World News

After touching Myanmar, Cyclone Mocha is expected to land in Bangladesh midday on Sunday with 170 km/h winds (106 mph). The storm is heading towards Cox’s Bazar, a significant travel and tourism centre in Bangladesh, but also the home of 9 million people that reside in makeshift homes in the largest refugee camp in the world. Red warning flags have been raised.

Thailand based hospitality group Dusit has been expanding to the African continent in opening the Dusit Princess Hotel in Nairobi.

Dusit International opened the Dusit Princess Hotel Residences Nairobi, a unique hybrid property featuring 100 spacious deluxe hotel rooms and apartments in the Kenyan capital’s cosmopolitan Westlands neighbourhood.

Hakluyt, the global strategic advisory firm for businesses and investors, has opened a new office in Toronto.

The office will be the new base for the firm's growing Canadian business. Chris Alexander recently joined as Hakluyt's first local hire, after a distinguished career as a diplomat and politician.

He was Canada's first resident ambassador in Kabul, as well as deputy head of the UN mission in Afghanistan. As an MP in Canada, he held roles including parliamentary secretary for national defence, and minister of citizenship and immigration.

After earning degrees in communications and logistics, Anapidédé Kibandou Betema, of Togo, still struggled to find a job. But having been raised on her father’s farm, she knew how to grow vegetables and keep chickens.

So, in 2020, Betema opened a farming cooperative where she and other women grow organic vegetables to feed their families and earn income. The Société Coopérative Simplifée Best Choice, or SCOOPS-BC, now located on three hectares of land six kilometers outside Togo’s capital, Lomé, sells fresh produce to city residents.

More than 400 people have died following floods and landslides that hit two villages in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo last week. The authorities had previously said 200 people had died following torrential rainfall.

In several villages close to the shore of Lake Kivu, people have been digging through the mud with their hands in a desperate search for missing relatives. The Congolese Red Cross volunteers do not have body bags.

Living the Aston experience is much more than a set phrase. It is about hotels that, for visitors, are unforgettable because of the singularities that characterize them. Sergio Alvarez, director of Sales and Marketing for the Americas at the Archipelago Group, in charge of the Aston hotels, talked to Caribbean News Digital about this and other topics at the 41st International Tourism Fair of Cuba, FITCuba 2023.

Hibiscus International is an award-winning tourism company and full-service travel agency committed to the development of responsible travel and tourism since 1986. Anne Brobyn, Founder and President of Hibiscus Tours International Ltd, established the company’s first office in St. Vincent & the Grenadines before moving operations to Canada in 1993. Now, the dedicated team at Hibiscus International is proud to announce the opening of their newest office in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) welcomed the agreement by AT&T Services, T-Mobile, UScellular, and Verizon to extend until 1 January 2028 the voluntary mitigation measures for 5G C-band transmissions at 188 US airports. These mitigation measures, which were put in place in January 2022, concurrent with the rollout of 5G C-band operations at or near US airports, include lowering the power of 5G transmissions and had been set to expire 1 July 2023.

Building on its long tradition of helping refugees, the United States has launched Welcome Corps, a program to allow everyday Americans to sponsor refugees for resettlement. Volunteers will help refugees to obtain housing, buy clothes, secure employment for adults, and get children enrolled in school.

Qatar Airways, the national carrier of the State of Qatar held a strong presence on the first day of the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) conference. Showcasing the FIA World Endurance Championship hyper car, Qatar Airways garnered heavy attention around the stand.

The World’s Best Airline offered ATM visitors a chance to drive the vehicle through a simulation, and also provided a relaxing lounge area reflecting the airline’s standards on luxury and comfort, quality and hospitality all in one stand. As recently announced, the airline significantly grew its network to over 160 destinations and focused on expansion in the Gulf region.

There were huge crowds outside working automated ATMs amid a disruption in the financial institutions after an attack on a Beryllium Limited security team in Jamaica.

The National Commercial Bank (NCB) ATMs in New Kingston and the Scotiabank ATMs on Half Way Tree Road are among the numerous machines that were out of service up to early in the afternoon, much to the inconvenience of persons seeking cash and other banking services. It resulted in long lines and huge crowds at the few working ATMs across the Kingston Metropolitan Area, while many people also flocked inside banking halls.

There is a reason why Johannesburg in South Africa is now the most cultural and most vibrant town in Africa. Research shows 12 African cities support and enables the arts, culture, and creative industries.

The 12 African cities that support and enable arts, culture, and creative industry include:

The Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) has sent a letter to the Prime Minister to request incentives to restore the tourism industry. Specifically, IATO President Mr. Rajiv Mehra has written to the Prime Minister requesting him to restore the Service Export Incentive Scheme (SEIS).

The Wealth of Nations Index is an innovative measure of economic development created by the Warsaw Enterprise Institute. Out of 38 classified countries (EU+OECD), United Kingdom ranks 15th. This is a rise of one notch compared to the previous edition. Ireland along with Switzerland and the United States are the top 3 countries on WNI.

Seven years after the death of Papa Wemba, the Congolese government has finally acted on its promise.

The arts and heritage minister officially handed over the late superstar's Kinshasa home to the Institute of National Museums of Congo, who are turning it into the house of Congolese rumba.

Syria has begun granting visas again for US citizens, after a period of difficult travel conditions to the country for Americans. Syria closed to tourists when the COVID pandemic initially struck 2 years ago and gradually reintroduced visas for visitors from certain destinations – including the UK and EU. 

However, restrictions remained in place for US citizens, with no visas being issued, until last month. The country has now relaxed its US ruling and it means Americans can now join us on our fixed date group adventure in September to Syria, as well as private trips at any time of the year.