News

Courtesy of Selous Safari Company

South America, Europe To Host ATTA
2008 Adventure Travel World Summits

Networking & Marketplace Opportunities Drive Agendas

The Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) announced it will host two distinct Adventure Travel World Summits (ATWS) in 2008 in South American and Europe.

ATTA?s first Adventure Travel World Summit of 2008, the ATWS-South America (2008 ATWS-SA), will be held in São Paolo, Brazil, Sept. 3-6, in conjunction with Brazil?s thriving consumer and trade Adventure Sports Fair – which draws thousands of companies and expects more than 70,000 consumers. The 2008 ATWS-SA will strengthen ties between the South American adventure travel industry and the global marketplace.

Additionally, between October 21-25, the ATTA will hold the Adventure Travel World Summit-Europe (2008 ATWS-E) in Norway. Held aboard Hurtigruten's MS Midnatsol, an expedition passenger ship, the 2008 ATWS-E will be a voyage from Tromsø through Norway's fjords to Bergen. Special on-shore opening and closing events will be held in Tromsø and Bergen respectively, including a port-city visit in Trondheim.

The two Summits will bring North American adventure travel industry professionals to South America and Europe to further strengthen industry networking, discussions, and growth. With a focus on connecting buyers with suppliers of adventure tourism, each Summit program will include a full day of structured marketplace appointments to meet demand for business development needs. The events' sessions will be aimed at sustainable growth, with specific focus on improving corporations' growth plans, operations, marketing, risk management, guide training, consumer relationship management, cash flow, and more.

Early Summit information is available at www.adventuretravelworldsummit.com. Delegate registration fees and special transportation and accommodation packages for each Summit will vary distinctly between each event. Additionally, each Summit will offer pre- and post-Summit FAM and adventure excursions designed to showcase each destination. "Early Bird" registration opens February 25, 2008.

Important News Regarding Zambia Tourist Visa Waivers

Urgent – Your feedback is required on Zambia Visa fee changes.
To all tour operators [Click Here]
Tour Agent Questionaire [Click Here in Excel Format]

CHANGES TO ZAMBIA VISA ENTRY FEES

Effective 26 January 2008 the Visa Waiver Scheme is scrapped and all visitors have to pay the full visa fee.

All visitors are required to purchase a tourist visa. Please visit the Zambian Immigration Website for full information. This site has not yet been updated with the new rates which were introduced on 26 Jan 2008. For guidance, the visa rates listed by the Zambian Immigration department are as follows.

British Nationals:

Single Entry - GBP75 or US $140.00

Multiple - GBP240 0r US $442.00

Americans:

Standard visa - US $135.00

Canadians - US $55.00

Other Nationals (where fees are charged):

Single Entry - US $50.00

Double - US $80.00

Multiple - US $160.00

Although the new rates are being enforced already, they have not been approved by parliament and it is important that all visitors to Zambia are advised that we expect the tourism industry to lobby this decision and the rate your clients are charged on entry may be different.

Please advice your clients to either apply for visa before they travel or they will have to pay at the port of entry.

While we have not yet seen the new visa forms, as a precaution, please ensure you advise your clients to reconfirm that they have been given the correct number of days and entries on their visa, or they would be subject to a substantial fine or additional money due when they depart.

Tanzania Alert: Border Crossing Checks for Yellow Fever Vaccinations Reinstated

PLEASE BE SURE TO CHECK WITH YOUR LOCAL TANZANIAN TOUR OPERATOR OR THE TANZANIA TOURIST BOARD : www.tanzaniatouristboard.com

Message from ATTA UK (the African Travel and Tourism Association in the UK):

We have received notification from the Ministry of Health and Social welfare Headquarters, Dar es Salaam, informing that ''HEALTH SURVEILLANCE DESKS" which were removed in 2001, have been reinstalled in all BORDERS, PORTS AND INTERNATIONAL AIRPORTS.

As Tanzania is among countries which are at risk of being infected by yellow fever, Health Officials have been instructed to deal with the control and prevention of YELLOW FEVER for international travellers coming from infected countries.

The Yellow Fever Endemic Zone in Africa includes Senegal, Gambia, and Guinea Bissau, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Cote D'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Nigeria, Mali, Niger, Chad, Central African Republic, Togo, Benin, Sao Tome, and Principe, Cameroon, Gabon, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, United Republic of Tanzania, Angola, Zambia, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia, Somali, Sudan and Equatorial Guinea.

The Yellow Fever Endemic Zone in South America includes Panama, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana and Bolivia.

ATTA is advised by a member that The Senior Health Officer in charge at Kilimanjaro Airport said that this Health Desk was put in place on MONDAY 14th Jan 2008. They are allowing one week grace for all arriving passengers to get the information and will enforce it strictly from MONDAY 21st Jan 2008. "

For the moment passengers arriving directly from UK having not passed any of the below mentioned areas are "technically" not required by this regulation to have the Yellow Fever, however because Tanzania itself is considered an endemic area for their own safety they are strongly "advised" to get it and he says that eventually ALL passengers entering Tanzania will be required to have the vaccination regardless of their routing since Tanzania itself is one of the listed countries.

All Passengers who have passed through any of the mentioned areas are required to produce a valid certificate. This includes Passengers transiting through Kenya even if they do not leave Jomo Kenyatta Airport, but not clients flying in direct from Amsterdam or London.

This will also apply to clients entering by road at Namanga border - there is now a Health Desk in place at Namanga.

It requires 10 days between vaccination and arrival into Tanzania so if you have any clients travelling from - or via - any of the affected areas within the next 10 days who were unable to get their shots in time please contact your local ground operator who can inform the authorities and they may be able to assist in ensuring passengers do not have a problem upon arrival.

Kenya Tourist Board Update On Recent Events Over Contested Kenya's 2007 Presidential Election

Please find to follow an update from the Kenya Tourist Board to reflect the current position in Kenya with regards to the localised incidents that have taken place since the General Election. Results were announced. Information current at the time of posting.

[ Click here for Details ]

Atlanta Tour Promoters Rekindle Kenya Efforts

[Click here for Details]

Travel Africa Magazine publishes Travel Zambia

You can now subscribe to this magazine, Travel Zambia, without charge. Please email zambia@travelafricamag.com or celina@travelafricamag.com with your name, company and address to register. Be sure to mention that you want to subscribe to Travel Zambia.

More information about Travel Africa can be found at http://www.travelafricamag.com

This information comes to you courtesy of the Sacramento Valley APTA chapter.