countries. However, the sector has taken a major hit over the past two years, no thanks to the Coronavirus pandemic. At the height of the global health scare in 2020 and even through to 2021, virtually all African countries were forced to shut down their land and sea borders as part of a global restrictions on travel aimed at curtailing the spread of virus. Unfortunately, this measure had inevitably shut down global tourism. And billions of dollars were lost in the process. To show just how severe the pandemic’s impact on Africa’s tourism sector was, we obtained statistics from the UN World Tourism Organisation which show that international tourism receipts (i.e., expenditures by international visitors in Africa) dropped significantly by 62.7% from $39 billion in 2019 to $14 billion in 2020. But there is some good news. According to the
UNWTO’s tourism recovery tracker, international tourist arrivals in Africa stood at 69% as of January 2022. Travel restrictions across the continent have also dropped to 9.43% from a high of 84.91% in International tourist June 2020. This is not to say that everything is back to normal. As a matter of fact, the number of international tourist arrivals in Africa is still very abysmal compared to pre-pandemic levels. Based on available data from the UNWTO, a total of 18.5 million international tourists visited Africa in 2021 compared to 68.2 million in 2019. This is indicative of a 72.9% decline year on year. Based on the 2021 stats, below are the seven African countries with the highest international tourist arrivals. Now, it is important to bear in mind that the UNWTO emphasized that its ranking
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urists, According to Latest
t arrivals in selected African countries between 2019 and 2021 (Source: UNWTO)
is subject to change, as time lapses and more updates become available. ► South Africa: A total of 2.3 million international tourists arrived this country in 2021. ► Tanzania: A total of 900, 000 international tourists arrived this country in 2021. ► Ethiopia: A total of 500,000 international tourists arrived this country in 2021. ► Reunion: A total of 300, 000 international
tourists arrived this country in 2021. ► Eswatini: A total of 200, 000 international tourists arrived this country in 2021. ► Seychelles: A total of 200, 000 international tourists arrived this country in 2021. ► Mauritius: A total of 200, 000 international tourists arrived this country in 2021. https://africa.businessinsider.com/local/ lifestyle/7-african-countries-with-the-highestinternational-tourist-arrivals/6gycsb0
23 | ABA Publications | Africa TRAVEL | May 2022
Group Travel Can Be Great
Travel Influ
By Jasmine Osby
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nown for his vibrant and authentic social media content, travel influencer and clinical pharmacist Cedric ‘Cedtripping’ Woods has never really been a fan of group trips. One of the most popular male, travel content creators on Instagram, Woods didn’t take his first international trip until 2012. A few years later, after a trip to France with some friends, an ever-burning passion for travel was lit within him; leading him to over 50 countries to document and curate content surrounding his travel experiences. However, Woods still wasn’t sold on group excursions. “I generally don’t like going on group trips,” Woods said. “I’ve done a couple, and you’re not able to do what you want to do. Sometimes the experience and accommodations are not at a certain level or are like on a level of mid-luxury to full luxury.” Nevertheless, Woods’ high-quality, engaging content continued to entice his social media friends and more people began requesting to accompany him on his international quests. “A lot of people were interested in traveling with
me, so they could see what it was like to be a travel content creator and capture beautiful photos,” he said. Finally, Woods gave in and began planning a voyage to Zanzibar, Tanzania for a group of his loyal social media followers. The 20 traveler experience sold out in one month, and guests were excited to enjoy the rich travel experience only Cedtripping could provide. “I wanted everyone to have the authentic feel of a Cedtripping trip,” he said. “I can truly say that the Zanzibar trip was a complete success. I was just blown away.” For five days in March 2022, Woods and his guests explored the turquoise waters and white sand beaches of Zanzibar. Their hotel was right on the water and guests woke up to ocean views each morning. Suddenly, the photos they’d doubletapped on Woods’ Instagram page became their reality, and the African horizon served as the perfect backdrop. “African destinations are destinations that resonate with me more than others,” Woods said. “There’s something special about Africa and for
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uencer Cedtripping Takes 20 Travelers to Zanzibar
y
me, it’s a personal connection that runs much deeper than the people, the history, and the food. This could only be found in the Motherland.” Woods led the group on excursions throughout the stay that took them all over Zanzibar. Guests enjoyed beachside massages to unwind before taking sailboats out on the Indian Ocean. They also swam with sea turtles at an aquarium and learned more about the region’s culture in a traditional Swahili class. The entire stay was packed with excursions from sun up to sundown. Although this meant very little sleep for Woods, the influencer wanted to ensure his guests got the most out of their trip and that they understood they were in control of their itinerary. “I expected them to do as much as possible on the itinerary but I encouraged them to make this trip everything they wanted,” he said. A unique facet of Woods’ trip itinerary was that all combinations and excursions were selected specifically for creating travel content. Not only that, Woods accommodate every traveler’s need by having videographers and photographers on deck to help guests with producing their social media content while in Zanzibar. While the trip was content-driven, participating in content curation was optional for all guests.
“Whether it was their pose, posture, or just directing, they helped the guests with what to do to capture great, beautiful content,” he said. During the trip, the guests were able to experience the market at Stone Town as well as have lunch at the most famous restaurant in Zanzibar, The Rock Restaurant. Knowing how some group trips can be centered around hotel food and buffets, Woods wanted his travelers to experience the flair and flavor of Tanzanian cuisine. “I wanted this group to have great food and great options and to experience different restaurants,” he said. “So I basically had us dine at different places in Zanzibar, so we could experience different types of foods, different spices, different menus, and different dinner scenery.” Once apprehensive about group excursions, Woods has found a new appreciation for traveling with a diverse group of individuals. Guests have been raving about their experience since returning to the US, and many expressed how the trip was life-changing in more ways than one. “Many of them were going through issues or something at home, so it was such a peaceful experience for them to get away and basically a great way for them to cope with some of the stress that they were experiencing,” he said. Realizing the impact tailored and detailed travel experience curation can have, Woods, left Zanzibar with a fresh perspective and plans to have more Cedtripping group trips in the future. He believes travel is transformative and, although he has experienced it himself, was amazed when he saw it manifest in other travelers. “You can really design travel experiences in a way where it really helps people cope with stress and make their lives more manageable and better,” Cedtripping said. “You can design a travel experience that saves someone’s life and frees someone who has depression. You can provide that space to clear their heads and give them time to think and give them more hope.” https://travelnoire.com/travel-influencer-cedtrippingtakes-20-travelers-to-zanzibar Image credit: Courtesy of Cedric Woods
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VISA Free Travel
8 Visa-Free African Countries for U.S. Citizens By Amara Amaryah
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ithout a doubt, the continent of Africa is bursting with places to visit and things to experience, and entry is even simpler with these visa-free African countries.We have put together this list of 8 African countries that travelers with U.S. passports can visit visa-free. See if your favorite African country made the list.
1. Equatorial Guinea A visa is not required for a stay in Equatorial Guinea for up to 90 days. While a visa is not required, visitors do need to ensure that they hold a passport that is valid for at least six months.
2. Senegal No visa is required for entry into Senegal for
longer than 3 months. However, if you intend to stay longer, you need to register with the local authorities in order to obtain a ‘Carte d’étranger’.
3. Tanzania When U.S. passport holders travel to Tanzania, the passport must be valid for a minimum of six months from date of entry, and at least one blank passport page is required.
4. Lesotho U.S. citizens may enter Lesotho with nothing more than a valid passport for 30 days. Any extensions beyond this must be done through the Office of Immigration.
5. Morocco
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6
7 8
Entry into Morocco for U.S. citizens is simple, with requirements of just a valid passport and a return/onward ticket. U.S. citizens may remain in Morocco for 90 days visa free.
6. Seychelles Seychelles is another visa-free location in Africa. U.S. citizens will not require anything other than a valid passport to gain entry. Your passport must be valid for the entirety of your stay, and you will be asked to prove your onward/return journey.
7. Mauritius U.S. citizens will only need to present a valid passport and evidence of an onward or return journey. Upon arrival, tourists are given a maximum of 60 days when entering Mauritius.
8. Tunisia
To visit Tunisia, a valid passport is required with at least one blank page. A 90-day stay is the maximum when entering the country. https://travelnoire.com/8-visa-free-africancountries-for-u-s-citizens Image credit: Vika Chartier, © GULSHAN KHAN/ AFP/Getty Images) Unsplash | Tatenda Mapigoti Getty Images, Getty Images, Pixabay, Cyrus Pellet
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Speak to the People - Google Translate
Te By B
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oogle announced that Google Translate, its multilingual neural machine translation service, has begun offering the possibility of translation into 24 more languages. Ten of the new additions are African languages. The list includes the Ashanti Twi language, which is spoken by about 11 million people in Ghana; Lingala, spoken by around 45 million people in Central Africa–mostly in the Democratic
Republic of Congo; Tigrinya, spoken by about 8 million people in Eritrea and Ethiopia; Sepedi, spoken by around 14 million people in South Africa; and Oromo, spoken by 37 million people in Ethiopia and Kenya. The African languages of Bambara, Jeje, Krio, Luganda, and Tsonga were also added. Google software engineer and researcher Isaac Caswell revealed that the company implemented, for the first time, the use of a neural model of artificial intelligence that learned the languages “from scratch.” He explained that to implement the new languages, Google used millions of examples that were needed for a system to “understand” and be able to translate them. With the neural model, also known as machine learning model, the added languages were trained in this way. Technology then began to “understand” how languages work. The company says it consulted representatives from several communities before releasing the new languages.
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n African Languages Added to Google Translate
runno Braga
“Imagine that you are polyglot and that, based on your understanding of how languages are, you can interpret something. This is more or less how our neural network operates,” Caswell told BBC. Google, however, admits that the technology isn’t perfect, as some linguists have noted problems with the languages already available. “For many supported languages, even the largest languages in Africa that we have supported–say like Yoruba, Igbo, the translation is not great. It will definitely get the idea across but often it will lose much of the subtlety of the language,” said Caswell. Along with the inclusion of the 10 African languages, the new language update comes with Bhojpuri, which is spoken by as many as 50 million people in northern India, Nepal, and Fiji; Guarani, which is spoken by about 7 million people in Paraguay, as well as indigenous populations in Brazil, Argentina, and Chile; and Quechua, spoken by about 10 million indigenous people in Argentina, Peru, and Bolivia With the new additions, Google Translator now offers a total of 133 languages. The tech giant has plans to soon add voice recognition. Here is the full list of languages, including the African languages, recently added by Google Translate: • Aymara – spoken by nearly 2 million people in Bolivia, Chile, and Peru • Assamese – spoken by nearly 25 million people in northeast India • Ashante – spoken by about 11 million people in Ghana • Bambara – spoken by around 14 million people in Mali • Boiapuri – spoken by around 50 million people in northern India, Nepal, and Fiji • Diveí – spoken by around 300,000 people in the Maldives • Dogri – spoken by around 3 million people in northern India
• • • • • • •
• • • • • •
• • • •
Jeje – spoken by 7 million people from Ghana and Togo Guarani – spoken by 7 million people in Paraguay, Bolivia, Argentina, and Brazil Ilocano – spoken by around 10 million people in the northern Philippines Konkani – spoken by nearly 2 million people in central India Krio – spoken by nearly 4 million people in Sierra Leone Sorani Kurdish – spoken by around 8 million people (most of them from Iraq) Lingala – spoken by nearly 45 million people in the Republic of Congo, Angola, Republic of South Sudan, and Central African Republic Luganda – spoken by nearly 20 million people in Uganda and Rwanda Maithili – spoken by nearly 34 million people in northern India Manipuri – spoken by 2 million people in northeast India Mizo – spoken by around 830,000 people in northeast India Oromo – spoken by 37 million people in Ethiopia and Kenya Quechua – spoken by 10 million people in Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, and regions close to the countries Sanskrit – spoken by 20,000 people in India Sepedi – spoken by around 14 million people in South Africa Tigrinya – spoken by nearly 8 million people in Eritrea and Ethiopia Tsonga – spoken by around 7 million people in Eswatini, Mozambique, South Africa, and Zimbabwe https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/tenafrican-languages-added-to-google-translate/ ar-AAXftFX
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Image credit: pngitem.com
Digital Africa????
