Rwanda Reveals Kwita Izina 2018 activities
The Rwanda Development Board (RDB), Rwanda’s tourism industry regulator, has today revealed the Kwita Izina activity roadmap for 2018 at a press conference in Kigali.
The theme of this year’s event, which is slated for September 7, is ‘Conservation is Life’.
Kwita Izina, a baby gorilla naming ceremony that is uniquely Rwandan, was introduced in 2005 with the aim of creating awareness of conservation efforts for the endangered mountain gorilla. 23 infant mountain gorillas will be named this year.
Activities within Kwita Izina 2018
Community projects in Kitabi Sector, Nyamagabe District and Ndego Sector, Kayonza District will be launched on 27, July and 5, September respectively. In Kitabi Sector RDB has constructed ten houses for area residents who had formerly lived in the Nyungwe National Park buffer-zone. In Ndego Sector, residents of Karambi and Sangano villages will receive a mobile clinic, solar lighting systems and solar water pumps.
These community projects are part of the RDB Revenue Share Programme. This programme, initiated in 2005 by the Government of Rwanda, aims to guide investment in the areas surrounding the various national parks in Rwanda by ensuring that ten percent of all park revenues.
Over $1.28 million has been distributed by the Rwanda Development Board to more than 158 community-based projects. These projects have availed clean drinking water, health centers, classrooms and housing to members of the communities living around the three national parks: Akagera National Park, Nyungwe National Park and Volcanoes National Park.
Conversation on Conservation returns
On the 4th and 5th September 2018, the ‘Conversation on Conservation’ (CoC) forum will take place alongside an exhibition focused on conservation trends and practices.
The Conservation Exhibition will bring together tourism and conservation partners from Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania to showcase conservation efforts and avail educational materials to the general public.
The CoC will bring together global conservation leaders, providing a unique platform linking conservation with sustainable tourism by embracing all layers of the value chain.
Celebrating conservation success
As a result of conservation efforts such as Kwita Izina, the population of the endangered mountain gorilla has increased to 604 in 2016 in the Virunga Massif compared to 480 in 2010.
The Virunga Massif is comprised Mikeno Sector of Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda. Mountain gorilla numbers in the entire area had fallen as low as 242 in 1981.
Speaking to the gathered media, the RDB Chief Tourism Officer, Belise Kariza, said;
“The increasing number of mountain gorilla in the Volcanoes National Park is proof of the strides that we have made in gorilla conservation. This could have not happened without the support and collaboration of our conservation partners as well as the cooperation of the members of the community surrounding the park.
Initiatives such as the ‘Kwita Izina’ gorilla naming ceremony, transboundary cooperation and local community education and engagement have all played a major role in conserving gorillas.
Through the contribution of tourism and tourism revenues, we have not only been able to invest in the gorilla experience for our visitors we have also been able increase the amount of support we have given to the local communities through the revenue sharing programme”, she added.
The increase in the mountain gorilla population led the Government of Rwanda to institute a preliminary study on the possibility of expanding the Volcanoes National Park to ensure adequate habitat for the mountain gorilla. Today the park is 16,027.8 hectares.
“The plan is a major step in the consolidation of Rwanda’s conservation gains for the benefit of communities today and future generations. Through gorilla conservation and tourism, we are directly benefitting from these wonderful species. Over the last nine years, revenues from mountain gorilla conservation and the resulting tourism has brought $ USD 107 million to the national coffers”, Kariza noted.
“Earlier this year RDB received a 27-hectare land donation from the African Wildlife Foundation, adding to the 160,000 hectares that had formerly comprised the park. This park expansion will ensure not only the adequate habitat of the endangered mountain gorilla but it will also improve both socio-economic opportunities for more than 18,000 people and the tourism experience in Volcanoes National Park.” Chief Tourism Officer Kariza concluded.
