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Biographies
. Photos
A,,
Photos
B
 The
Djibouti Story - Part One
I am Djibouti, strategically
located on the Red Sea in East
Africa's farthest corner. I am
bordered by Ethiopia to the north
and northwest, Eritrea to the
north and Somalia to the
southeast. Lonely Planet
describes me as an ideal spot to
recharge one's batteries before
or after an overland trip to
Ethiopia or Eritrea. The Africa
Travel Association has chosen me
as host country for its 11th
Annual Eco Cultural Symposium
from December 3 to 7. It's an
ideal opportunity to showcase my
travel, trade and tourism
attractions to influential
contacts from North America,
Africa and points beyond. Some
say I have the location and
potential of becoming another
Dubai, which time will tell.
Among my most popular visitor
attractions is year round diving
and snorkeling in the Gulf of
Aden with denizens of the deep
including Whale
Sharks.
Geographically,
I am similar in size to the state
of Massachusetts, and my three
main regions, include the coastal
plain and volcanic plateaus in my
central and southern regions and
mountain ranges to the
north.
While
Djibouti City, a strategic
seaport, has a half million
population, two other
communities, Ali-Sabieh and
Tadjoura are much smaller. If you
like warm weather, you will find
me a great vacation spot, with
November to mid April the best
time to visit. Being at the mouth
of the Red Sea, with my status as
a free trade zone in northeast
Africa I serve as an important
transshipment location for trade
goods entering and leaving the
highlands of East Africa. My two
official languages are French and
Arabic, however Somali and Afar
are spoken throughout the
country. I have two main
population groups, the Issa
(Somali) and the Afar, with
Europeans, Arabs and Ethiopians
in lesser numbers.
To
be continued.
Djibouti
5-City USA Road Show in October
2007
ATA
will organize a 5-city road show
in North America in October for
Djibouti's Youth, Sports,
Recreation and Tourism Ministry
and National Tourism Office to
promote "Destination Djibouti" to
new audiences and attract travel
professionals to the December
Symposium.
More
to come.
Djibouti
Palace Kempinski Official ATA
Headquarters
About
the Headquarters Hotel
Away from the busy
districts, yet only few minutes
from the airport, Djibouti Palace
Kempinski is ideally located at a
prime beachfront between the Red
Sea and the Indian Ocean, in a
secluded and peaceful setting of
palms and bouganvillea. The
vanilla colored Hotel's
silhouette etch against the
turquoise blue of the African sky
and the deep Ocean. The fantastic
Infinity pool together with a
Junior pool maximize the
refreshing sea breezes. Djibouti
Palace Kempinski features
a plethora of entertainment
amenities, including a fully
equipped fitness center, Mountain
Bikes, Outdoor swimming pool,
Mini Club, Restaurants and Bars.
Djibouti Palace Kempinski
redefines luxury service in the
Land of Gods!
Djibouti
reaches out to trade and
tourism
By
Ginny Hill , BBC News,
Djibouti
The
cargo vessel Shebelle has just
docked at the port of Djibouti,
carrying dozens of brand-new
trucks. Djibouti's Red Sea port
is a key African shipping hub
Further along the quay, hundreds
of porters are splitting a
shipment of loose maize into
sacks and loading them onto
lorries. A knot of camels is
standing around in the livestock
hangar, waiting to be sent to the
Arabian peninsula. This expanding
shipping hub is located on one of
the busiest maritime trade routes
in the world. Landlocked Ethiopia
is the main client and Ethiopian
Shipping Lines use Djibouti as
their home port. It is a major
dropping point for World Food
Program and USAID supplies, which
are transported by road or rail
to Ethiopia's capital, Addis
Ababa. Ethiopia's cash crop,
coffee, is exported in bulk. Now
an ambitious investment project
plans to turn Djibouti into
Africa's biggest shipping
terminal, extending its
commercial reach throughout East
Africa. Continued
on
BBC website
.
More
media
comments
FLASHBACK
2000
Will
Lion of Judah's Engine Roar
Again?
...
FRANCO-ETHIOPIAN RAILWAY TO
DJIBOUTI
by Jerry W. Bird.
Sometimes I feel as if
"Railways of the World" a series
I launched in 1989, started a
'renaissance ' in rail travel.
Perhaps it was ESP, because since
then, many famous routes have
been upgraded or restored, and
new lines installed, as countless
visitors rediscover the romance
of the rails. Like me, these
folks savor the fact that getting
there is more than half the
fun.
Given
Aladdin's 3 wishes, I would
restore Emperor Haile Sellasie's
'Lion of Judah' railway engine,
hook it up to the prized set of
French and British coaches, and
operate luxury excursion tours on
the Franco-Ethiopian Railway.
Built in the 1930s, the 482 mile
line stretches from Addis Ababa,
via Nazaret, the Rift Valley and
Dire Dawa, to Djibouti, a French
protectorate on the Gulf of Aden.
In a 5-minute BBC interview,
hoping my message would cause a
spark, I said, "Think of the much
needed income such a tour would
generate for the Ethiopian
economy." I've followed the last
decade's amazing railway
renaissance.
After
a visit to Emperor Selassie's
palace and Holy Trinity
Cathedral, Addis Ababa's ornate
railway station (gare) is the
ideal venue for such an historic
journey. Yes, the lordly Lion of
Judah's engine lacks wheels, and
the dust covered coaches shows
neglect from being shunted aside
during the Marxist regime.
However, with some good old
fashioned TLC (tender loving
care) each museum piece would
soon be in shining order. The
Emperor's train is still not
widely available for public view;
fortunately we and our BBC friend
received special permission.
Info: http://www.africa-ata.org/addis
, http://www.airhighways.com/adventure_rails.htm,
E-mail:
africa@dowco.com
Icons
of
Aviation:
Book
Reviews include a biography of
the most dedicated tourism
pioneer in America's North
Country, Mr. Alaska, Charlie
West. Also, Edmonton's Grant
MacConachie, founder of Canadian
Pacific Airlines, who dreamed of
an air bridge to the Orient and
across the pole.
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