Pieter moves to Swakopmund Pieter Loubser has joined the Swakop-mund Hotel and Enter-tain-ment Centre as Per-sonnel and Training Manager. Peter, previously Internal Auditor to Human Resources Administrator at companies such as Nedbank, TransNamib and Transworld Cargo, is a born-and-bred Namibian. He moved to Swakopmund in 2006 and joined Woermann Brock & Co where he worked as personnel administrator until February of this year. Peter is very excited about his new position at the Swakopmund Hotel and is looking forward to building a mutually beneficial career in the hospitality environment. www.legacyhotels.co.za/content.aspx?h=8 Air Namibia scraps London route With regards to the current economic downturn, Air Namibia recently announced its revised route network schedule. Due to a decrease in passenger numbers and plunge in re-venue, the national carrier cancelled all direct flights to London, Gatwick, effective as from 3 June 2009. Flights to Johannesburg, Vic-toria Falls–Maun and the coast have also been cut down. Air Namibia announced that it is changing its flight times to Katima Mulilo and Ondangwa and will return later to accommodate same-day travellers. These changes were made to minimise losses and optimise opportunities, according to Managing Director, Theo Namases. www.airnamibia.com Black rhino for trophy hunting The Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET) recently held an auction that made a wide range of game available through hunting concessions on state land. The auction included the sale of the previously endangered black rhino species, of which one post-reproductive rhino will be available for trophy hunting each year. It is believed that the black rhino has made a successful recovery from extinction. Concessions were sold for three years, starting from 2009. The state land on which these hunting concessions were given, are outside registered communal conservancies and will not affect local communities as such. The money generated from the auction is to be put into the Ministry’s Game Products Trust Fund, which funds conservation work in Namibia. www.met.gov.na
CCF Bush Project up for prize The Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) has been nominated as one of three finalists for the St Andrews Prize for the Environment. The CCF’s Bush Project is aimed at restoring bush-encroached farmland and wildlife habitat by finding alternative uses for the invasive woody bush. The CCF is a Namibian non-profit trust dedicated to the long-term survival of Africa’s most endangered big cat, the cheetah, and its ecosystem. Since its inception in 1998, the St Andrews prize recognises significant contributions to environmental conservation from countries all over the world. www.cheetah.org New Scenic Air aircraft Scenic Air recently an--nounced the introduction of its new Cessna Caravan. Known as the ‘undisputed king of the wilderness’, the new aircraft is powered by turbine engines and is able to carry 12 passengers. The planning of this acquisition has been ongoing for several years and with proven reliability, management at Scenic Air is very proud to add this versatile aircraft to its fleet. The Cessna Caravan will enable Scenic Air to fly guests with more comfort and convenience to popular remote destinations in Namibia and neighbouring countries. www.scenic-air.com
I–Dream–Africa supports OEWONA Namibian tour and safari operator, I–Dream–Africa, has officially become the biggest sponsor for the OEWONA Namibia River Challenge. The OEWONA (Organisation for the Empowerment of Widows/Widowers and Orphans of HIV/AIDS in Namibia) River Challenge will start on 10 May 2009. I–Dream–Africa originally came on board as a logistical partner, overseeing luxury tented camps, flush toilets and hot-water showers, but has now officially become the biggest sponsor by making funds available for seven boats. The OEWONA River Challenge was launched in 2008 by Namibia’s First Lady, Penehupifo Pohamba. All the money raised at this event will go towards OEWONA. www.namibiariverchallenge.com rate-namibia.com launch After more than five months of intensive work by programmers and authors, HippoBay CC, a Southern African trading platform, announced its newest online project, rate-namibia.com. Rate-namibia.com is an independent tourism-rating plat----form that specialises in Namibia and forms part of the rate-africa.com network. The website acts as a base for users to post experiences, opin--ions and reviews on restaurants, hotels, shops, tour operators, guest farms and much more. The web portal offers free standard listings to all tourism-related businesses and makes it easier for potential travellers to get independent sources of information and opinions on Namibia. www.rate-namibia.com
New CITW venue Lianshulu Lodge in the Caprivi will be the new venue for the next Children in the Wilderness (CITW) programme. It will be hosted in May and marks the first time that CITW has been able to include children from the Caprivi Region into its camps. In addition to the usual educational activities, the children will learn how the lodge assists with direct economic empowerment and social benefits for their communities. Environmental education, a boat cruise, team-building challenges, HIV/Aids education and arts and crafts activities form part of the schedule. CITW encourages projects that make use of indigenous products and knowledge on a sustainable basis. CITW is a joint venture with Wilderness Safaris and is dedicated to helping children whose lives have been disrupted by poor health, poverty and HIV/Aids. www.childreninthewilderness.com