Read MoreBest Bird Watching Places in Rwanda
Rwanda is blessed to have the shelter of the highest population of birds in the world; it’s also ranked among the best 5 destinations in the entire world for tourists searching for the best birding tour in Rwanda. Rwanda is geographically a small land locked nation perched in the Albertine Rift valley with its dense forested and mountainous nature that avail great and long lasting memorable wildlife experiences anyone wouldn’t want to miss in life.
Rwanda with its small size has a staggering 700 bird species that quench the thirst of anyone looking for great birding safaris and experiences in Africa.
Rwanda has 7 favorite important bird watching areas, which include 3 national parks, – Volcanoes national park, Akagera national park, Nyungwe National Park, Rugezi swamp, Akagera swamps, Nyabarongo and Cyamudongo forest. These birds include Grey crowned crane, papyrus Gonoleck, Kungwe apalis, Bennettis wood pecker, stripe breasted tit, yellow-eyed black flycatcher, Cinnynis, white-tailed blue fly catcher, shoebill stork, tropical Boubou, regular sunrise bird, bronzy sun bird, among others.
Birding At Lake Ihema, Akagera National Park
Akagera national park is a small piece of paradise perched on the Rwanda-Tanzania that provides wildlife safaris in Rwanda that travellers long for. The Park stands as Rwanda’s most spectacular site for birders as it habours several endemic as well as migratory bird species and other unique wildlife species. It is home to over 520 species of birds that dominate this place, including forest, savannah, wetlands, and montane species.
Lake Ihema is home to the rare shoe bill stork; therefore this place gives a clear view of these beautiful birds since it habours a mixture of different acacia and papyrus species, including the olive back.
Other species common in Akagera national park include; the gorgeous black headed Gonolek, the grey hornbill, lilac-breasted roller, the crested barbet, Heuglin’s robin-chat and Ross’s Turaco, among others.
Birding In Nyungwe Forest National Park
This is Rwanda’s most fabulous bird watching site, and it is home to approximately 310 bird species that have been recorded, reflecting a wide habitat diversity and altitudinal range due to its dense forested nature. It’s very famous for its vegetation cover as well as being a home to many different bird species as compared to other national parks.
This wonderful birding area lies west of Butare, with the Butare to Cyangugu road passing straight through the middle, providing excellent roadside birding adventure.
Nyungwe habours a variety of Albertine Rift endemics, including seven of the 12 species of Soricidae, one species of bat – Rousettus lanosus, 5 of 12 species of Muridae and the chameleon Chamaeleo johnstoni, two species of squirrels,- Funisciurus carruthersi and Heliosciurus ruwenzori. And an amphibian that is endemic to Nyungwe – the caecilian Boulengerula fischeri. Two species of butterfly are endemic to Nyungwe – Bebearia dowsetti and Acraea turlini while Papilio leucotaenia restricted to a small area of the Albertine Rift occurs commonly in Nyungwe.
Birding In Nyabarongo River
It’s a protected area in Rwanda, covering 142.62km2, located in the south east of the country, south of Kigali, and includes swamps and marshes in parts of flood plain of river Nyabarongo, the longest river in Rwanda. It provides a safe haven for some of the globally threatened bird species namely; the Madagascar Squacco heron, papyrus Gonolek, Carruthers, Sisticola, white- winged scrub-warbler.
Other places where these birds can be found are; Cyamudongo forest, Rugezi among others, for anyone who wants to get an unforgettable biding experience in Rwanda.
Read MoreFriends of Baseball: Promoting Baseball in Rwanda
Baseball, a bat-and-ball sport is a known national pastime of the United States. It derives its name from the four bases that form a diamond (the infield) around the pitcher’s mound. According to Encyclopaedis.com, popularity has been spreading in recent decades, but it spread to a number of countries (Cuba, Japan) in the 1860s and 70s. The game is followed with fervent interest in Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Mexico, Venezuela, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, other Caribbean countries, and elsewhere.
However, the sport’s popularity has remained in obscurity in most Africa countries despite its development. In Rwanda, this is projected to change with the establishment of Friends of Baseball, an umbrella body consisting of baseball coaches, its enthusiasts, and people who love the sports to promote the development of baseball in the country.
