Overall international air travel to Africa has grown 5.6 percent this year through August compared to the same period last year, but North Africa has seen slow growth or even decline — people are scared to travel there — while East Africa has seen double-digit growth.
Algeria, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia have seen little growth, ETurbo News reported. However, despite the weak growth,”North African countries still made it into the top 10 destinations in terms of volume of traffic but they have suffered from political instability and terror activities in the region,” said Olivier Jager, CEO of ForwardKeys.
Based in Spain, ForwardKeys focuses on big data and business intelligence for the travel industry, predicting future travel patterns by analyzing 14 million booking transactions a day.
Among the worst-hit are Egypt and Tunisia, CNN reported. Visitor numbers peaked above 14 million in 2010 but sank to around 9 million in 2015 following aviation disasters and turmoil following the 2011 Arab Spring, according to the U.N. World Tourism Organization. Numbers are expected to suffer as well in 2016.
Tunisia saw a 20 percent drop in international visitor arrivals in the first quarter of 2016 following terrorist attacks that targeting tourists. ISIS claimed responsibility.
Tourism tends to take up to two years to recover after terrorists attack tourists, according to David Scowsill, CEO of the World Travel & Tourism Council, CNN reported.
“People will come to Tunisia again… but right now (the country is) having a very tough time and people are losing their jobs,” said Scowsill.
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Bookings For Travel To Africa Are Up 11 Percent Through December
Overall international air travel to Africa has grown 5.6 percent this year through August compared to the same period last year, but North Africa has seen slow growth or even decline — people are scared to travel there — while East Africa has seen double-digit growth.
Algeria, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia have seen little growth, ETurbo News reported. However, despite the weak growth,”North African countries still made it into the top 10 destinations in terms of volume of traffic but they have suffered from political instability and terror activities in the region,” said Olivier Jager, CEO of ForwardKeys.
Based in Spain, ForwardKeys focuses on big data and business intelligence for the travel industry, predicting future travel patterns by analyzing 14 million booking transactions a day.
Among the worst-hit are Egypt and Tunisia, CNN reported. Visitor numbers peaked above 14 million in 2010 but sank to around 9 million in 2015 following aviation disasters and turmoil following the 2011 Arab Spring, according to the U.N. World Tourism Organization. Numbers are expected to suffer as well in 2016.
Tourism tends to take up to two years to recover after terrorists attack tourists, according to David Scowsill, CEO of the World Travel & Tourism Council, CNN reported.
“People will come to Tunisia again… but right now (the country is) having a very tough time and people are losing their jobs,” said Scowsill.
Source
HOAX: Home Affairs debunks DNA birth certificate announcement
Cape Town – The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) has released an official statement debunking a hoax article stating that SA’s DHA Minister Malusi Gigaba introduced compulsory DNA testing requirements for registration of new births.
The fake news article reads, “From 2017 onwards, all babies born to South African parents will be required to undergo DNA tests to confirm their paternity before they can be allowed to take on their fathers’ surnames, Minister of Home Affairs, Mr Malusi Gigaba has said.”
The Minister, however, came on record saying, “no such interview was ever conducted”. He says, “The Department will always utilise official communication platforms to create awareness around any changes in policy should there be such pronouncements, including those made by the Ministry.”
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Africa : Future Urban Cities for the 21st century
Where are the jobs?
Cape Town – South African employers report cautiously optimistic hiring intentions for the next three months, according to the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey for the fourth quarter of 2016.
Of the 755 employers surveyed, 15% expect to increase staffing levels, 6% forecast a decrease and 78% anticipate no change. Once the data is adjusted to allow for seasonal variation the outlook stands at +9%. Hiring plans are 2 percentage points stronger when compared with the previous quarter and improve by 3 percentage points year-on-year.
“As we move into the last quarter, certain industries experience an expected spike in business associated with the holiday and festive season, possibly allowing for increased employment. This, of course, relies on many factors, including the state of the economy and the strength of the rand,” said Lyndy van den Barselaar, managing director of Manpower SA.
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