Will Metave
this concept has the potential to change the way travelers engage in pre-, post- and in-trip purchases, and become an essential part of the travel ecosystem. Rapid technological adoption by travel and tourism companies to citizenM becomes the first hospitality brand to buy property in The Sandbox create substitutes for realtime travel, increasing investment to create 3D virtual tours, and rising etaverse travel is the next big thing to use of metaverse platforms to enhance hospitality hit the travel industry, even if we aren’t services are some key factors expected to boost there yet. Like space tourism, if you build market revenue growth over the forecast period. the idea, the fans will follow. However, unlike In addition, increasing utilization of metaverse taking travelers to some distant space ship for an by travel and tourism companies to enhance their overnight bunking amid the stars, the metaverse destination reputation, create immersive marketing is already here. It just needs refining to become a experiences, and offer essential information to hit with a passionate traveling public. customers about room booking, room size and To that end, citizenM, a chic brand in luxury features, is another key factor expected to boost hospitality is acquiring a spot in “The Sandbox,” a revenue growth of the market going ahead. popular decentralized gaming virtual world where The widespread adoption of metaverse travel users will eventually be able to explore a virtual explorations, which require sophisticated goggles hotel and interact with other users for such things and intricately mapped products integrating AI as NFTs, that can be purchased in the digital and 3D real time integration, is still years away space. due to lack of affordability in the equipment and Marriott, too, is moving toward the new and the time and expense involved in creating these yet unformed space that metaverse travel could products for evolving platforms. inhabit. The hotel company entered the metaverse But it is no longer a pipedream to consider travel space last December with three elements of traveling to a beloved destination, entering a virtual art seen last year in Art Basel Miami Beach hotel as an avatar, interacting with other avatars, 2021, a leading annual contemporary art show. perhaps having a virtual dinner at an exclusive The alternative universe is seen by Marriott metaverse restaurant with friends presenting as as a new form of digital marketing and to a new avatars and using crypto funds to pay for that audience. But those watching the travel industry dinner and then heading off for a walk around the evolve believe the metaverse could be much city or to a museum, all in a virtual world you can more in travel, possibly transforming the concept see and almost touch. as we know it. In such a vision, the destination tours segment A study on metaverse travel that Emergen is expected to account for a significantly large Research released this month posits that
M
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erse Change the Future of Travel? By LARK GOULD
revenue share in the global market as awareness grows about potential of the metaverse to alter the dynamics of consumer experience in choosing destinations, attractions and accommodations, according to Emergen. Virtual reality and augmented reality and metaverse platforms will enable users to experience destinations without physically traveling to the location they desire, and allow them to glimpse the experience that hotels and resorts can bring. Thus, test driving different trips and excursions is expected not to supplant bookings but encourage them, the report says. There are drawbacks besides timing in the building and adoption of this form of entertainment. Not only are these projects slow and complicated – a lot goes into the 3-D mapping of places, spaces and destinations – but the use of the required goggles that can access these new lands reportedly cause dizziness, nausea, fatigue and may even lead to physical injury. Questions remain, as well, about the privacy elements users might be sacrificing. Key players in this evolving field so far are: The Boeing Company, Mytaverse, Marriott International, First Airlines, LynKey, Ariva, Color Star Technology Co. Ltd., Powerbridge Technologies Co., Ltd., Beyondvision Cultural Development Co., Ltd., Meta Platforms. Inc., Google LLC and Microsoft Corporation. Former Disney CEO Robert Iger, too, is going all in with a metaverse-based enterprise through a company called Genies, a 3D avatar start-up that allows users to create their own custom digital avatars or personal metaverse personalities for their social media profiles and for travel in this space. Airlines are looking into the channel of metaverse travel as a selling feature for premium seating, allowing visitors to get a glimpse of what first or business class flying feels like with the hope that
once tried they may never want to return to the economy cabin. Hotels are expected to be able to showcase rooms and suites, and shower visitors with a dazzling resort experience that will tip their choices in booking options. Meanwhile, metaverse channels are moving into becoming decentralized autonomous organizations powered by blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies. That could mean being able to pay for chosen experiences and travel preferences in cryptos like Bitcoin or Ethereum, even while in the alternative landscape. The NFTs, or personal nonfungible tokens we see now making so much buzz in artsy creations and trading across the Internet, become an ideal digital asset for travel companies to use in representing such products as airline tickets and hotel bookings. As NFTs are actually crypto assets buyers can store in their crypto wallet, they then have whatever they need for traveling in the real world, such as money, airline tickets, and hotel reservations stored in a single place. Travel advisors may become metaverse concierges and meet their clients in this universe to manage their travel experience avatar to avatar, creating new ways to fashion the trip and add upsells for clients as they move through their vacations. Currently, as metaverse travel technology edges through the starting stages of physical development, there are few places or ways to explore the metaverse in motion. A start-up called Ariva may be one place to begin. The travel company offers tours and travel products for prices and purchase in cryptocurrencies on several exchanges. In its next move, the company is developing a concept called Ariva Wonderland, and although few details are available, they do offer this teaser. Make of it what you will. As the world wends its way down the next rabbit hole, it is best to know what to expect and what characters you may meet there. https://www.businesstravelerusa.com/businesstraveler-usa-story/will-metaverse-change-thefuture-of-the-travel
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When You Go - Dining in Joburg
‘Chef of the Year’ Wandile Mabaso By Sandisiwe Mbhele
Wandile Mabaso
J
ust named the Chef of the Year at the Luxe Restaurant Awards, Wandile Mabaso’s bright light in the culinary industry continues to shine. As this award is special to the Les Créatifs head chef, his first culinary award in South Africa after spending over a decade overseas and in many top restaurants across the globe, home recognition is a feeling like none other. Two weeks before the Sowetan-born chef was awarded with one of the most prestigious awards in culinary circles, he told us that industry intrigued him from early on. He described his childhood as a boy destined to be a chef, retelling a story of him painting what his restaurant would be at the age of nine years old, a tale his mother often reminds him of. However, at the time Mabaso didn’t know he could be a chef nor did he have any clue it could be a career. Mabaso says he always has been ambitious and as a student he realised French cuisine was the route to go, as many chefs who came before him were French and were highly successful. On why he became a trained French chef, Mabaso says that he fell in love with the techniques, the history and the philosophy of the country. “We have always known the French are rich in culinary history, for their beverages and champagne,” he added.
Highs and Lows The chefs’ inspirations were French chef legends Alain Ducasse, Pierre Gagnaire and Paul Bocuse. This era can be described as one of the pinnacle years in gourmet cooking. In his 20s, the chef spent most of his years abroad, living the life, jokingly adding he even had a 23-year-old Russian girlfriend at the time. Mabaso would find himself working with Ducasse and others in restaurants in France, New York, and Sweden to Russia years later which he describes as one of the many highlights of his career. One of the lowest moments of his career was the dreaded long shifts. “When I first moved to Paris I did not see the sun for three months. People don’t believe me because I started work at 5:30 in the morning and would finish work in the dark at midnight and I would sleep for about three to four hours and then get back at it.” Mabaso would spend his days off massaging his cramps but the passion kept him going even when he thought about coming home. Les Creatifs But the longing to return home did come. In 2018 he brought local dishes to an elevated manner from his French training and culinary travels into the heart of Les Créatifs restaurant in Bryanston, Johannesburg. The chef says his type of food isnt necessarily French cuisine. While he uses his background
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in French cooking and their techniques at his restaurant, you won’t find frog legs there. “Instead we incorporate our very own culture from South Africa. We use samp for example as we have a risotto [dish] made from prawns, but we use samp as supposed to rice. The Italians have created the risotto but samp which indigenous to us.” Les Créatifs kitchen also cooks with beef tongue, liver, and parts of an animal used for a spiritual reason (umsebsenzi) during the slaughter of an animal such as a goat. “My cooking is definitely inspired by where I am from, being South African.” The Les Créatifs menu changes every two weeks largely due to his creative nature, the changing seasons, his surroundings and sticking to their philosophy of creativity which encompasses the ethos of the restaurant. Going forward There’s always talk about diversity in the culinary industry and whether there are enough black chefs. Mabaso differentiates between black cooks and black chefs pointing out the gap between the two. “There’s a lot of black cooks but not enough black chefs. It hasn’t evolved as fast as it should have… We should move away from expecting transformation to happen, we should push for transformation, we should be the transformation,“ he reiterated. He advises this could be achieved by enriching people with skills, knowledge, inspiration and
financial support rather than relying on organisations or government to do it. As we ended our interview, Mabaso didn’t want to rule out being a TV chef personality, but he just has one requirement, “I will cook on TV but I would never act as if I am cooking, that would be too weird.” But what may be considered weird is that Mabaso doesn’t like eating at fine dining restaurants. “I always know what to expect. I grew up in fine dining establishments, I always want a contrast, so I try street food a lot.” Outside of the kitchen, the chef enjoys travelling, binging series, swimming, studying directors, art and being “crazy about history.” Mabaso is excited about what Johannesburg restaurants could offer as the people in the city are hungry for new innovations, learning more about wines and trying out new establishments, “our people are appreciating it more, it is exciting,” he concluded. https://www.citizen.co.za/lifestyle/food-anddrink/3064538/chef-of-the-year-wandile-mabaso-ofles-creatifs
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Image credit: Les Créatifs, GFDI
Travel with Wine
Wind Down at These Six Luxurious Wine Resorts Around the World (focus: 2 South Africa wine resorts) By Maggie J.
This article provided, by Travel Noire, reviews 6 wine resorts across the world. You can read about all six of the resorts using the link at the end of the article. Travel Africa presents the reviews of the two Africa-based resorts for our audience.
S
ipping on wine at the most luxurious wine resorts around the world sounds like a great way to spend time off. High season Lanzerac Estate starts at the beginning of Spring and ends at harvest time, when the grapes are picked and the yield for the year is calculated. Vineyards emit a constant bustle with work being put in year – round to support the winery. So, vacationing at a winery or winecentric resort can be educational and a boozy time during any season. From Farm to table restaurants, vegan and vegetarian options, wine -making classes to walking tours with a sommelier. Even vineyards tours by boat. This list of the most luxurious wine resorts around the world will cater to all types of wine La Residence connoisseurs. Seclusion and Privacy welcome guests of La Lanzerac Estate, South Africa Residence. Lose yourself in the wonder of the Opened in1692, Lanzerac Estate offers some Franschhoek Valley. The stand out of this resort of the finest wines in Jonkershoek Valley, South is the never-ending array of fresh flower bouquets Africa. “Treat yourself to a luxurious Lanzerac throughout the property. “La Residence is set experience, where you can enjoy the sensation of among Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz vineyards time slowing down as you step into this gloriously from which we produce our own wines – the two refurbished Estate.” Enjoy a complimentary wine single varietals and a refreshing rose.” tasting of five main wines made by the estate. Dip https://travelnoire.com/wind-down-at-these-sixinto the water features at the spa. Then, after a luxurious-wine-resorts-around-the-world meticulously plated dinner, easily procure a wellImage credit: Lanzerac Estate, Elite Traveler deserved night of sleep in their plush guest rooms.
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1st Person Africa Travel
Rick Ross Receives Warm Welcome in Angola, Blesses Local Residents By DeAnna Taylor
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apper Rick Ross has been on a ‘live your best life’ crusade lately, and we couldn’t be more proud. From showing an immense amount of Black boy joy while introducing the world to his latest farm animals, to simply living life as only the ‘biggest boss’ should. On Easter Sunday, April 17, 2022, he shared a series of videos (see Instagram link below) with the caption, “Woke up Easter morning in Angola and chose to walk amongst the people the day of Resurrection. A day of hope.” Rick Ross, real name William Roberts, was seen walking the local communities of Luanda— Angola’s capital. Walking through narrow walled neighborhoods, the rapper was greeted by locals standing outside in hopes of seeing the superstar. He can be heard saying, ‘hello,’ back to many and shaking hands before stopping to speak with an older woman of the local village. “Hello queen. Can I give you a hug,” he asks before embracing the woman? A translator is to his side, relaying his message, to which the woman obliges. The rapper then calls his bodyguard over, after which he hands the woman a stack of money. He then proceeds to hand out the remaining stash to the women and
children posted up as well. In a second video, he can be seen going into the home of a local woman and her children. The smiles on their faces show that they are truly elated to have the star in their village. After hugging a few more of the residents, he then proceeds to hand out even more cash, gifting them with several hundred dollar bills. “God bless you,” Rick Ross is heard saying. To which the woman then asks if she can cook for him. But the rapper has to run to his next stop. A second post, simply captioned ‘Africa is beautiful,’ shares more videos and photos from the rapper’s visit. There is no word on the exact reason for the visit, but we are happy to see him blessing locals and interacting with them. It truly looked like a magical moment for all parties involved— including Rick Ross. https://travelnoire.com/rick-ross-receives-warmwelcome-in-angola-blesses-local-residents https://www.instagram.com/richforever Image credit: Travel Noire, yen.com.gh
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Black-owned Hotels & Rentals in Africa
Sleep In Africa: The Instagram Account Helping People Find Black-Owned Accommodations Across Africa By Brunno Braga
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atimatou Diallo is a young Afro-French woman from Paris who created an Instagram page to help people find good and reliable places to stay in Africa. Launched in 2018, Sleep In Africa’s Instagram account has 12,000 followers who are often informed about Black-owned accommodations across Africa. We recently chatted with Diallo about Sleep In Africa and how she is helping people find out what Africa can offer during a vacation on the continent. She shares the inspiration behind Sleep in Africa and how it can boost the Black-owned hospitality sector across the continent. Travel Noire: What has inspired you to launch Sleep in Africa? Fatimatou Diallo: The concept was born in 2018 after realizing how easy it was to travel the world and find enough information about destinations and accommodations, but when it came to traveling in Africa, planning was more difficult. Simply because there were not enough resources to help us organize our trips. I was convinced that I had to do something! I didn’t know exactly what to do or where to start, but I knew why I would do it. I thought it was essential to create a place, a community where travelers could exchange recommendations, get advice, and give feedback on where to stay in Africa. I also wanted to show the diversity and authenticity of Africa by sharing unknown destinations and giving a glimpse of African vibes through unique places. TN: How did you start it? Fatimatou Diallo: In January 2018, Sleep in Africa was finally born. It was first a Facebook page named “Where to Sleep in Africa?”. Initially, I wanted this page to be a kind of forum where travelers could share about places to stay. A few days after its creation, I launched the Instagram
page: @sleepinafrica. I started posting daily pictures of different accommodations taken by travelers. TN: What is the main goal of Sleep In Africa? Fatimatou Diallo: Every African city has international hotel chains that everyone knows, but I wanted my page to highlight unique and atypical places that will guarantee travelers an unforgettable experience. I wanted to put forward places where travelers will have the feeling of being totally disoriented and will have at the end of their stay the impression of having spent an unforgettable moment. I think that traveling is about meeting others, discovering a culture that may be different from ours. Traveling is simply escaping, that’s why I always look for accommodations that have a soul. A little something that the others don’t have and that makes their authenticity and their charm. When you have slept in a lodge in the middle of the bush in places like Ivory Coast, for example, you must be able to remember it for many years. Staying in a hotel is a whole experience that should keep all our senses alert. TN: What does Sleep in Africa offer Fatimatou Diallo: For four years, Sleep in Africa was only on social media. I now want to turn my concept into a real traveling business. I am currently building my website, which will be online with my Instagram page. The website http://sleepnafrica.com/ will be launched soon. I want it to be a booking platform that showcases as many unusual and unique accommodations in Africa as possible. Travelers from all over the world will be able to book their rooms directly on the site. TN: Have you seen support from the Black community in the US or from any other place from the Diaspora?