According to Eric Mugisha, the coordinator of Friends of Baseball, they are targeting everybody, including schools and their major aim is to ensure that in a few years’ time baseball is going to be among the most recognized sports in Rwanda.
“It’s sad that when a number of tourists visit the country and ask where they can play baseball, their questions are always met with mute response. Baseball in Rwanda is unrecognized almost by everybody as a sport,” says Mugisha.
But Friends of Baseball, he says, is out to change this perception. “We have already coordinated purchase of playing kits that we are distributing to various schools since we believe when we want to popularize the game for future generation, we should start with students,” he adds.
He says the aim of Friends of Baseball is not only to popularize the game in Rwanda to make it more popular but also to see its development as a popular game that any person with talent in it can participate.
“Baseball is a popular game that’s played in high schools around the world and we asked ourselves, why not Rwanda? That’s why we came up with the idea to promote the development of this game in the country,” he adds.
He says Friends of Baseball are involved in coordination of supply of equipment to schools and playing centers, promoting basic knowledge about baseball to a wider population and creating a baseball environment where any person with interest can participate.
Formed last year, Friends of Baseball has so far managed to market the game on social media and managed to organize for the purchase of expensive baseball kits, through donations from well-wishers that they’re distributing to various schools.
Mugisha also says they are already engaging all the stakeholders, including embassies, expatriates, and tourism industry players to help promote the game in the country.
He adds that their other aim is to establish a championship where teams can compete and also to help develop students’ interest in baseball.
Read MoreWorld Wildlife Day: Massive Tree-planting Project launched in Rwanda
As the world celebrates this year’s annual World Wildlife Day tomorrow, 50 members of different cooperatives in Nyakinama village, Musanze district, northern Rwanda, have embarked on a tree-planting mission to help in wildlife and nature conservation around the Volcanoes National Park.
The project, dubbed Igihoho and running under Red Rocks Initiatives for Sustainable Development, was officially launched today and will see the groups, mostly composed of vulnerable women and low-income families, plant thousands of trees to help protect endangered wildlife species around the country’s national parks.
According to Poline Mahawenimana, a member of Abarura Mucho Cooperative, one of the cooperatives taking part in the initiative, they have embarked on wildlife and environmental protection not only as part of Red Rocks’ programmes for sustainable development, but also to ensure the animals and plants are protected for posterity.
“Our initiative is defined by a philosophy that when we plant trees and restore the habitat, the animals are going to return. And that’s what we need in this community; to continue living harmoniously with nature,” says Poline, a mother of three.
The Igihoho Project uses banana barks that are stripped to make bags where seedlings are planted and later, the trees are going to be planted to coincide with the Tree Planting Day scheduled later this year.
Greg Bakunzi, the founder of Red Rocks Cultural Center, where the ceremony was held, told Chwezi Traveller that this was just the first part of an elaborate programme they’re initiating geared towards nature and wildlife conservation.
“The saying ‘we don’t plan to fail but we often fail to plan’ also applies to tree planting. Crucial to successful wildlife conservation is a well-developed plan to guide your action and decision making. Our long-term mission is not only to increase protective cover but also to grow shrubs and trees for other reasons as to protect wildlife, and our best plantings have set-off with a detailed plan,” said Bakunzi.
Bakunzi added that the use of banana barks stripped to make bags for planting the trees also will go a long way to help in the Rwanda government’s ban on the use of plastic bags, observing that many tree planters still use the plastic bags that are hazardous to the environment.
He further says that involving the local community in wildlife protection and nature conservation is part of their mission to see locals actively taking part in conservation and sustainable development, saying the vulnerable families that form the majority in rural households, are going to benefit from various incentives like cash for making the bags and planting the trees.
