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First since 2019, Tunisia hosts 700-passengers cruise ship, 40 more expected

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Tunisia has received a cruise ship at its port for the first time since 2019 on Wednesday. The ship was carrying over 700 passengers and rare good news for tourism operators battered by the Covid pandemic.

The cruise ship, named ‘Spirit of Discovery’, is run by United Kingdom operator Saga, landed at La Goulette port on the edge of Tunis where it was welcomed by camels and a band playing traditional Tunisian music.

Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, they typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports of call, where passengers may go on tours known as “shore excursions”. On “cruises to nowhere” or “nowhere voyages”, cruise ships make two- to three-night round trips without visiting any ports of call

“We were not trading for about 18 months… but we’ve been back in business since last July and this is our first call here to northern Africa,” said Captain Kim Tanner.

British tourist John Hilton, 75, said he was “absolutely delighted” to be in Tunisia.

“We’re certainly pleased to get out and see some of the worlds and get to some of the places that we haven’t seen,” he said.

Cruises make up part of the global travel industry, and operate in various regions across the globe, from the Mediterranean Sea to the Pacific Ocean. In recent years, the global cruise industry revenue grew to over 27 billion U.S. dollars, though travel restrictions brought on by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic hit this sector hard in 2020.

According to Tunisia’s Tourism Minister Moez Belhassen, the cruise liner was the first of at least 40 expected to dock in Tunis this year.

“This is very important for many sectors… especially given the spending power of tourists,” he said.

Culture

Trevor Noah set for ‘Off the Record’ world tour

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South African comedian and talk show host, Trevor Noah, has announced a date for his “Off The Record” global tour where he hopes to spread humour and bring his social commentary to audiences across the globe.

The former host of “The Daily Show”, who made the disclosure on his social media pages, said he would kick off his tour on July 29 in Europe.

The multi-award winning comedian known for his insightful commentary, took to his social media platforms on Thursday to share the news of his upcoming international tour.

“Love that we were able to add some US & Canada shows for 2024! See… there’s still a chance for us CA, NJ, CT & Ontario!” he wrote.

According to the itinerary he put up, the tour is set to kick off in countries like Monaco in France, Germany, the United States, Canada, The Netherlands, New Zealand and Australia, bringing his captivating comedic style to audiences across the country.

Noah’s announcement of the “Off the Record” tour was met with enthusiastic responses from his devoted followers, who took to social media to express their joy and anticipation.

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UNESCO removes Senegal’s Niokolo-Koba National Park from list of World Heritage sites in danger

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The United Nations’ Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has removed
Senegal’s Niokolo-Koba National Park from the list of World Heritage sites in Danger after citing positive results achieved by the West African country and its formal commitment to reappraise plans to the development of the property.

The UNESCO World Heritage Committee, which took the decision during its meeting in New Delhi, India, made the announcement on Wednesday July 24, saying it was satisfied with measures taken by the country to allocate considerable resources to the surveillance of the park in order to combat poaching and illegal gold panning.

The park, which is located in a lush area along the banks of the Gambia River, was included in the List of World Heritage in Danger in 2007 as poaching, basalt mining and other human activities were becoming growing threats.

The gallery forests and savannahs of Niokolo-Koba are home to a rich wildlife, including the world’s largest antelopes.

According to UNESCO, since then, monitoring of emblematic species has been stepped up and considerable resources have been allocated to the surveillance of the park in order to combat poaching and illegal gold panning, as well as to better organize the transhumance of livestock.

The body also commended the setting up of a mine pollution control system, and hailed Senegal for work that has been carried out to improve the fight against the invasive species Mimosa pigra.

The World Heritage Committee called on Senegal to continue its efforts in the coming years in so as to improve the National Park which became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1981.

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