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Da
Fatima Diallo
kosta Eco Retreat
Amarembo Gorilla Lodge
Fatimatou Diallo: On Instagram, I noticed that most of my following are Black Americans or Black people from Europe. I have been able to notice a real interest in exploring Africa within the Diaspora.
I’ll be able to measure it better, once the website is launched. TN: Do you think travel to Africa has become more popular among the Black community? Fatimatou Diallo: I can definitely say that travel to Africa is becoming more and more popular within the Black community. I think one of the best things about social media is that today, anyone can be an ambassador for Africa. Through their snapshots, content creators who travel Africa (whether they live on the continent or not) have been able to make many destinations popular, inspiring lots of travelers to explore the continent. Over these 4 years, I’ve noticed with Sleep in Africa that the number of Black travelers exploring the continent is steadily increasing. And I am extremely moved to see this! The observation I have made is that we can all be an ambassador for Africa on our own level and change the narrative. We don’t have to wait for others to showcase all that our continent has to offer. TN: What is the most popular destination you can see among Sleep in Africa followers? Fatimatou Diallo: I can’t say exactly which destination is the most popular, but I think some destinations like East Africa or South Africa are still attractive. However, I notice that some West African countries are becoming more and more popular among travelers like Senegal, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Benin. I am convinced that many destinations that were perhaps less “frequented” in the past will be very popular in the years to come. TN: What are your plans for the future? Fatimatou Diallo: I want to make Sleep in Africa a booking platform that showcases the most unusual and unique accommodations in Africa. The goal is that travelers from all over the world can find what they are looking for, regardless of their preference or budget. You can follow Sleep In Africa on Instagram here and find information on Black-owned hotels and rentals at https://www.sarajabril.com/blackowned-hotels-rentals. https://travelnoire.com/sleep-in-africa-the-instagramaccount-helping-people-find-black-ownedaccommodations-across-africa Image credit: Travel Noire
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Interview - CassiusLife & Black & Abroad
Black & Abroad Talk the Importance of Black Luxury Travel By Alex Zephyr
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lack & Abroad is the Atlanta-based brainchild of Kent Johnson and Eric Martin. Founded in April 2015, the two men identified a need for travel companies to cater to the needs of Black people but also to democratize the luxury experience and for Black people “to tap into a sense of pride when doing so.” So they bootstrapped the company and have grown their enterprise to include more than 100 countries and across every continent, making it a point to partner with Black-owned businesses in those locations, too. Johnson and Martin have been invited to the United Nations, companies like Mastercard and Facebook, and other organizations around the world to discuss the need for authentic and organic representation of the Black community in media. Two years after their wildly successful “Go Back to Africa” campaign, Black & Abroad released “The Black Elevation Map” this past February. The tool assists Black domestic travelers with 12 curated city guides and 10 national guides to learn about everything ranging from Black-owned wineries (“Melanin Vines”) to notable start-up companies (“Black Silicon Valley”) to restaurants that fueled the Civil Rights Movement (“Civil Bites”). Johnson and Martin sat with CASSIUSLife to talk about the pandemic’s effect on travel altogether, normalizing the ideas of Black excellence and the future of Black luxury travel for 2022. CASSIUSLife: What inspired the development of the Black Elevation Map, and how does a traveler use it to enhance the experience? Eric Martin: Back in 2020, when the pandemic was at an all-time high, we obviously weren’t able to travel. Nobody knew anything about the virus at the time, so we were all on lockdown. A
McKinsey study came out around that time that [highlighted the disproportionate percentage] of Black businesses, including brick-and-mortar, that had to close their doors as a result. Nearly half of small Black businesses were shutting their doors, and we were one of them. But luckily, we didn’t have a brick-and-mortar; we were able to operate digitally. So we asked, “How can we use the theme of travel to help solve the problem — maybe not in its entirety — but at least set up some type of “train track” for recovery to follow? And so we came up with the Black Elevation Map. We said that we were going to use Google and Yelp because, around that time, you were able to self-identify as a Black-owned business. So we [used them] as a source for all of the Blackowned businesses here in the U.S., and to not only encourage domestic travel but also encourage patronage to a lot of our Black landmarks as well, like museums, historic sites, restaurants, things of that nature. So there are over 30,000 businesses on the map, black businesses on the map. But we also wanted to include places that were sacred to us, that we can just go and explore. It promotes travel by allowing our people to see the heights of our culture. And it also allows our people to go and create and curate their own itineraries that they can use to share some of their favorite places, not only for themselves but with their friends and family. So this is a project designed to try to allow us to experience our own businesses in a way that has never been done before. CASSIUSLife: What is the importance of Black people embracing the idea of luxury travel, both domestically and internationally?
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Kent Johnson: I think we deserve seeing things modeled for us, [which] makes things that much more accessible. We are inspired by things that look like they are attainable to us. So if we see other people having these experiences that we thought were outside of our access, all of a sudden, it becomes that much more attainable, that much more accessible. So the more representation that we’re able to provide in media where people actually see someone in their skin tone, someone from their neighborhood, someone from what is similar to their background having these experiences, it just makes it that much more normal. We always talk about Black excellence, right. But I’m all about Black normalization, too. Making things that didn’t seem like it was a part of the Black experience [be seen as] that much more of the Black experience. Because the truth of the matter is that Black people were always having these luxury experiences, it’s just they weren’t given the place to show and display them. Now that we have social media, those walls have really kind of been taken down as far as what kind of media we can
choose to see or allow to be fed to us. So the more opportunity we put out there for people to see themselves in these luxury situations, the more it becomes normal. And that’s what we want. We want people to feel like it’s just a thing that you do. It’s a thing that you can do and make it accessible to everybody. CASSIUSLife: What are some of the misconceptions and hurdles you’ve faced from the Black community, both within and outside of the diaspora, when it comes to the idea of luxury travel? Kent Johnson: If we start wider and look at the diaspora when we first started out, and even after we had the big success of the “Go Back to Africa” campaign, a lot of tourism boards within the continent of Africa did not see a tangible value in marketing directly to Black consumers. And we thought that we would have had the easiest of those conversations on the continent! Saying, “Hey, there are Black Americans or Black citizens of the world who would benefit from marketing efforts that tapped into them directly,” and they just didn’t see it. And it wasn’t completely their fault. It was a breaking of tradition for them. They knew to spend the majority of their dollars for European countries to come to destinations in Africa, for the colonizers to visit home. [They already had a
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to page 40
Interview - CassiusLife & Black & Abroad Interview - from page 39 predetermined] mindset when it came to allocating tourism dollars. We applied to countries like Ghana, which really were the vanguard for saying, “Hey, we’re doing a campaign that is for and completely dedicated to Black travelers coming to Ghana.” And that was with the “Year of Return” in 2019. They set a precedent that so many other countries are now trying to mimic, even those in the Caribbean. Barbados was doing a similar campaign, where they invited people in the diaspora to come visit them as well. But that Ghana campaign proved to be a major success for the country, and it still resonates [to this day]. There are people who are making trips there now because of all of the pictures, the videos, the experiences that they saw from their neighbors next door, celebrities like Colin Kaepernick and Steve Harvey, and the other groups of celebrities that went over to kick off the “Year of Return.” So you see those experiments prove successful every time. And it’s not just in travel: we see it in media, where they’re like, “Oh, diverse movies need more money,” but yet we still see the primarily white cast. We still see marketing centered around the White experience, even though time and time again they are reminded that authentically advertising to other experiences in the world will prove to make more money for everybody. Change is hard for folks. [But] it’s slowly starting to change, though. We’re thankful for that. CASSIUSLife: Lastly, what do you foresee as the future of Black luxury travel and also for Black & Abroad? Eric Martin: Well, for luxury travel, based on the numbers from this year, the theme is supposed to be to “go big” this summer. More people are working from home and working from their laptops.
A lot of people are planning to do luxury travel but on a different level: not just visit the destination, but stay there. Typically [a stay would have been for] a week, but now it’s more [for] like three weeks, where people are planning to go out and enjoy destinations. Traveling in a pandemic, [there are] obviously a lot of boxes to check. You’ve got [thousands of] health and travel restrictions in place. So once you get to the destination, you’re going to fully enjoy it and embrace it. I do anticipate travel to be a lot more meaningful as well, and that’s because of all this pent-up “travel aggression,” you’re going to go somewhere that means something. Kent Johnson: Yeah, 100%. I think people are realizing that time is really the biggest luxury. Having money and being able to have that five star experience is one thing, but time is the biggest luxury. Because if you have the ability to stay places for weeks since you work remotely versus “I can only be down here for three days, and I’ve gotta rush and get right back?” It’s the ability to be down there for an extended period of time that really is the true luxury and [future of] luxury travel in 2022. https://cassiuslife.com/569668/black-abroadinterview Image credit: Black & Abroad, dealspotr.com
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CONTACT: JUANITA BUSY BEE BRITTON BZBOFFTHEBEATENPATHTOURS@GMAIL.COM | 1-202-550-7060
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Big Bucket List
Jessica Nabongo: First Black Woman to Visit All 195 Countries to Release Book in June By Ayah A.
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n October of 2019, Jessica Nabongo became the first Black woman on record to visit all 195 UN-recognized countries in the world. Now, she is detailing her global journeys in her first book, a memoir and travelogue titled The Catch Me If You Can: One Woman’s Journey to Every Country in the World. The book is slated for a June 14, 2022 release. Nabongo is a Detroit native, born to immigrants from Uganda. She experienced her first taste of international travel at the age of six, when she visited London and Uganda with her family. The trip was enough to ignite the spirit of wanderlust within her. Throughout her book, Nabongo tells interesting stories and experiences from her travels, and shares with readers her top 100 destinations, travel tips, and musings. Having begun sharing her adventures via her blog The Catch Me if You Can in 2009, she is no stranger to storytelling. A skilled wordsmith and photographer, Nabongo uses numerous photos taken herself to illustrate her book. Among the memorable experiences Nabongo recounts in her book are “learning to make traditional takoyaki (octopus balls) from locals in Japan, dog sledding in Norway and swimming with humpback whales in Tonga, a late night adventure with strangers to cross a border in Guinea-Bissau,
and sunbathing on the sandy shores of Los Roques in Venezuela,” according to the book’s synopsis. The Catch Me If You Can: One Woman’s Journey to Every Country in the World is sure to spark a serious case of the travel bug that may make you want to immediately hop on a flight. Novice tourists and experienced jetsetters alike can enjoy page after page of beautiful lands, unique cultures, bucket list experiences, and travel inspiration. The book is currently available for pre-order from various retailers. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/jessicanabongo-first-black-woman-to-visit-all-195-countriesto-release-book-in-june/ar-AAVuuUs?ocid=msedgntp
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Image credit: africanshapers.com
Travel Tips
Travelers Will No Longer be Restricted When Packing Liquids, Thanks to this New Technology By Kelsey Marie
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hen going through TSA, taking large electronics out and packing liquids less than 3.4 fl. oz. is the norm. However, that norm may soon be a thing of the past, thanks to the future of airport technology. Ireland’s Shannon Airport implemented its new CT scanning security system in October 2021. This new technology allows liquids to have no restrictions on volume. Shannon Airport is not new to being a pioneer in the travel industry. In 1947, the airport opened the world’s first DutyFree shop. In 2009, Shannon Airport became the first airport in the world to provide full US preclearance facilities. Donegal Airport, also located in Ireland, has installed the new technology, which costs around $2.6 million. The CT scans are similar to the ones used in
hospitals. Airports will replace 2D scans with 3D imaging. Kevin Riordan, head of checkpoint solutions at Smiths Detection tells CNN Travel, “From a security point of view, they’re able to make very accurate decisions about what the materials are in your bag: Is it a likely threat material or is it benign. That’s better security, better decisions.” New technology means less time for travelers in airport security lines. The liquid ban came into play in August 2006, when a terrorist plot to detonate liquid explosives on multiple air crafts was stopped. Before the liquid ban, airport security lines moved more quickly. Liquid bans are expected to be lifted in airports around the world as more countries focus on the future of airport technology. https://travelnoire.com/future-airport-technologyend-liquid-ban
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Packing For Travel Anne McAlpin of Pack It Up says. It’s not just about the luggage itself—it also serves as a way for your carry-on tote to slip over the handle. “The weight of the bag is carried by the spinner, not your shoulders, making traveling through long airport terminals a breeze,” she says. Though many totes can slip right over the handles of carry-on luggage or a checked bag, sets complete the look, like Delsey’s Chatelet Hard+ two-piece set or Kenneth Cole Reaction’s Chevron Spinner with a Tote. 3. Make a list and check it twice As with so many essential life tasks, writing out what you need is never a bad idea. “Create a packing list that includes all of your essentials, and then separate ones that are customized to
Packing Tips from the Experts on Maximizing Space By Rachel Chang