According to Rwanda Economy (2017) Survey, Rwanda is a rural country with about 90% of the population engaged in subsistence agriculture and some mineral and agro-processing. Tourism, minerals, coffee and tea are Rwanda’s main sources of foreign exchange…while 40% of people, mostly in rural areas, live below the poverty line.
“We involve the vulnerable rural households around the national parks to help in conservation and also raise their livelihoods since tourism activities prevalent around here can greatly benefit them and our environment too,” says Bakunzi.
Joseph Bashayija, one of the cooperative members present during the launch of the Igihoho tree planting project, said the programme is going to involve local leaders and by extension the government and conservation players for proper placement of the trees and support.
“Our main objective is restoration of wildlife habitat through planting of trees since there are many species of animals like birds that depend on trees for their survival. Unfortunately, deforestation has led to endangering the survival of these animals, but we are out to right the wrong,” says Bashayija.
Rodriguez Iragena, a local television content producer, said Red Rock’s Igohoho tree planting programme is important in raising awareness about conservation in general, echoing the words of former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that “protecting wildlife is a matter of protecting our planet’s natural beauty. We see it as a stewardhip responsibility for us and this generation and the future generations to come. But it is also a national security issue, a public health issue, and an economic security issue.”
He adds that the initiative is going to complement the government of Rwanda’s commitment to environmental and wildlife conservation, since these are among core issues the government is concerned with to promote sustainable development.
Read MoreRwanda Launches New Festival ‘NYANZA TWATARAMYE’
Rwanda’s tourism is growing fast thanks to the creative stakeholders in its tourism industry. Renowned mostly for mountain gorillas, Rwanda is not only the best destination for gorilla safaris but also for an amazing cultural encounter with the local African people. If you would like to interact with the locals, learn about the culture of the African people, Rwanda is fast becoming a favorite destination to travelers. After successfully promoting the Kwita Izina, a gorilla naming ceremony held in July, the country is yet to launch another festival on the 26th, December, 2014.
The Nyanza District, home to some of the country’s most impressive historical and cultural sites from the past kingdom, has partnered with the National Institute for Museums and others to launch a culture festival held for the first time this year on Boxing Day, 26th of December. The Rwesero Art Museum has been selected as the venue for the inaugural event which will become part of Rwanda’s annual calendar of festivals.
There are several things that are to be showcased to travelers from traditional songs, poetry, art and crafts, etc. At the centre, tourists will learn about the traditional food preparations, live stock grazing, milking and other daily activities engaged in by the Rwandan people which will form the core of the various activities for the day, aimed to bring closer the country’s rich history to not only tourists but also the present day generation. The festival targets not only foreign tourists but also Rwandans as well as visitors from Eastern Africa. Tourists traversing the country can use this opportunity to stop by and enjoy some of the performances.
Rwanda’s tourism industry and the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) has in recent years diversified their offerings, from what once was an almost exclusive gorilla tracking destination to include the country’s two other national parks, Akagera and Nyungwe Forest, the 224 kilometre long Congo Nile Trail from Kamembe to Gisenyi, which runs along some of the country’s most scenic sites along Lake Kivu, bird watching areas, the National Museums and of course the annual naming of gorilla babies, Kwita Izina.
Read MoreRwanda Tourism: Optimism as we dive into 2018
The United Nations designated the year 2017 as the International Year for Sustainable Tourism for Development. And as the year closes, it’s imperative to take stock of the main highlights of the country’s tourism industry and also look at what 2018 has in store.
The Rwanda Development Board (RDB) in May 2017 projected that Rwanda tourism would fetch about $444 million (about Rwf370 billion) in 2017, up from $404 million in 2016. The country’s tourism industry regulator said the increase in revenue would be a result of continued tourism promotion efforts as well as the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Events and Exhibitions (MICE) strategy.
Rwanda tourism projections
Clare Akamanzi, the chief executive of RDB, said that from the total projections, MICE was expected to contribute $64 million, up from the $47 million it generated in 2016.
