Travel News Digest, 10 May: Airlines Warned to Cease Greenwashing, Free Wi-Fi at Victoria Falls

This week’s latest travel news includes the introduction of free public Wi-Fi on the Zambian side of Victoria Falls and allegations that 20 airlines are guilty of greenwashing. Meanwhile, conservationists are raising awareness around vulnerable species in West and Southern Africa. Read on to learn more.

Airline and Aviation News:

• Airlines warned to cease “greenwashing”. The Network of Consumer Protection Cooperation (CPC), part of the European Commission, has issued a 30-day ultimatum to 20 airlines, among them Air France, KLM, and Lufthansa, demanding rectification of any “misleading assertions” regarding sustainability claims.

Travel and Destination News:

• Free Wi-Fi now available at Victoria Falls. Tourists exploring the Livingstone side of Victoria Falls can now enjoy complimentary public Wi-Fi during their visit to this natural wonder. The Zambian Ministry of Tourism is committed to digitalising its tourism industry by the second quarter of 2024.

• Valley of Waves set to close for annual maintenance. Sun City announces the temporary closure of its renowned water park for maintenance from May 13 to June 21, 2024. This initiative aims to rejuvenate the attraction in preparation for the June school holidays.

• Africa’s Travel Indaba scheduled for 13 to 16 May in Durban. The renowned African leisure trade show hosted by South African Tourism is scheduled to take place at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Convention Centre and Durban Exhibition Centre. This event will feature a diverse array of tourism products and services from across southern Africa, catering to the international travel trade.

• Namibia to crack down on inappropriate tourist behaviour. The Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism has strongly denounced three male tourists for posing naked on the Big Daddy dune within the Namib-Naukluft National Park. The Federation of Namibian Tourism Association has labeled this act as “disgusting”.

Conservation News:

• Bushbabies under threat from climate change. According to researchers at CU Boulder in the US, small animals such as the thick-tailed greater galago and southern lesser galago, affectionately called bushbabies in South Africa, may encounter difficulties in adapting to climate change-induced temperature rises, particularly in regions like the Waterberg in Limpopo.

• West African Vulture Conservation Action Plan (WAVCAP) launched. The project’s goal is to protect vulnerable vulture species in the area, such as the hooded vulture, which face ongoing threats to their long-term survival due to mass poisoning and hunting for bushmeat.

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