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s I dusted off my suitcase for my first trip during the pandemic last month, a familiar dread came over me. Despite my track record of packing for two-week vacations in a carry-on suitcase, the process always takes me days of agonizing over every. single. item. Still, as soon as I get out the door, inevitably there’s that one item I wish I had packed that I end up thinking about the rest of the trip. Before I sunk back into old habits, I reached out to organization experts and flight attendants—the ultimate frequent travelers—to learn the tricks of the trade. Below, 10 of their best packing tips. 1. Use the right suitcase for the occasion Often, our instincts are to choose luggage based on the length of the trip. While it’s a definite factor, what matters more is the kind of trip. “A compact or medium-sized suitcase is ideal for a city break or beach holiday because you can easily pack a lot of light garments, which you’ll need for daily outfit changes when the weather is hot and you’ve been walking all day,” says Etihad Airways flight attendant Adina Elena Beldie. Hard-sides like Away’s The Bigger Carry-On and Monos’ Hybrid Carry-On, as well as soft-sides like Samsonite’s NuRoad Carry-On Spinner fit the bill. “On the contrary, an outdoor adventure trip would require a larger suitcase for all of your hiking gear, like thick clothes and bulky footwear,” Beldie adds. Top choices in the category include the REI Co-Op Big Haul Recycled Rolling Duffel or Osprey’s Shuttle Wheeled 130L bag. “Lastly, in my experience, a business trip usually means packing light, although this can vary depending on the duration of the trip,” she says. No matter the size, Travelpro’s Platinum Elite Hardside Luggage fits the chicness and practicality factors with its Compact Carry-On or Medium Check-In. 2. Take the weight off of you There’s no need for you (or your back) to bear the burden. “If you’re flying to your destination, spinners are a must-have,” travel packing expert
your [trip’s] relevant needs,” say the women of The Home Edit, Clea Shearer and Joanna Te p l i n . One of the biggest mistakes p e o p l e make, they say, is “just
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throwing things in a suitcase without a system in mind.” A list can help you take note of if you’re over or underpacking, Beldie says, adding that, “Proper packing requires time.” “I recommend adding items to your suitcase about a week in advance—not earlier than that as it’s important to check weather conditions at the destination, which will be more accurate closer to the trip,” she says. If a handwritten list isn’t your speed, let your items be your visual list. “Lay everything out and start editing,” McAlpin says. “Hang outfits together, so you don’t forget anything.” She says to start two weeks ahead of time and to try everything on. “Part of the stress of packing is deciding what to take and what fits,” she says. 4. Find your own formula McAlpin says she’s been recommending her packing ratio—three to one, with three tops for every bottom—for more than 25 years. Most trips work with nine tops and three bottoms, especially when they’re in basic colors that mix and match. She also says not to exceed three pairs of shoes: running or exercise shoes, walking shoes, and a pair of sandals or flip-flops. On the other hand, Beldie is about the twos. For each day of the trip, she says to think of two tops, two shorts, two T-shirts, two pants, and two undergarments. “For a business trip, packing two shirts per day is a good idea—one for meetings during the day, the other for dinner and night events,” she says. For organizing guru Marie Kondo, it’s less about numbers and more about categories. “I recommend that you lay everything out first and categorize by type of item to give you a comprehensive look at how many items you have for each category,” she says. “Then fold everything into its smallest possible size. At that point, before you start filling the suitcase, pare down and be honest with yourself about what you really need for the trip.” The most important aspect of the equation is simplicity: “What do you really need to have a joy-sparking trip? If your trip is for leisure, this is the opportunity to free yourself from everyday decision making and perhaps experience a simpler lifestyle. The fewer clothing options to choose from, the more you can focus on the joyful experience ahead,” she says. But there is
one number she says to follow, “Leave 10 or 20 percent empty space so you can buy souvenirs and pack them for your return trip!” 5. Consider clothing material and colors Eva Air senior assistant purser Jennifer Liao says to select the most packable clothing so you’re not constantly thinking about ironing. “Most flight attendants travel with clothes made from wrinklefree fabrics such as synthetics, wool, denim, and knit—we don’t pack linen because it wrinkles so easily,” she says. Hues can also make a big difference. “The colors we pack are important. The darker the color, the fewer visible wrinkles,” Liao adds. Tifsit Teferra, a Delta Air Lines flight attendant, says to focus on a wide range of choices, too. She avoids packing too many of the same thing: “Why take up space with six tees when you can bring a variety of tops—variety is the spice of packing!” 6. Less is more McAlpin’s packing motto is: “Less stuff, less stress.” She once traveled 21 days in a 21-inch carry-on that was less than 21 pounds—covering diverse climates from India and Jordan to New York City. That pack light mentality is echoed across the board. “People tend to, quite literally, weigh themselves down when traveling,” Kondo says. “Remind yourself that traveling is temporary and should be about the actual trip itself rather than extensive wardrobe selections. Packing just a few outfits that you absolutely love will make getting ready each day a breeze. Select clothes that are comfortable, do not wrinkle easily, and that make you feel good about yourself.” “Not all items will apply to all people, and not all items will apply to all trips,” Shearer and Teplin say. “So if you absolutely, without a doubt, cannot live without an item, then by all means, bring it! Just remember: You get the item or you get the space, but you don’t get both.” 7. Organize your clothes vertically and tightly Though some packers prefer laying clothes flat, the experts we talked to agree that rolling is key to save space. “Clothes should be folded into their smallest possible size,” Kondo says. “Thin fabrics are best to roll to prevent wrinkles. Another tidy trick is to tuck your folded underwear into bra cups
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Packing For Travel Packing Tips - from page 45 within your suitcase—it keeps the undergarment category together and saves space.” Think of your suitcase as a table of contents of sorts—you want to be able take one look and know everything inside. “The key here is to pack your items vertically so you can see them all at one glance,” Kondo says. “That way, you don’t have to take out everything to find the one item you are looking for.”
8. Categorize your contents Take that idea one step further with packing cubes. “They will help use vertical space and adhere to a tidy routine while on the road,” Kondo says. KonMari partnered with Paravel on the Packing Cube Quad, a set of four that makes categorizing easy on the go. Kondo suggests using the smallest one for underwear, the largest for bulky items like outerwear and towels, one of the middle ones for clean clothes, and the other for dirty ones. “What’s great about the packing cubes is that you can place your vertically folded clothes into the cube from your drawer at home, then transfer them straight into the drawers at the hotel, so it’s easy to unpack at the destination,” she says. The Home Edit team put a different spin on them in the form of pouches. “Packing squares are the real game-changer,” they say of their Zipper Pouch Set. “They are so versatile, which is key when you’re needing to pack different items for
every trip. The trick is finding packing squares that fit what you regularly pack. We designed our own set with Calpak because we wanted a version that was large enough for storing shoes as well!” If you want to give your items an extra squeeze, McAlpin suggests Baggallini’s long compression packing cubes, which fit right into that awkward space between the handles of most luggage to maximize space. Tech cords and chargers might need a slightly different method to remain neat. Kondo’s shop sells a Bellroy Tidy Tech Kit, while Teferra goes more homemade: “I fold cords and then use Velcro tape to secure them.” 9. Wear your bulkiest clothing Though we’ve heard those infamous stories of people layering on clothes to save on baggage fees, there is a time and place for wearing some of your essential needs on your back. “If you are going to a cold weather location, I suggest wearing your bulkier items like a coat and boots, and always carry your water bottle,” Teferra says. If you do need to put them in your suitcase, Teferra says, “Bulky items should always go at the bottom of your suitcase, and it’s best to layer them flat—never fold or roll them.” 10. Keep travel essentials packed “We always say, if you stay ready, you won’t have to get ready,” The Home Edit women say. Especially for frequent travelers, instead of constantly packing and unpacking, keep the items that you always take with you packed. “It helps to organize your travel toiletries and accessories ahead of time so your packing routine is essentially grab-and-go,” they add. Liao agrees, admitting that the Eva Air team travels so much that “some of us keep essential items that we never unpack in our luggage.” The advantage can shave tremendous time on packing for your next trip. “All we need to do before each flight is pack clothes.” https://www.cntraveler.com/story/best-packingtips Image credit: nypost.com, ELLE Canada, Huffington Post UK Images: Serena Willimas’ luggage line with Away
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JW Marriott to Open First Luxury Safari Retreat in Kenya in 2023 By Brunno Braga
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arriott International will soon enter the safari industry in Africa. The hotel brand announced that it is opening a JW Marriott Masai Mara Lodge in Kenya. The luxury safari retreat will be located within the Masai Mara National Reserve, one of Africa’s most renowned wildlife conservation and wilderness regions. According to Marriott, the lodge is expected to open its doors in 2023. In 2021, Kenya was recognized as the world’s leading safari destination, according to the World Travel Awards. It is the seventh year in a row that Kenya received the international accolade. Masai Mara Lodge will provide guests with access to stunning views, amazing landscapes and abundant wildlife— including the big five: lions, leopards, elephants, African buffalo and rhinoceroses. Travelers who visit the retreat between June and September will have the opportunity to observe the annual great wildebeest migration, when more than 10 million animals travel a distance of 1,800 miles from the Serengeti in neighboring Tanzania. The retreat will be filled with sophisticated, artful designs and architecture. Marriott hired Kristina Zanic to curate the luxurious atmosphere, creating harmony with local nature while drawing inspiration from the elements: earth, wind, fire and water. Guests will also be able to enjoy shared spaces, including a restaurant, bar/lounge, and spa. The hotel will also have a large outdoor terrace with fire pits that will play host to traditional Masai
dance performances in the evening. Visitors will also experience an immersive, holistic approach to wellness while being mindful of the environment and its impact on the land, Marriott said. This luxury safari retreat will have 20 private tents, including one presidential canvas-topped pavilion and two interconnecting canopied suites, ideal for families, each with a private terrace overlooking the river. “As a brand rooted in mindfulness, we cannot think of a more perfect retreat for the mind, body, and soul than the Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya,” said Bruce Rohr, Vice President and Brand Leader, JW Marriott, Marriott International in a press release. He commented that JW Marriott Masai Mara Lodge will be a luxurious backdrop, offering guests once-in-a-lifetime memories as they interact with nature and wildlife in this part of Africa. “We are thrilled that the JW Marriott brand will be welcoming adventure travelers, including families, to this breathtaking part of the world.” “The signing of JW Masai Mara Lodge is a milestone in Marriott International’s growth in Africa as the company enters the luxury safari segment. JW Marriott encourages guests to be mindful and present, which perfectly lends itself to meaningful safari holidays,” said Jerome Briet, Chief Development Officer, Europe, Middle East & Africa, Marriott International. The safari lodge aims to employ up to 50 locals from the Masai community. https://travelnoire.com/jw-marriott-to-open-firstluxury-safari-retreat-in-kenya-in-2023
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Travel to a New Home
Your Top Questions About Moving to Ghana Answered By Amara Amaryah
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hana has been a top destination for Black travelers for a minute, but we’re starting to see an increasing amount of Black travelers sharing questions about moving to Ghana. With the huge success of the ‘Year of Return’, many across the Diaspora are looking to set up lives in Ghana. We gathered the top questions asked about moving to Ghana so you can know everything before making the big jump.
Where are the top locations for Black expats moving to Ghana? Ghana is a treasured expat location because it offers so much. That being said, where you want to live depends much on your lifestyle, budget and the side of Ghana you want to experience. As with most countries, the expat and touristy areas are usually the most expensive (usually closer to U.S. prices for monthly rent) but they also have more shops and things geared towards foreigners which allows for an easier transition. For smaller crowds, less traffic and fresher air there are options available outside of Accra or other business cities. Here are a few favorite expat spots: ► East Legon, a suburb in Accra ► Osu, central Accra ► Tema, on the coast/ on the Bight of Benin ► Asebu, Central region (greener option) ► Kumasi, southern Ghana in the Ashanti region
How difficult is it to visit neighbouring countries from Ghana? It isn’t necessarily difficult but it can definitely be costly. This of course depends on the country you’re planning on visiting but costs ramp up in terms of tourist visas and flights. Once land and sea borders reopen, this could bring down costs and open up easier travel avenues.
What is the easiest way to find housing when you arrive?
Most people use an app called jiji.com.gh (similar to Craigslist) or Airbnb initially. After that it is all about who you know. Ghana is a great place to network and get familiar with the rhythm of the local community – joining expat groups on Facebook or asking around is going to be a savior.
What jobs do most expats work while living in Ghana? While there are several Digital Nomads in Ghana, the general feeling is that expats in Ghana create jobs or start businesses while living in the country. Entrepreneurial minds will appreciate Ghana in this sense – here are a few business ideas that expats tend to settle into: ► Accommodation ► Daycare and Childcare Facilities ► Dry Cleaners/Laundromats ► Hair Extensions and Wig Makers ► Personal Shopping and Errand Running ► Cleaning Business ► Restaurants with international cultural foods Expats coming to Ghana should always spend enough time in the local community to get a sense of whether the service already exists, is needed and above all, will be accessible to local Ghanaians as well as expats. Offering ways to genuinely contribute to the land is the kind of entrepreneurial energy that avoids exploitation.
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I work online, where should I consider for the most stable Wifi connection? It is good to know that Ghana is generally considered to be the best country in Africa in terms of great internet speeds. Being ranked number consistently, Ghana’s fixed broadband is the fastest in Africa. Saying that, Accra – Osu or Cantonment- would be great options.
Are there any specific items I’d be better off bringing over to Ghana? ► Prescription medication and Tylenol, Imodium, bug spray with DEET, midol, etc ► Certain feminine products/brands you may not find in Ghana (tampons, menstrual cups/ pads) ► A quality flashlight for the “occasional” black outs
process for individuals or groups intending to visit the country. The options are: ► Single Entry Visa – Regular Service – $60 ► Single Entry Visa – Expedited Service – $100 ► Multiple Entry Visa – Regular Service – $100 ► Multiple Entry Visa – Expedited Service – $200 Note that there are a few Caribbean territories that don’t require a visa, so if traveling with a Caribbean passport, that could also be an option. To stay and officially live in Ghana you need a residency permit and Non-Citizen identification card.