This was echoed by a World Bank report that said the increase in meetings, conventions and events following the establishment of the Convention Bureau led to revenues exceeding $37 million in 2015 and US$47 million 2016. In 2017, according to the report, revenue from all business tourism in the country (was) projected to reach $64 million.
Even though, as of going to press, the figures of how Rwanda’s tourism industry fared in 2017 among other pertinent questions remained unanswered despite email enquiries to RDB, tourism industry players are upbeat that Rwanda’s tourism remained boisterous in 2017, and hope if the momentum is maintained, tourism in Rwanda has a brighter future.
Rwanda tourism players chip in
Greg Bakunzi, the managing director of Amahoro Tours, says now that Rwanda has the so-called Big Five, there have been tourists this year that came specifically to see these animals.
“We now have a wide variety of wildlife apart from the gorillas, and even though the gorilla trekking fee was increased last year, visitors now have a diversity of attractions, and this is one reason why Rwanda maintained its visitor arrivals in 2017,” says Bakunzi.
Bart Gasana, the chairperson of the Tourism Chamber at the Private Sector Federation, observed in May 2017 that the industry projections were largely facilitated by the new gorilla trekking fees, RwandAir expansion and the MICE initiatives. As of 2017, the national carrier, RwandAir, established and now boasts a fleet of 12 aircraft serving 24 destinations globally, and this expansion is also seen as one of the reasons tourism in Rwanda continued with its growth according to projections.
Rwanda tourism now targets locals
RDB also intensified its campaign to promote domestic tourism when it launched the second edition of Tembera U Rwanda, a campaign geared towards encouraging domestic tourism in Rwanda to achieve sustainable development in the country’s tourism sector.
The adventurous but quite educational trips were held in two phases, from 25th to 26th November and 9th to 10 December. During this year’s campaign, a group of 98, the lucky winners of the Tombola Draw Experience that took place during the Liberation holiday, departed from Kigali to Musanze through Remarkable Rwanda’s nature, cultural and wildlife trails.
The tour itinerary on the departure date involved a stopover at Nyirangarama, lunch at La Palme Hotel, a thrilling walk through the mysterious Musanze caves extending for about 1.25 miles, caused by centuries of geological activity.
Day two was more exploratory as tourists trekked the endangered mountain gorillas. And after this hike, tourists enjoyed refreshments and lunch before departing to Buhanga eco-park to explore Rwandan culture and also learn about the country’s conservation journey.
According to RDB, this was the first promotional trip by RDB since the revision of the gorilla trekking permits but the call to action began during the liberation day holiday on 4th of July where everyone born on this date was given the opportunity to participate in a raffle competition.
In addition, Rwandans also had the chance to nominate friends and family born on this date through social media platforms.
Read MoreMarriott CFO to Speak at Barclays Gaming and Lodging Conference
eeny Oberg, executive vice president and chief financial officer at Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR), will speak at the Barclays 2017 Gaming, Lodging, Leisure, Restaurant and Food Retail Conference, to be held on Wednesday, December 6. Ms. Oberg’s remarks will be at approximately 3:05 p.m., Eastern Time, and will be webcast live.
To access the webcast, please go to http://www.marriott.com/investor, and then click on the link to the “Barclays Gaming and Lodging Conference” under “Recent and Upcoming Events.”
The webcast will be available until March 5, 2018 at the same site.
Read MoreRwanda’s Urwagwa Banana Beer comes of age, now on the tourist map
You may ask yourself what a refined and polished tourist from New York who has jumped off the plane at the Kigali International Airport and traveled to Musanze has in common with a rustic and weather-beaten Nyakinama village when you see them walking and chatting together along a small strip of road behind the imposing buildings of Musanze Village Polytechnic, seven kilometres west of Musanze town, northern Rwanda. The answer is Red Rocks Cultural Centre.
Both have a common interest that can be summed up into learning from each other’s culture. Since its establishment in 2011, Red Rocks Cultural Centre has established different programmes that help in promoting tourism, conservation and community development, and in this regard it has also helped in promoting activities that help to bring people of different backgrounds around the world to share their unique cultural experiences.