Number one advice for expats making the move? There is a lot of wisdom on offer for expats looking to make the move to Ghana, but by far the word of the day is ‘patience’. Patience in adjusting, in settling into the new environment, in planning, in driving and getting used to transportation in Ghana, and in the way you interact with the people you meet on this new journey. The trick is to not expect to find a replica of home in Ghana. Instead see what you can learn as well as what you can offer and patiently wait to see how that manifests into a new way of being for you. https://travelnoire.com/your-top-questions-aboutmoving-to-ghana-answered?item=8 Image credit: Getty Images
► Your favorite make-up brands ► Your favorite sunscreen ► Extra phone charger – some expats claim the ones the buy in Ghana don’t work the same… ► Organic products/vitamins and supplements – they can be pricey in Ghana ► Good hangers unless you’re OK with the wire ones…
What type of visas are available when visiting Ghana? There are several types of tourist visas available for your initial visit. Ghana has 4 types of visa types and 49 | ABA Publications | Africa TRAVEL | May 2022
Moving to Africa? Consider These Nations Too
Here are the Top Exciting, Cheap (and Overlooked) African Countries to Move Abroad By Amara Amaryah
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any Black travelers are investing more attention into the best African countries to move abroad and live. With so much variety across the continent, it is easy to see why; there is something for all lifestyles and budgets. When choosing to live abroad there is lots to think about, from the quality of life, social life, work, housing, accessibility – the list goes on. The two most consistently considered aspects of moving abroad is where you can have out-of-this-world experiences not available in your home country and where the cost of living is not too expensive. The sweet spot is a blend of these both and a heavy sprinkling of African culture and Diaspora flavor. Covering all of these bases, in this Travel Noire list, we’ll give you a look at some of the top, attractive, affordable (and overlooked!) African countries to move abroad and fall in love with.
expats relocate to in the country. The monthly cost of living is estimated around $953 USD for a single person. Zambia makes the list for its abundance of exciting ways to choose life – whether spending time near the world-famous Victoria Falls or going slow on one of the main rivers – Zambia offers loads to the adventurous traveler and for much less than expected.
2. Senegal
1. Zambia Exploring the remote and immensely impressive natural wilderness in Zambia makes for an obvious reason why Black expats will enjoy this African destination for their move abroad. Located on the Eastern side of Africa, The Zambian Kwacha is the official currency in the country and the price of living is said to be more than 50% less than most states in the U.S. as well as France. The capital is Lusaka where most
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Senegal is a favorite destination in Africa for its remarkable slow-paced life, its highly regarded art scene, not to mention it being the epitome of African chic vibes. The capital, Dakar, is the beating heart of Senegal but the entire country has much to offer for the slow traveler looking to create a life in a thriving African country. While Senegal is far from the cheapest country in Africa, it is certainly an affordable option. A furnished studio in an expensive area in Dakar will cost you around $686 while dinner for two in an expensive area would cost around $52 USD.
3. Gambia Victoria Falls (Musi-O-Tunya)
There is a lot to look forward to when making the move to Gambia, despite it being one of the smallest countries in the West African region. Moving to the country is an exciting prospect 50 | ABA Publications | Africa TRAVEL | May 2022
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for expats looking for a slower pace of life and impressive beaches. According to the Mercer Cost of Living Survey in 2021, Banjul, Gambia’s capital ranked 200th meaning that expats can expect a low cost of living in this West African country. Known as ‘The Smiling Coast of West Africa’, it is a pleasant place to settle and get to know local culture.
4. Tunisia
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and geographically speaking, the country is a wonder for many travelers worldwide. The most popular city for Black expats is Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. Whether exploring the mountains, delving into the many historical cities or checking out the Ethnological Museum, Haile Selassie’s former palace, living in Ethiopia is far from dull and not to steep either. As an average, rent across the country is relatively affordable with prices as low as $741 USD in a fully furnished accommodation in an expensive area.
6. South Africa
Der Place de la Victoire Canva
Located on the northernmost tip of Africa, Tunisia is a cheap, colourful and vibrant place to move to. Many travelers consider moving abroad to this African destination because of the hardto-find balance between underestimated natural destinations and gorgeous, irresistible medinas to stroll through. Living in the country where the boundless beauty of the Atlas Mountains and its rolling hills is available to explore is another added bonus in this less-traveled country. With easy access to Europe, the rest of Africa and nearby Arab countries, it is a go-to location with lots of influence and cultures within the small country.
5. Ethiopia
Cape Town South Africa has lots to offer Black expats looking to make a home in the country. The country has one of the fastest- growing economies in Africa. With Johannesburg and Cape Town being some of the most exciting options for Black expats, there is much to look forward to if international influence in a country is important to you. As one of the key tourism destinations globally as well as on the continent, South Africa often ranks as first place for places to move in all of
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Moving to Africa? Consider These Nations Too Move Abroad - from page 51 Africa but it shouldn’t be overlooked and assumed to be pricey. Living in Johannesburg, South Africa is considerably cheap with rent in an expensive area being placed at $932 USD and $1,159 in an expensive area in Cape Town.
7. Mozambique
Looking for turquoise waters, dune-lined beaches and irresistible well-preserved traditions on the continent? Mozambique offers it all and then some. Many Black travelers skip the beauty that is Mozambique but it has a lot to offer if you’re ready to sink your feet into the warm golden sand and get to really know the country. Mozambique is an affordable country with lots of budget-friendly ways of exploring the vastness of the country. Offering a variety of accommodation options for all budgets, cheap transportation, food and water sport tours, it is easy to see why it made the list. On average, renting an apartment in Maputo, the capital city could cost around $716 USD. https://travelnoire.com/here-are-the-top-excitingcheap-and-overlooked-african-countries-tomove-abroad
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www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com
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Luxury on Parade
Netflix’s New Reality Series ‘Young, Famous and African Highlights All Things African Luxury By Maggie J.
► Young, Famous and African. (L to R) Diamond Platnumz, Quinton Masina (Naked DJ), Andile Ncube in Young, Famous and African. Cr. Mosa Hlophe/ Netflix © 2022
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rices on flights to South Africa probably went up in the last week, since Netflix has released the reality series, Young, Famous and African. It’s only in its first season yet fans are already asking when season two is coming out. This drama-filled reality show is based in Johannesburg, South Africa, and it puts together a group of young, rich Africans from countries all over the continent. Some are already friends, others have never met. The group spends time together in different settings, with each taking a turn hosting an event. Much like “Love and Hip Hop”, the group shows us life in their world. Only this show is based in South Africa and the luxury is over-the-top. A five-course dinner with the perfect place
settings is elegantly displayed in the first scenes of the show. Dinner is hosted by Khanyisile Mbau, or Khanyi, a South African producer and actress who lives in Sandton, the richest square mile in Johannesburg. Tables adorned in crystal and candlelight, the guests arrive in some of the most amazing styles. Each course is plated beautifully and is from countries representing each of the cast members. That’s just the beginning. Get ready for a luxurious South African train trip, private jets, helicopters, and a safari. The bright and elegant clothing, multiple outfit changes, flawless makeup, and African hairstyles leave you speechless and forever wanting more. The rich and beautiful accents make you want to drop everything and
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▲ Young, Famous and African. (L to R) Zari Hassan (Zari The Boss Lady), Nadia Nakai, Annie Macaulay Idibia, Khanyi Mbau in Young, Famous and African. Cr. Mosa Hlophe/Netflix © 2022
hop on a flight to Johannesburg right now. Zarinah Hassan, also known as Zari the BOSS lady, is a Ugandan socialite and businesswoman. Hassan invites the crew on a 48-hour luxury train ride from Johannesburg to Mpumalanga, the Blue Train. A red carpet awaits the guests, and bouquets of flowers adorn the entryway to the train. Viewers are introduced to the sitting room as the crew boards the luxury train. Mbau is found kicking back in her en suite bathtub, ready for more than the bubbles in her glass of champagne.
“I think it’s the best feeling in the world to be young, rich and African” Nasibu Abdul Juma Issack, better known as Diamond Platnumz, tells the cameras upon his arrival in the show. The fans of Young, Famous and African sure think so too, Diamond and everyone is already anxiously awaiting the luxury, and drama, of season two. https://travelnoire.com/netflixs-new-reality-seriesyoung-rich-and-african-highlights-all-thingsafrican-luxury Image credit: kbc.co.ke
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All Safe in the Game Park
Park Rangers Enter Fray in West Africa’s Battle with Militants By Aaron Ross
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hen a dozen suspected Islamist militants from a neighbouring country were spotted riding motorcycles through the W National Park in northern Benin armed with AK-47 assault rifles, park rangers snapped into action. From an operations room at their base, the park director and two senior ranger officers sent antipoaching units to pursue the men who eventually fled into Nigeria, according to a confidential incident report reviewed by Reuters. They also directed Benin’s army and police where to position their forces and deployed an airplane and helicopter belonging to the park as part of a broader operation to surveil and “neutralise” the target, the undated park report said. It was prepared by the anti-poaching force to assess the response and make recommendations for improving future collaboration among rangers, army and police, including creating a “rapid intervention/commando unit capable of responding to multiple threats and especially those linked to terrorism.” The previously unreported account of the 36hour chase in June 2020 offers a rare glimpse into how conservation group African Parks has gone beyond protecting flora and fauna and engaged in pursuing Islamist insurgents in West Africa. The blurring of lines between conflict and conservation has raised concern among some experts, who say it could encourage governments to lean on rangers to support their depleted armies and undermine security by making rangers a target for jihadists. “This is not the rangers’ fight,” said Sergio Lopez, the president of Wildlife Angel, a French nonprofit that trained park rangers in Burkina Faso and Niger until 2019. “The fight against terrorism is special forces.”
Non-profit African Parks is based in South Africa and manages W and the adjacent Pendjari National Park in Benin. It is in talks to extend operations to parks in Burkina Faso and Niger and to support the management of a park in Ivory Coast, officials in these countries say. All four are on the frontlines of the battle to contain a jihadist threat that has steadily grown since 2012, when al Qaeda-linked fighters first seized parts of Mali. Thousands have been killed in the insurgency and millions displaced. Asked about the report, African Parks’ Chief Operations Officer Charles Wells told Reuters the rangers’ actions were consistent with the group’s mandate of “ensuring park integrity and countering all threats to it.” “This is an extreme situation, where both the national security as well as the last functioning conservation system at scale in West Africa are at grave risk.” He added that African Parks’ role sometimes went beyond its main aim of preserving the natural habitat and supporting local communities’ needs. “In a simplistic and ideal world, there might be such a line. In reality this is indeed blurred.” There have been several attacks in northern Benin since December, including two on Feb. 8 and Feb. 10 by suspected al Qaeda-linked militants that killed four rangers, their French instructor, two African Parks drivers and one Beninese soldier. Benin’s government and defence ministry did not respond to requests for comment about using African Parks to counter the militant threat. Some other conservation groups have been involved in incidents with suspected militants in the region, but African Parks is by far the biggest. Regional powers have struggled to contain
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General view of the W National Park in northern Benin April 21, 2019. Picture taken April 21, 2019. Julian ChevillotAfrican Parks /Handout via REUTERS
militant violence, and former colonial power France, frustrated by slow progress and facing public hostility to its presence, said it is halving its 5,000-strong counter-terrorism force in the region. Financed by the European Union and private foundations, African Parks does not charge for its services, although Benin and Rwanda’s governments have committed funding to their parks. The group equips and trains rangers who sometimes find themselves facing off against heavily-armed militants, militiamen and poachers. A European Union official said the EU was unaware of the 2020 incident. The official added that Benin forces should lead the response to security threats but that African Parks was, at the same time, responsible for protecting parks it operates in “against any kind of threat”. As African Parks seeks to expand into parklands that form a vast belt of territory used by militants to press south from strongholds in Mali, Burkina
Faso and Niger into coastal nations, opinion over its role is divided. Some regional experts hope it will help counter extremists who are waging an insurgency that leaves vast stretches of West Africa’s Sahel region beyond the control of governments. Nassirou Bako Arifari, Benin’s foreign minister from 2011-2015, credited the rangers with helping hold the line against encroachment by militants from Burkina Faso and Niger. “Having this presence is like having a buffer between the national force and the terrorist groups,” he told Reuters. But some critics said African Parks’ securitycentric response to poaching and militancy, including fencing off large segments of the parks, has alienated some locals who depend on economic activities on those lands, potentially making them more susceptible to militant propaganda. Wells acknowledged that local access to the
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All Safe in the Game Park Park Rangers - from page 57 parks was “a complex issue” but said African Parks had worked closely with local communities to build a “conservation-led economy”. He added that strong law enforcement was essential to protect the parks and avoid a situation similar to Burkina Faso, where he said the absence of state actors had allowed Islamist militancy to proliferate. In 2020, African Parks had an operating budget of $84 million spread across 19 parks in 11 countries, and its rangers are trained by exmilitary officers from Europe and South Africa. Samaila Sahailou, head of Niger’s parks authority, told Reuters talks were ongoing with African Parks about handing over management of Niger’s W National Park. Benoit Doamba, who leads Burkina Faso’s parks authority, said his country’s talks concerned its W and Arly National Parks. These three parks, along with Benin’s W and Pendjari, form the 10,000-square-kilometre “WAP Complex”. The WAP is West Africa’s last major refuge for elephants and lions, but much of it has been overrun by militants in recent years. Ivory Coast’s government said last month it planned to work with African Parks to manage and secure Comoe National Park, where militants have carried out several attacks since 2020. Describing the 2020 showdown with the militants in Benin, where African Parks has about 250 rangers, the report said: “Our ultimate objective is to limit (the group) in its movements, locate it, contain it and organise an offensive operation to neutralise it.” A helicopter and ultra-light aircraft belonging to African Parks were deployed carrying army soldiers and a senior rangers official “in the hope of locating the enemy and destroying it ‘on sight’ before it crosses the border”. Ultimately the militants got away. Wells said the helicopter was used to transport the soldiers to strategic positions, and the phrase “destroying it ‘on sight’” did not appear in his version of the report. Reuters was unable to establish why there might be a discrepancy between the two. In the aftermath of the incident, Wells said the rangers and army had each created their own
Elephants are pictured in the Pendjari National Park in northern Benin February 20, 2019. Picture taken February 20, 2019. Marcus Westberg-African Parks/ Handout via REUTERS
quick reaction units, which he said operated with different missions and under different rules of engagement. The defence ministry did not respond to a request for comment. Some analysts see African Parks’ potential expansion - like the recent arrival of Russian private security contractors in Mali - as evidence of a new security strategy in countries like Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger to replace the role played by France and its partners. “It looks very much like these countries are giving up on Western multilateral counter-terrorism assistance in place of something they will have more control over,” said Aneliese Bernard, a former U.S. State Department official in Niger. France’s military, which aims to keep some 2,500-3,000 troops in the region after its partial withdrawal, said it had no comment on African Parks. It added it remains committed to the fight against militants despite the drawdown. The defence ministers of Burkina Faso and Niger and Mali’s army spokesman did not respond to requests for comment on the potential shift. https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/parkrangers-enter-fray-west-africas-battle-withmilitants-2022-04-26/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_ medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=daily-briefing
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https://theafricachannel.com
Cruise - Rivers & Lakes
RV African Dream
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uilt in 2018, the RV African Dream is one of the gems of the CroisiEurope fleet with a magnificent setting for a dream safari-cruise in Southern Africa, overflowing with history and wildlife. A real cocoon of charm and elegance. Combining elegance and exoticism, comfort and refinement, the RV African Dream is a luxury cruise ship, which sails on Lake Kariba. The ship measures 33 m long and 8 m wide, and can accommodate 16 passengers, in 8 cabins with a size of 17 m2. Of all cabins, 6 are with a French balcony and 2 with a small private terrace, offering amenities and providing guests with all the comforts they need during
their stay. The spacious areas and large windows give the ship a bright appearance. The interior is decorated with noble wood and local fabrics and blends in perfectly with the spendid surrounding
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▲Victoria Falls Moonbow ◄ African Dream Dining area ◄ African Dream Bedroom Cruise-Safari Route
landscapes. Situated on the upper deck are a small pool, the restaurant and lounge / bar where binoculars are available for wildlife and flora watching. The sun deck remains the ideal place to relax and admire Southern Africa’s magnificent sites, which are among the most beautiful in the world. https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/parkrangers-enter-fray-west-africas-battle-withmilitants-2022-04-26/ Image credit: Junket, CroisiEurope 61 | ABA Publications | Africa TRAVEL | May 2022
WORLD HERITAGE SITES
Obelisk of Axum wikipedia
Axum or Aksum, Ethiopia
A
xum or Aksum, is a town in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia with a population of 66,900 residents (as of 2015). It is the site of the historic capital of the Aksumite Empire, a naval and trading power that ruled the whole region from about 400 BCE into the 10th century. In 1980, UNESCO added Axum’s archaeological sites to its list of World Heritage Sites due to their historic value. Axum was the hub of the marine trading power known as the Aksumite Empire, which predated the earliest mentions in Roman-era writings. Around 356 CE, its ruler was converted to an Abyssinian variety of Christianity by Frumentius. Later, under the reign of the Emperor Kaleb, Axum was a quasi-ally of Byzantium against the Sasanian Empire which had adopted Zoroastrianism. The historical record is unclear with ancient church records being the primary contemporary sources. It is believed the empire began a long and slow decline after the 7th century due partly to the Persians and then the Arabs contesting old Red Sea trade routes. Eventually the empire was cut off from its principal markets in Alexandria, Byzantium and Southern Europe and its share of trade captured by Arab traders of the era. The Aksumite Empire was finally destroyed in the 10th century by Empress Gudit, and eventually some of the people of Axum were forced south and their old way of life declined. As the empire’s power declined so did the influence of the city, which is believed to have lost population in the decline, similar to Rome and other cities thrust away from the flow of world events. The last known (nominal) emperor 62 | ABA Publications | Africa TRAVEL | May 2022
to reign was crowned in about the 10th century, but the empire’s influence and power had ended long before that. Its decline in population and trade then contributed to the shift of the power hub of the Ethiopian Empire south to the Amhara region as it moved further inland. In this period the city of Axum became the administrative seat of an empire spanning one million square miles. Building supposedly Eventually, the containing the Ark of the alternative name Covenant at Maryam Sion of Ethiopia was church in Aksum Ethiopia adopted by the wikipedia central region and then by the modern state that presently exists. “Axum” (or its Greek and Latin equivalents) appears as an important centre on indigenous maps of the northern Horn of Africa in the 15th century. The Aksumite Empire and the Ethiopian Church The Aksumite Kingdom began to issue coins about AD 270. Silver and bronze coins for local, everyday use generally followed the design of Roman coins with a bust of the ruler in profile on at least one side. Axumite coins were the first in the ancient world to carry the cross as a symbol of the ruler’s devotion to Christianity. This 6th century gold coin probably depicts the Axumite king Ousas The Aksumite Empire had its own written language, Geʽez, and developed a distinctive architecture exemplified by giant obelisks. The oldest of these, though relatively small, dates from 5000–2000 BCE.[9] The empire was at its height under Emperor Ezana, baptized as Abreha in the
4th century (which was also when the empire officially embraced Christianity). The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church claims that the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion in Axum houses the Biblical Ark of the Covenant, in which lie the Tablets of Stone upon which the Ten Commandments are inscribed.[11] Ethiopian traditions suggest that it was from Axum that Makeda, the Queen of Sheba, journeyed to visit King Solomon in Jerusalem and that the two had a son, Menelik, who grew up in Ethiopia but travelled to Jerusalem as a young man to visit his father’s homeland. He lived several years in Jerusalem before returning to his country with the Ark of the Covenant. According to the Ethiopian Church and Ethiopian tradition, the Ark still exists in Axum. This same church was the site where Ethiopian emperors were crowned for centuries until the reign of Fasilides, then again beginning with Yohannes IV until the end of the empire. Axum is considered to be the holiest city in Ethiopia and is an important destination of pilgrimages. Significant religious festivals are the Timkat festival (known as Epiphany in western Christianity) on 19 January (20 January in leap years) and the Festival of Maryam Zion on 30 November[13] (21 Hidar on the Ethiopian calendar). In 1937, a 24 m (79 ft) tall, 1,700-year-old Obelisk of Axum, was broken into five parts by the Italians and shipped to Rome to be erected. The obelisk is widely regarded as one of the finest examples of engineering from the height of the Axumite empire. Despite a 1947 United Nations agreement that the obelisk would be shipped back, Italy balked, resulting in a long-standing diplomatic dispute with the Ethiopian government, which views the obelisk as a symbol of national identity. In April 2005, Italy finally returned the obelisk pieces to Axum amidst much official and public rejoicing; Italy also covered the US$4 million costs of the transfer. UNESCO assumed responsibility for the re-installation of this stele in Axum, and by the end of July 2008 the obelisk had been reinstalled. It was unveiled on 4 September. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axum?msclkid=eda 67e69d0ba11ecb63aa01ce894b7f6Image credit: YouTube>Visit Liberia231
63 | ABA Publications | Africa TRAVEL | May 2022
Travel Africa Where To Go, What To Do Algeria
Tamanrasset Camel Trekking Sahara Dune Skiing The Turquoise Coast CAPITAL: Algiers www.algerie-tourisme.dz
Angola
Festival National des Arts et de la Culture (FENAC) in December CAPITAL: Yaoundé www.cameroun-infotourisme.com
Cape Verde
Baia das Gatas Festival Scuba Diving and Snorkelling at Boa Vista UNESCO world heritage old fort site at Cidade Velha CAPITAL: Praia Ministry of Tourism, Praia, Santiago: +238 615 697
Fort Sao Miguel Slave Depot Calandula Waterfalls Palmeirinhas Beach CAPITAL: Luanda www.angola.org
Central African Republic
Lake Village of Ganvie Nakoue Lagoon Pendjari National Park CAPITAL: Porto-Novo www.benintourisme.com
Chad
Okavango Delta Central Kalahari Game Reserve Transfrontier Park (Kgalafadi National Park) CAPITAL: Gaborone www.botswanatourism.co.bw
The Comoros
International Arts and Crafts Fair, Oct-Nov Ranch de Nazinga game reserve Mare aux Hippopotames CAPITAL: Ouagadougou www.ontb.bf