Jeanne Sauer, a tourist from Germany, says when she came to Rwanda her main purpose was not to see the famous mountain gorillas in their natural habitat around the Virunga massif, but to also experience what Rwandan people have to offer in terms of their culture.
“I had read about Rwanda and this is the country I had put on by bucket-list to visit one day. A quick Google search introduced me to Red Rocks and the amazing activities they provide there. I said this is a country I have to visit and here I am at Red Rocks, relishing my dreams,” she says.
The dream Sauer must be talking about is the various cultural activities that she found being carried out at Red Rocks. She says when she asked the staff about how she could spend her time enjoying the real cultural heritage of Rwanda, she was told that there are many activities that the local women here are engaged in, including making of authentic traditional Rwandan handicrafts, and of course demonstrating how to make the traditional beer.
“I wanted to have a first-hand experience of making the traditional beer. This is when they called a group of women who came with raw materials, precisely ripe bananas and the millet to help in making the final product,” she says.
Preserved and unchanged by a few die-hard loyalists, the brewing of Urwagwa – a local brew made out of crushed bananas – remains faithful to an ancient formula handed down over generations in Rwanda.
“The women, through their interpreter, led me through the whole process, and what I discovered is that it was not an industrial scale process as we know it but just putting your energy and effort into it,” says Sauer.
Like most traditional skills, the recipe and process for brewing Urwagwa is mostly handed down from father to son.
Jeanne Uwangabiye, a 52-year-old woman from Nyakinama village, says she picked the tips from his grandfather who would not substitute Urwagwa with any other beverages. She finds it appropriate to lead tourists through the process, which begins with obtaining ripe bananas and pressing them with grass to yield slightly clear juice.
The contents of the tank are then stirred and the leaves squeezed to remove residual juice which can effectively be obtained through using a small amount of water.
After that sprouted, lightly roasted or ground millet is poured on top of the juice which thereafter is covered in banana leaves and kept in a warm area for three days and this is why some times the mixture is buried in the ground to allow fermentation.
The process of fermentation happens because there are enzymes present in the sorghum which facilitate the breaking down of banana starch that is eventually acted upon by the yeasts and bacteria. Those who prefer enjoying the drink while it is as clean as possible may have to filter it prior to consumption.
“What I liked most about this experience is drinking what I had brewed with my own hands. It made me realize how life can be simple,” says Sauer.
Another tourist from the US, Fredric Fitzgerald, says he learned about the skills of making the traditional beer in a home in Nyakinama village when he went for a homestay.
“It was exciting to see how the people around there are able to use simple ingredients to make such stuff. And the taste was not all that bad!” he quips.
Read MoreHow Well Do You Know Kinigi, Rwanda’s Tourism Hub?
A trip to Kinigi, outside the main Musanze town in northern Rwanda, makes you interact with nature. Musanze itself has established a reputation as Rwanda’s tourism hub for many reasons. However, for most tourists who come to Rwanda, Kinigi’s mountain gorillas are always on their bucket-list.
When looking for outdoor activities, the place to be is definitely the Volcanoes National Park. This, according to tour operators, is home to a variety of wildlife that include the mountain gorillas. Furthermore, preserved within the Volcanoes National Park are the three Virunga Volcanoes: Sabinyo, Bisoke and Karisimbi. These are part of the eight volcanoes making up the Virunga Massif which straddles Rwanda, DR Congo and Uganda.
According to Ferdinand Ndamiyabo, a tour guide with Thousand Hills Tours, the main tourist attractions in Kinigi includes: gorilla tracking, golden monkey tracking, nature walk, as well as hiking Bisoke, Karisimbi, Muhabura and Gahinga mountains.
Ndamiyabo adds that most of the tourists who visit Kinigi come specifically for tracking the gorillas, though he is quick to add that Kinigi itself has so much to offer apart from the mountain gorillas.