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
Benin
Camel racing in the Tibesti Mountains Galawa Beach on Grande Comore Lake Chad CAPITAL: N’Djamena Office du Tourisme, Tel: 01 45 53 36 75
Botswana
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Chutes de la Kagera Waterfall Lake Tanganyika Craftwares Village at Giheta CAPITAL: Bujumbura www.burunditourisme.com
Cameroon
Boali Waterfalls Manovo-Gounda St Floris National Park Lobaye Region CAPITAL: Bangui ministere_tourisme@yahoo.fr
Mandera Mountains (hiking, climbing) Bouba Ndjidah National Park
Climb Mount Karthala (active volcano) Nzwani Island Hot Sulphur Springs at Lac Salé CAPITAL: Moroni Comoros National Tourist Board Office, Tel: 269 73 3044
Frère Gillet Botanic Gardens world-famous rare orchids (Kisantu) Ruwenzori Range Virunga National Park CAPITAL: Kinshasa Ministère des Affaires Foncières, Environment et Tourisme, Tel: (+243) 8802093.
Côte D’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) The Basilica of Our Lady of Peace, Yamoussoukro Mount Tonkoui (mountain climb) Comoë National Park
64 | ABA Publications | Africa TRAVEL | May 2022
El Parque Nacional de la Boucle du Baoulé Mali easyviajar.com
CAPITAL: Yamoussoukro www.tourisme.gouv.ci
Djibouti
Gulf of Tadjoura (snorkling/diving) Lake Abbé Lake Assal (windsurf on wheels) CAPITAL: Djibouti www.office-tourisme.dj
Egypt (Kemet)
Nile River Cruise, Aswan Temple of Ranses II, Abu Simbel Alexandria CAPITAL: Cairo www.tourism.misrnet.gov.eg
Equatorial Guinea
Arena Blanca Pico Malabo Volcano (mountain climbing) Cascades of Moca CAPITAL: Malabo www.embarege-londres.org
Eritrea
Tour of Eritrea (bicycle race) Akordat CAPITAL: Asmara eritreantourism@tse.com.er
Ethiopia
Rock Hewn Churches of Lalibela (New Jerusalem) Home of the Queen of Sheba, Axum African Union Headquarters, Addis Ababa TOTAL Great Ethiopian Race CAPITAL: Addis Ababa www.tourismethiopia.org
Gabon
Cathedral of St Michael in Libreville Lopé-Okanda Reserve National Park (gorilla) M’Bigou (gold mines/crafts) CAPITAL: Libreville www.legabon.org
The Gambia
Deep Sea Fishing, Atlantic Ocean Exhibition of the slave trade at Albreda and
Dahlak Archipelago
to page 66
65 | ABA Publications | Africa TRAVEL | May 2022
Travel Africa
- from page 65
Akakus Mountains (prehistoric rock art) Ubari Lakes (dune surfing) Leptis Magna (tribute to African Roman Emperor Septimus Severus) CAPITAL: Tripoli www.libyan-tourism.org
Jufureh Makasutu Culture Forest CAPITAL: Banjul www.visitthegambia.gm
Ghana
Cape Coast Castle Slave Fortress Mount Afadjato and Togbo Falls (Volta Region) Kakum Nature Reserve (tree-top walkway and stay in a tree house) CAPITAL: Accra www.touringghana.com
Guinea
Malawi
Mali
Guinea-Bissau
Bijagos Archipelago Cantanhez Natural Park Museum of African Artefacts CAPITAL: Bissau www.guineabissautourism.com
Kenya
Mount Kenya National Park Tsavo West National Park Watamu-Malindi Marine Park CAPITAL: Nairobi www.magicalkenya.com
Lesotho
Bushmen Rock Paintings Ski Lesotho Highlands (www.afriski.co.za) Sehlabathebe National Park CAPITAL: Maseru www.ltdc.org.ls Sapo National Park Kendeja National Cultural Center Firestone Rubber Plantation CAPITAL: Monrovia www.micat.gov.lr
Libya
Fianarantsoa (Capital of Wine) Montagne d’Arbre National Park Queen’s Palace CAPITAL: Antananarivo www.madagascar-tourisme.com Lake Malawi Marine Park Nyika National Park Liwonde National Park CAPITAL: Lilongwe www.malawitourism.com
Kindia (cloth market) Kinkon Falls Îles de Los CAPITAL: Conakry www.ontguinee.com
Liberia
Madagascar
Festival in the Desert Timbuctou La Boucle de Baoule National Park CAPITAL: Bamako www.le-mali.com/omatho/index.htm
Mauritania
Parc National du Banc d’Arguin Chinguetti, a holy city of Islam Oualata CAPITAL: Nouakchott www.tourisme.mr
Mauritius
Black River Gorges National Park Ile aux Aigrettes Nature Reserve Rodrigues Island CAPITAL: Port Louis www.mauritius.net
Morocco
Todra and Dades Gorges Talassemtane National Park Essaouira CAPITAL: Rabat www.visitmorocco.com
Mozambique
Maputo Elephant Park Gorongosa National Park 66 | ABA Publications | Africa TRAVEL | May 2022
Bazaruto Archipelago CAPITAL: Maputo www.futur.org.mz/index-en.html
Namibia
Direction Generale du Tourisme et des Loisirs, Tel: 830 953
Reunion
Piton des Neiges Plaine d’Affouches Le Voile de la Mariée (The Bride’s Veil) CAPITAL: Saint-Denis ot.saint-pierre@wanadoo.fr
Mahongo Game Reserve Etosha National Park Skeleton Coast CAPITAL: Windhoek www.namibiatourism.com.na
Rwanda
Niger
Cards From Africa, Kigali Parc National des Volcans Gorilla Trek Nyungwe Forest Canopy Walk CAPITAL: Kigali www.rwandatourism.com/
Agadez ‘W’ National Park Igouloulef CAPITAL: Algiers www.niger-tourisme.com
São Tomé & Principe
Nigeria
Bom Bom Island Deep Sea Fishing Humpback Whale Watching Agua Izé Plantation CAPITAL: São Tomé www.saotome.st
Cross River National Park Emir’s Palace, Kano Benin City CAPITAL: Lagos www.tourism.gov.ng
Republic of the Congo
Loufoulakari Falls Loango (main embarkation port for slaves) Congo Rapids CAPITAL: Brazzaville
Senegal
African Renaissance Monument Retba (Pink) Lake Maison des Enclaves (House of Slaves), Goree Island to page 68
Lake Malawi Marine Park safari-index.com 67 | ABA Publications | Africa TRAVEL | May 2022
Travel Africa
- from page 67
CAPITAL: Dakar sentouroffice@aol.com
Seychelles
Marlin Fishing in Denis St Anne Marine National Park Aldabra CAPITAL: Victoria www.seychelles.travel
Sierra Leone
Outamba-Kilimi National Park Freetown Peninsula Bunce Island, Slave Trading Station CAPITAL: Freetown www.welcometosierraleone.org
Somalia
Hargeisa National Park Neolithic Paintings Las Geel Indian Ocean Coastal Beaches CAPITAL: Mogadishu www.somali-gov.info/Tourism/index.html
Somaliland
Hargeisa National Park Neolithic Paintings Las Geel Indian Ocean Coastal Beaches CAPITAL: Hargiesa www.somalilandgov.com (Ministry of Tourism & Culture 252-225-7917)
South Africa
Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory & Dialogue, Johannesburg Great White Shark Festival, Cape Town/ Gansbaai The Elephant Coast, Zulu Kingdom CAPITAL: Johannesburg www.whitesharkfestival.org www.nelsonmandela.org www.zulu.org.za www.southafrica.net
South Sudan
Boma National Park Nimule National Park Nile River CAPITAL: Juba www.goss.org
Litt
Sudan
Port Sudan, The Red Sea Gemmeiza Tourist Village Pyramids of Meroe CAPITAL: Khartoum www.sudan-tourism.gov.sd/english/index.php
Swaziland
Mkhaya Game Reserve Phophomyane Nature Reserve Usutu River (white-water rafting) CAPITAL: Mbabane www.welcometoswaziland.com
Tanzania
Bagamoyo Slave Trail Katavi Plains National Park Ngorongoro Crater Stone Town, Zanzibar CAPITAL: Dodoma http://tanzaniatouristboard.com/ 68 | ABA Publications | Africa TRAVEL | May 2022
CAPITAL: Kampala http://visituganda.com/index.php
Western Sahara City of El-Aaiún Dakhla (surfing) CAPITAL: El-Aaiún dajla47@hotmail.com
Zambia
Walking Safari, South Luangwa National Park Musi oa Tunya (Victoria Falls), Livingstone Zambezi White Water Rafting CAPITAL: Lusaka www.zambiatourism.com
Zimbabwe
Great Zimbabwe Lake Kariba Chizarira National Park CAPITAL: Harare www.zimbabwetourism.co.zw
Sources:
tle known rock art at a site called Las Geel Pinterest
www.worldtravelguide.net/africa www.internationaltouristboards.com www.worldtourismdirectory.com/directory/africa/ index.html
Togo
Koutammakou (World Heritage Site) Whale Watching, Gulf of Benin Fosse aux Lions (Lions’ Den) National Park CAPITAL: Lomé www.togo-tourisme.com
Tunisia
Desert Trekking from Douz Matmata (Star Wars film site) Sidi Bou Saïd CAPITAL: Tunis www.tourismtunisia.com
Uganda
Mountains of the Moon (Mount Rwenzori National Park) Bwindi National Park (view gorilla) Source of the Nile,Owen Falls Dam, Jinja 69 | ABA Publications | Africa TRAVEL | May 2022
chandinitravel.co.za
Ski Africa
Overview: Skiing in Africa
T
here are currently 10 indoor and outdoor ski resorts set in the nations of Kingdom of Morocco, Republic of Egypt, Republic of Algeria, Kingdom of Lesotho, Republic of Namibia, and the Republic of South Africa. There are 4 unconfirmed ski resorts. The following facts provide an overview of the ski regions of Africa: Elevation of the Ski Resorts 70 m - 3268 m Elevation Difference max. 658 m in one ski resort Slopes 21 km (max. 10 km in one ski resort) Ski Lifts 23 (max. 7 in one ski resort) Ski Passes € 14.40 to € 30.74
Oukaimeden
www.skiresort.info/ski-resort/ oukaimeden The ski resort Oukaïmeden is located in the Marrakesh-TensiftEl Haouz Region (Morocco). For skiing and snowboarding, there are 10 km of slopes available. 7 lifts transport the guests. The winter sports area is situated between the elevations of 2,610 and 3,268 m.
Chréa
www.skiresort.info/ski-resort/ chrea/ The ski resort Chréa is located in the Province of Blida (Algeria). For skiing and snowboarding, there are 0.5 km of slopes available. 3 lifts transport the guests. The winter sports area is situated between the elevations of 1,460 and 1,550 m.
Afriski Mountain Resort
www.skiresort.info/ski-resort/ afriski-mountain-resort The ski resort Afriski Mountain Resort is located in the ButhaButhe District (Lesotho). For skiing and snowboarding, there are 1.8 km of slopes available. 2 lifts transport the guests. The winter sports area is situated between the elevations of 3,030 and 3,222 m. AfriSki, the only skiing resort in the Kingdom of Lesotho, is located 3222 m above sea-level in the Maluti Mountains. It offers a main
Ski slope, a beginners slope and operates during the winter months.
Tiffindell
www.skiresort.info/ski-resort/ tiffindell The ski resort Tiffindell is located in the Province of Eastern Cape (South Africa). For skiing and snowboarding, there are 2.4 km of slopes available. 5 lifts transport the guests. The winter sports area is situated between the elevations of 2,700 and 2,930 m. Tiffindell is the highest resort in South Africa. It is nestling snugly on the slope of Ben McDhui (3001m), the highest pass in South Africa and the highest peak in the Cape. Within 15 acres of terrain, there are pistes suitable for all abilities. In an average season, Tiffindell is open for skiing and snowboarding in June, July and August. It has slope-side accommodation available for 150 guests and many more day visitors in the surrounding valleys. There is a restaurant, coffee lounge, 2 bars,
70 | ABA Publications | Africa TRAVEL | May 20221
is situated between the elevations of 1,880 and 2,060 m.
www.skiresort.info/ski-resort/ ski-namibia
Ski Egypt
Options for Dune Skiing in the Namib Desert, Namibia (high dunes, breathtaking landscapes, long dune belt) are manifold. Not only the fast ski runs on the dunes bring the kick, but also the landscape and nature aspect are simply one-of-a-kind amidst the world’s oldest desert. For information and arrangements: www.ski-namibia.com, henrik@ ski-namibia.com, P.O. Box 8140, Swakopmund, Namibia.
www.skiresort.info/ski-resort/ ski-egypt/
Oukaïmeden
ski clothing shop and ski school. Non aspiring skiers join in to enjoy a unique experience, making snowmen, throwing snow balls or tobogganing, making it the perfect family holiday for young and old.
Matroosberg
www.skiresort.info/ski-resort/ matroosberg/ The ski resort Matroosberg is located in the Province of Western Cape (South Africa). For skiing and snowboarding, there are 2 km of slopes available. 2 lifts transport the guests. The winter sports area is situated between the elevations of 1,794 and 2,132 m.
Michlifen
www.skiresort.info/ski-resort/ michlifen The ski resort Michlifen is located in the Meknès-Tafilalet Region (Morocco). For skiing and snowboarding, there are 1 km of slopes available. 1 lift transports the guests. The winter sports area
The indoor ski resort Ski Egypt is located in the Mall of Egypt, 6th October City, Cairo (Egypt). For skiing and snowboarding, there are 0.6 km of slopes available. 1 lift transports the guests. The winter sports area is situated between the elevations of 150 and 180 m. With over 7,000 tons of snow, Ski Egypt is launching the first ski resort in Africa with the world’s largest indoor snow park, offering everything from skiing, slope snowboarding, sledging and a Polar Express Train to a jolly kids area and a professional Ski School, all in a one stop, breathtaking experience for family and friends.
Jbel Hebri
www.skiresort.info/ski-resort/ jbel-hebri The ski resort Jbel Hebri is located in the Meknès-Tafilalet Region (Morocco). For skiing and snowboarding, there are 1 km of slopes available. 1 lift transports the guests. The winter sports area is situated between the elevations of 1,950 and 2,090 m.
Azrou
www.skiresort.info/ski-resort/ azrou The ski resort Azrou is located in the Ifrane Province of the FèsMeknès region (Morocco). For skiing and snowboarding, there are 1 km of slopes available. 1 lift transports the guests. The winter sports area is situated between the elevations of 1,800 and 2,000 m.
Ski Namibia
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Unconfirmed Ski Resorts
Cape Town, South Africa (In development, possibly) www.skiresort.info/ski-resort/ snowfun-cape-town-planned Kingdom of Morocco (mountain climbing resorts that may include skiing opportunities) www.skiresort.info/ski-resort/ djebel-bou-iblane www.skiresort.info/ski-resort/ hoher-atlas www.skiresort.info/ski-resort/ rif-gebirge www.skiresort.info/ski-resorts/ africa
Golf Africa
www.golfworldmap.com/africa/#9.622414142924805,17.05078125,3
jansengolfdesign.com
Botswana
Gaborone Golf Club at the Gaborone Sun Hotel Phakalane Golf Estate Hotel Resort www.phakalane.com
Egypt
Alexandria Sporting Club, Alexandria Cascades at Soma Bay Golf and Country Club www.residencedescascades.com Dreamland Golf & Tennis Resort, Cairo www.dreamlandgolf.com Golf City, Cairo Katemeya Heights Golf & Tennis Resort, Cairo www.katameyaheights.com Madinat Makadi Golf Course, Madinat Makadi www.madinatmakadigolf.com Mena House Oberoi Golf Course, Cairo www.oberoihotels.com/oberoi_menahouse/index.
asp Mirage City Golf Club, Cairo www.golf.jwmarriottcairo.com/golf Steigenberger Al Dau Beach Hotel, Hurghada www.steigenbergeraldaubeach.com
Kenya
Karen Country Club, Nairobi Kiambu Golf Club, Kiambu Leisure Lodge Beach & Golf Resort, Mombasa Muthaiga Golf Club, Nairobi Nyali Golf & Country Club, Mombasa www.nyaligolf.co.ke Railway Golf Club, Nairobi Royal Nairobi Golf Club, Nairobi The Golf Park at the Jockey Club of Kenya, Nairobi Windsor Golf Hotel & Country Club, Nairobi www.windsorgolfresort.com
72 | ABA Publications | Africa TRAVEL | May 2022
Mauritius
Ile aux Cherfs, Trou d’Eau Douce Le Paradis Hotel & Golf Club, Le Morne Peninsula www.paradis-hotel.com Legend Golf Course, Poste de Flacq www.bellemareplagehotel.com Links Golf Course, Poste de Flacq www.princemaurice.com One&Only Le Saint Géran Golf Course, Poste de Flacq http://lesaintgeran.oneandonlyresorts.com Shandrani Golf Club, Blue Bay www.shandrani-hotel.com Troux aux Biches Golf Club, Troux aux Biches www.trouauxbiches-hotel.com
Morocco
Anfa Royal Golf Club, Casablanca Cabo Negro Royal Golf Club, Tetouan Royal Golf of Dar es Salam, Rabat www.royalgolfdaressalam.com/english/index.cfm Club Med les Dunes, Agadir El Jadida Royal Golf Club, El Jadida Fes Royal Golf Club, Fes Marrakech Royal Golf Club, Marrakech Meknes Royal Golf Club, Meknes Mohammedia Royal Golf Club, Mohammedia Settat University Royal Golf Club, Settat Tangier Royal Golf Club, Tangier
Nambia
Bains www.golf-bourbon.com/spip/spip.php?lang=en Club du Colorado, La Montagne
Senegal
Golf de Saly, Mbour www.golfsaly.com/intro/presentation_fr.htm Golf International du Technopôle, Dakar Le Méridien President Resort & Golf Club, Dakar www.starwoodhotels.com/ lemeridien/property/overview/index. html?propertyID=1821&EM=VTY_MD_1821_ DAKAR_OVERVIEW
Sierra Leone
Freetown Golf Club, Freetown
South Africa
Akasia Golf Clue, Pretoria www.akasiacountryclub.co.za Atlantic Beach Golf Club, Cape Town www.atlanticbeachgolfclub.co.za/capetown/ index.asp Bellville Golf Club, Cape Town www.bellvillegolf.co.za Benoni Country Club, Johannesburg www.benonicountryclub.co.za/pro/Default.aspx Blair Atholl, Fourways www.blairatholl.co.za Blue Valley Golf & Country Estate, Olifantsfontein www.bluevalley.co.za
Keetmanshoop Golf Course, Keetmanshoop Okahandja Golf Club, Okahandja www.okahandja.net/sport/default.html Orandjemund Golf Club, Oranjemund Rossmund Golf Course, Swakopmund Tsumeb Golf Club, Tsumeb Walvis Bay Golf Course, Walvis Bay Windhoek Country Club Resort, Windhoek www.windhoek.co.za
see Golf Africa on page 74
Nigeria
IBB Golf Course, Abuja IITA Golf Club, Ibadan Ikeja Golf Club, Lagos www.ikejagolfclub.org
Reunion
Golf du Bassin Blue, St Gilles les Hauts Golf Club de Bourbon, Etang Sale les
African American Golfers at Tema Golf Course, Ghana
73 | ABA Publications | Africa TRAVEL | May 2022
Tiger Woods
from Golf Africa page 73 Bryanston Country Club, Bryanston www.bryanstoncc.co.za Centurion Country Club, Centurion www.centurioncountryclub.co.za Champagne Sports Resort, Winterton www.champagnesportsresort.com Clovelly Country Club, Cape Town www.clovelly.za.net Crown Mines Golf Club, Johannesburg www.g-i.co.za/clubs/?c=274 Darling Golf Club, Darling www.darlingtourism.co.za/sportdetail. htm#golfclub De Zalze Winelands Golf Estate, Stellenbosch www.golfdezalze.com Devonvale Golf & Wine Estate, Stellenbosch www.devonvale.co.za Durban Country Club, Durban www.dcclub.co.za Durbanville Golf Club, Durbanville www.durbanvillegolfclub.co.za East London Golf Course, East London www.elgc.co.za Emfuleni Golf Estate, Vanderbijlpark
www.emfulenigolfestate.com Fancourt Hotel & Country Club Estate, George www.fancourt.co.za Gary Player Country Club Golf Course, Sun City www.suninternational.com/Destinations/Resorts/ Golf/Pages/Golf.aspx George Golf Club, George www.georgegolfclub.co.za Germiston Golf Club, Germiston www.germistongolf.com Glendower Golf Course, Johannesburg www.glendower.co.za Hermanus Golf Club, Hermanus www.hgc.co.za Houghton Golf Club, Houghton www.houghton.co.za Humewood Golf Club, Port Elizabeth www.humewoodgolf.co.za The Country Club Johannesburg, Rivonia www.ccj.co.za Killarney Country Club, Johannesburg www.killarneycountryclub.co.za Kingswood Golf Estate, George www.kingswood.co.za Kleinmond Golf Club, Kleinmond www.kleinmondgolfclub.co.za Kloof Country Club, Kloof
74 | ABA Publications | Africa TRAVEL | May 2022
www.kloofcountryclub.co.za Knysna Golf Club, Knysna www.knysnagolfclub.com Koro Creek Bushveld Golf Estate, Nylstroom www.korocreek.com Langebaan County Estate Golf & Leisure, Langebaan www.langebaanestate.co.za Leopard Creek Country Club, Malelane www.leopardcreek.co.za Lost City, Sun City www.suninternational.com/Destinations/Resorts/ Golf/Pages/Golf.aspx Malmesbury Golf Club, Malmesbury www.malmesburygolfclub.co.za Metropolitan Golf Course, Cape Town www.metropolitangolfclub.co.za Milnerton Golf Club, Cape Town www.milnertongolfclub.co.za Modderfontein Golf Club, Modderfontein www.mgclub.co.za Monks Cowl Coutry Club & Lodge, Winterton www.monkscowl.co.za
Mossel Bay Golf Club, Mossel Bay www.mosselbaygolfclub.co.za Mowbray Golf Club, Cape Town www.mowbraygolfclub.co.za Paarl Golf Course, Paarl www.paarlgolfclub.co.za Pearl Valley Signature Golf Estate and Spa, Cape Winelands www.pearlvalley.co.za Pecanwood Golf & Country Club, Hartbeesportt www.pecanwoodgolf.co.za Plettenberg Bay Country Club, Plettenberg Bay www.plettgolf.co.za Pretoria Country Club, Pretoria www.ptacc.co.za Randpark Golf Club, Randburg www.randpark.co.za Reading Country Club, Alberton www.readingcc.co.za River Club Golf & Conference Center, Cape Town http://riverclub.co.za Riviera on Vaal Country Club, Vereenigning see Golf Africa on page 76
South African Freedom Day Golf Tourney sports24ghana.com
75 | ABA Publications | Africa TRAVEL | May 2022
from Golf Africa page 75 www.rovcountryclub.co.za Royal Cape Golf Club, Cape Town www.royalcapegolf.co.za Royal Durban Golf Club, Durban www.royaldurban.co.za San Lameer Country Club, Margate www.sanlameer.co.za Scottburgh Golf Club, Scottburgh www.scottburghgolf.co.za Selbourne Golf Estate, Pennington www.selborne.com Silver Lakes Golf & Country Club, Pretoria www.silverlakes.co.za Somerset West Golf Club, Somerset West www.somersetwestgolfclub.co.za St Francis Bay Golf Club, St Francis Bay www.stfrancisgolf.co.za St Francis Links, St Francis Bay www.stfrancislinks.com Steenberg Golf Club, Cape Town www.steenberggolfclub.co.za/ Framework/index.asp Stellenbosch Golf Club, Stellenbosch www.steenberggolfclub.co.za/ Framework/index.asp Umdoni Golf Course, Pennington www.umdonipark.com Umhlali Country Club, Umhlali www.umhlalicountryclub.co.za Westlake Golf Club, Cape Town www.westlakegolfclub.co.za Wingate Park Country Club, Pretoria www.wingateparkcountryclub.co.za Swaziland Royal Swazi Spa Country Club www.suninternational.com/Destinations/Resorts/ RoyalSwaziSpaValley/FacilitiesActivities/Pages/ Golf.aspx
The Gambia
Fajara Club, Fajara www.smiles.gm/fajara.htm
Tunisia
Djerba Golf Club, Midoun www.djerbagolf.com El Kantaoui Golf Course, Port El Kantaoui www.portelkantaoui.com.tn/golf Flamingo Golf Course, Monastir www.golfflamingo.com/english/flamingo.htm Golf Citrus, Hammamet www.golfcitrus.com Palm Links Golf Course, Monastir www.golf-palmlinks.com/english/presentation. htm Tabarka Golf Course, Tabarka www.tabarkagolf.com/en/index.htm Yasmine Golf Course, Mannamet www.golfyasmine.com/en/index.php
76 | ABA Publications | Africa TRAVEL | May 2022
African Cuisine!
Republic of Reunion
T
he cuisine on Réunion Island is as mixed as the population. No dish still has its original taste because each one has been enriched and dressed up through the inspiration of Bourbonnais cooks and outside influences (French, Indian, Chinese, etc.). Dishes from each of these places are sometimes served together during the same meal. The main local specialty is curry, a savory stew of meats, fish or shellfish, simmered with garlic, onions, ginger, cloves, turmeric, and other local spices. Curry is served with white rice, legumes (beans or lentils) and a spicy condiment called rougail made with tomatoes, lemon, and pistachios.
Rougail Sausage https://uk.france.fr/en/news/article/discover-cuisinereunion-island
Rougail sausage is a type of curry made with smoked sausages and has nothing to do with the condiment. The same is true for rougail boucané, which is in fact a type of curry made with smoked pork. Serves 6 Ingredients:
• 2.25 pounds (1 kg) saucisses de la Réunion (Réunion sausages), smoked and roughly cut. As a substitute use saucisses de Toulouse (Toulouse sausages) • 3 or 4 onions, finely chopped • 6 to 8 small tomatoes (variety: olivette or another heirloom variety), diced • chives • curry leaf • 4 or 5 garlic cloves • ginger • rice (preferably basmati) • different legumes (lentils, white beans, butter beans, etc.) • thyme • turmeric • bird pepper (to taste) • kaffir lime Directions: • Prepare the rice in a rice cooker (steamed rice). • The legumes: heat the legumes in a pot of water with 1 teaspoon of turmeric, 2 sprigs of thyme (preferably fresh). Add salt to taste. • The tomato rougail: mix a diced tomato with a pinch of salt, the bird pepper, and a little kaffir lime zest. Set aside in a cool place. • The sausages: peel the garlic and the ginger. Prick the sausages and then blanch them to remove some of the fat. Cut the sausages in ¾ or 1 ¼ inch (2 or 3 cm) pieces. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil. • Add the sausages to the hot oil. Brown them along with the onions. Once they are nice and brown, drain the excess grease. Cook over low heat with the tomatoes, garlic, ginger, and curry leaf. Let simmer until the sauce is consistent (avoid adding water, as this will dull the taste of the sausages). Sprinkle the dish with chives just before serving. • Serve the rice first, then the legumes over the rice, and the rougail to the side. Always serve the pepper on the edge of the plate.
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see page 78
African Cuisine! Reunion
page 77
Coral Trout Curry
minutes • Add ½ of a glass of water. Mix the sauce. Put the pieces of fish inside. Cover and let it cook for 8 minutes. • Turn over the pieces of fish without damaging them, and continue to cook for another 8 minutes on a medium flame • Add more water according to the amount of sauce desired. • Carefully mix and let simmer a couple more minutes.
Serve hot, with parsley and finely cut scallions
Zembrocal Rice https://en.reunion.fr/discover/gastronomy/reunionesecreole-recipes/zembrocal-rice-recipe/
https://en.reunion.fr/discover/gastronomy/reunionesecreole-recipes/
Creole recipes are easy to prepare and will tantalize your taste buds during a meal. Discover at home the delicious flavours of Reunionese cuisine by following the Creole recipes. Serves 4 Ingredients: • 1 nice sized coral trout: 1,5 kilo • Onions 300g • Ripe tomatoes 400g • 8 to10 cloves of garlic • salt • 12 hot peppers • 1 piece of zest of combava or 3 combava leaves • 1 piece of ginger • ½ teaspoon of saffron • 1 branch of thyme • 5 soup spoons of cooking oil Directions: • Clean the fish, and cut it in 2 cm wide long slivers. Also cut the head in two along its length if it’s large. Otherwise, leave it whole. • Finely ground the onions lengthwise • Finely cut the tomatoes • Crush the garlic, the salt, the hot peppers, the ginger and the combava together • Heat cooking oil in a casserole. Brown the onions and the thyme. Add the spices and turn. • Add the saffron and then the tomatoes. Turn the contents quickly. • Cover and let cook on a small flame for 8 to 10
Zembrocal rice is a typical dish of Reunion Island. “Boucané” is a piece of pork that has been smoked to give it a very characteristic taste. Zembrocal rice can be served as a complete dish. It makes a simple accompaniment for sausage rougail (spicy stew), boucané (smoked meat) rougail, or chicken curry. Zembrocal can also be made in a vegetable version without meat: potato zembrocal – sweetpotato zembrocal – pea zembrocal – kidney-bean zembrocal – butter-bean zembrocal. Ingredients: • 400g boucané (or smoked bacon pieces) • 250g kidney beans • 750g rice • 2 onions • 3 garlic cloves • salt • 3 tablespoons oil • 1 tablespoon turmeric
78 | ABA Publications | Africa TRAVEL | May 2022
• 1 sprig thyme Directions: • Bring the beans to the boil in at least half a litre of water. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours Skip the first step If you are using tinned peas. • Chop the onions finely and crush the salt and garlic together. • Remove the beans from the heat and leave to one side in the cooking water. • If you have a piece of boucané, cut it into small pieces and remove the salt by boiling for 10 minutes. Otherwise, fry the bacon pieces until brown. • In a saucepan, heat the oil, add the onions and garlic and fry until brown, then add the thyme and turmeric. Cook on a low heat, stirring occasionally. • When the mixture begins to turn a nice golden brown, add the pieces of boucané (or bacon) and the kidney beans. Cook for another 5 minutes. • Wash the rice until the water runs clear. Add the rice to the saucepan with a large glass of water, stir well and leave to simmer gently for 45 minutes.
• salt Directions: • Clean the prawns is needed by cutting the head and splitting the shell to clean the inside. • Peel and cut the garlic and ginger and mix them with the chillies and salt. • Peel the onions. Chop the onions and cut the tomatoes in large pieces. • Cook the brown basmati rice for around 30 minutes, until tender. • Heat the oil and add the chopped onions. Fry for around 10 minutes on low heat until they are browned and soft. Add the garlic/ ginger mix and fry for another minute. Add the tomatoes, water, turmeric and thyme and cook until it resembles a sauce. Depending on which prawns you are using, cook for either 3 minutes for small ones or 7 minutes for jumbo prawns. Serve with brown basmati rice.
infused Rhum https://en.reunion.fr/discover/gastronomy/reunionesecreole-recipes/recipe-for-infused-rum-2/
Authentic Reunion Prawn Dish https://www.stirlinghealthfoodstore.co.uk/recipes/19828/ authentic-reunion-prawn-dish.htm
Ingredients: • 1 kg fresh prawns • 1 piece fresh ginger • 1 sprig fresh thyme • 1 tsp turmeric • 100 g brown basmati rice • 2 red chillies • 3 large onions • 300 ml water • 6 large tomatoes • 8 cloves of garlic
Cocktail inspired by the local lifestyle, climate and mountains. This intense cocktail reflects the terroir of Reunion Island. The ultimate in taste and freshness, for sharing. The perfect balance between tradition and innovation in Reunion. Ingredients: • 4 cl* agricultural rum • 2 cl lime • 1 cl barley syrup • 6 cl freshly squeezed Victoria pineapple juice • 1/4 vanilla pod, opened and extracted into the shaker * centilitre Directions: • Pour all ingredients into the shaker. • Fill with ice cubes and shake vigorously. • Pour the cocktail into a 29 to 33cl rocks glass, filled with ice. • Decorate with three pineapple stems and two glacé cherries. • Add a few drops of Angostura bitters. Image credit: thepetitgourmet.com, VectorStock, recettes-papounet.com
79 | ABA Publications | Africa TRAVEL | May 2022
Events Around the African Continent and the World Black Travel Summit’s ‘Voyage in Color’ June 17-19, 2022 Miami, Florida USA https:// blacktravelsummit.com/ grand-summit
Afrochella 2022-3 December 26, 2022 through January 4, 2023 https://afrochella.com/ Accra, Ghana
World Tourism Day September 27, 2022 https://observances. global/world-tourism-day
Cameroon tourist-destinations.com h 80 | ABA Publications | Africa TRAVEL | March 2022
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