“These primates have been extensively marketed as the main attractions of Rwanda’s tourism industry. However, visiting Kinigi itself and seeing what nature provides, together with the cultural activities carried out within the area, is going to introduce you to what more Rwanda has to offer,” says Ndamiyabo.
Amos Tega, also a guide working with the same tour firm, says the move by the Rwandan government through the Rwanda Development Board (RDD) to increase gorilla trekking fees from $750 to $1500 eventually is going to be a blessing in disguise since this is a prudent move to protect the mountain gorillas, which have become the flagship of the country’s tourism industry.
“Without the gorillas, Rwanda tourism industry naturally will not stand on its feet. Many tourists to Rwanda come just to see the primates in their natural habitat though Rwanda has so much to offer like bird watching and cultural tourism. However, hiking the gorilla fee by the government was a long-term investment to preserve these species and within two to three years, we are going to see what the policy makers at RDB foresaw,” says Tega.
Tega adds that now is the time for Rwanda diversify its marketing strategy, saying Kinigi itself has so much to offer for adventure tourists who just “want to experience the other side of Rwanda”.
Greg Bakunzi, the managing director of Amahoro Tours and founder of Red Rocks Rwanda, a cultural exchange center based in Nyakinama village, mentions some of the things tourists can enjoy for free in Musanze and Kinigi in particular, including excursion to the Twin Lakes, hike to the waterfalls of Musanze, walk to the local villages, enjoying scintillating music and dance by the evergreen Intore dancers and a visit to local community projects such as local arts and crafts markets and schools.
“Although those events are free of charge, it shouldn’t stop you from making a donation to the community depending on how much you’re satisfied,” says Bakunzi.
The tour operator adds that among the most recognizable tourism attractions in Kinigi is visiting the Musanze caves and the Dian Fossey Tomb.
According to Remarkable Rwanda (Tembera U Rwanda) website, a move by RDB to promote domestic tourism, the 1.25-mile long Musanze caves are located just outside of the town they share a name with, and are only a 90-minute drive from Kigali. With an enormous opening (and an equally huge number of bats resident inside), the greenery outside spilling over into the twilight within makes for a fantastic photo opportunity. Caves were used as a shelter during wartime for many centuries leading right up into the modern era, and as such, it’s an important site to local people. Thus, out of respect for the area’s residents, access is limited to guided visits.
Bakunzi says visiting the Dian Fossey Tomb in Kinigi is among the most sought after safari activities which is carried out when visiting Volcanoes National Park for a gorilla trip. The walk to the tomb also affords good views of forest hogs, forest elephants, a variety of primates and bird species.
Read MoreLocal Tourism Players Applaud AfDB’s Support
Local tourism and hospitality sector players have welcomed the initiative by African Development Bank (AfDB) to support diversification of tourism business, saying it will help make the industry more competitive and attractive. Commenting on the development, Osborn Kinene, the Rwanda Eco-Tours chief executive, said diversifying the tourism industry presents industry investors and other stakeholders, including communities surrounding tourism sites and national parks an opportunity to expand offerings and attract more visitors.
While speaking during the World Tourism Day celebrations in New York last Wednesday, the African Development Bank (AfDB) president, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, said the continental funder was renewing its support for the tourism industry, focusing on projects that seek to promote diversification of tourism on the continent. The annual event is organized by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
Rwanda Development Board projects the tourism sector to generate about $444 million in 2017, up from $404 million recorded last year. Meanwhile, Adesina has called for strong public-private sector partnerships geared at supporting and promoting sustainable tourism development in Africa.
He added that Africa’s tourism and travel industry can serve as an engine of progress for socio-economic transformation. Adesina challenged Africa’s tourism and travel industry players to work together and bring up innovative ideas and initiatives that will help revolutionize the sector.
He added that the cultural and creative industries, such as textiles, fashion, food, culinary, arts and film present huge untapped potential that could help boost tourism on the continent, and create jobs and spur incomes of communities.
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