Rwanda Woos German Tourists, Showcases at the ITB in Berlin
Rwanda is participating in this year’s edition of the International Tourism Board convention currently taking place in the German city of Berlin.
Known as the ITB Berlin 2015, the forum provides an excellent opportunity to showcase Rwanda’s numerous tourist attractions and network with business representatives in the tourism industry. The event has attracted over 180 countries and is expected to draw 110,000 visitors during the four days that it will be open.
The Chief Tourism Officer at the Rwanda Development Board Ambassador Yamina Karitanyi said “Europe and Germany in particular, are key source markets for Rwanda so we are delighted to be exhibiting at ITB once again. With the development of new attractions and accommodation in Rwanda we have never been more confident of Rwanda’s potential to attract European visitors.”
To further celebrate Rwanda’s rich culture, the National Ballet of Rwanda will be participating in the exhibition’s closing ceremony on Sunday 8th March, performing music and traditional dances including the famous ‘Intore’ dance.
The Rwandan delegation is led by Rwanda Development Board. Exhibitors at the stand include the Institute of National Museums of Rwanda, Thousand Hills Expeditions, Primate Safaris, Nyungwe Forest Lodge, Wildlife Tours Rwanda, Nyungwe Top View Hotel and Amahoro Tours.
In addition to the renowned Mountain Gorilla, Rwanda is home to one fifth of the primate species in Africa. Also being showcases is the Akagera National Park, located just two hours from Kigali and is home to big game including elephants, buffalos, leopards, hippos, zebras and giraffes.
Rwanda’s Nyungwe Forest is home to over 400 chimpanzees and East Africa’s only canopy walkway -70m high and 200m long- it provides an exhilarating chimp’s eye view of the trees. The forest also boasts one of the highest concentrations of birds in Africa, with over 700 species of bird, 27 of which are endemic to the Albertine rift.
Read MoreRwanda Woos Dutch Tourists, showcases at 2015 Vakantiebeurs exhibition in Utrecht
With Rwandan tourist properties registering increased global recognition, the Rwanda Development Board has moved to attract Dutch holiday makers and travelers by showcasing at the premier and high profile Vakantiebeurs; the largest tourism exhibition in the Benelux that took place in Utrecht at the Jaarbeurs Exhibition Centre.
Rwanda’s breathtaking tourist attraction sites were the highlight of the event. This included Nyungwe Forest Lodge that was recently recognized a top ten safari destination for 2015 by CNN Travel. Focus was on the Canopy Walk in Nyungwe National Park and the Nyungwe Forest Eco-Lodge that attract visitors to its luxurious location at the Gisakura tea estates.
Rwanda’s Ambassador to the Netherlands, H.E. Jean Pierre Karabaranga said that participating in the Dutch tourism show was part of efforts to draw repeat and new travelers to the Land of a Thousand Hills.
“We are positioning Rwanda as a destination that is offers more than the famous Gorillas,” he added noting that in the six years that Rwanda had been participating in the annual show, the number of Dutch tourists to Rwanda increased six fold.
Rwanda, he added, is very accessible to Dutch tourists with the national airline is KLM serving Kigali five times a week.
Rwanda was among the 160 countries that participated at the Vakantiebeurs which also attracted over 1600 exhibitors. Access Rwanda Safaris and Amahoro Tours from Rwanda represented the country during the five-day event.
Amb Karabaranga said that the Rwandan team put up a marvelous display of the country’s unique tourism offering and showcased the wide range of tourism products available including its rich culture and exciting festivals.
He expressed confidence that the show will result in more Dutch tourists visiting Rwanda going by the past trends where arrivals from Netherlands registered a 22 per cent rise over six years. Overall the Vakantiebeurs tourism exhibition was a success for the Rwandan tourism industry who kept the stand very active holding meetings to generate new contracts and re-establish contacts with existing partners in the Netherlands.
Rwanda’s exhibition stand received many visitors who were entertained by Rwandan traditional dancers and were engaging in the lifetime offer to take a photo in Rwanda style for free and sharing it on the travel Rwanda Facebook page. Rwanda’s national carrier Rwandair is expected to reward three owners of photos with the most likes with a ticket to Rwanda.
Read MoreNyanza Organises New Cultural Festival
Rwanda’s tourism industry has continued to be diversified with the latest being the introduction of a cultural festival this Boxing day.
The Nyanza District, home to some of the country’s most impressive historical cultural sites from the former 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, December 26.
Information received from Kigali confirms that the Rwesero Art Museum has been selected as the venue for the inaugural event which according to the source will become part of Rwanda’s annual calendar of festivals.
Traditional song, poetry, arts, and crafts, alongside traditional food preparations, will form the core of the various activities for the day, aimed to bring closer the country’s rich history to the present day generation.
The festival targets not only Rwandans but also visitors from Eastern Africa and foreign tourists who are in the country and have the opportunity to stop by and enjoy some of the performances.
Read MoreTourist Visa Fees Scrapped
Rwanda, Kenya and Uganda have waived visa fees for foreign residents to allow easy access to the region’s diverse tourism experience.
According to Yamina Karitanyi, the Rwanda Development Board’s Head of Department for Tourism and Conservation, the waiver was agreed on under the Northern Corridor Integration projects initiative.
Known as the East Africa Tourist Visa (EATV), foreign residents no longer have to pay the $100 fee for the visa that is valid for 90 days effective December 15, 2014.
Karitanyi, said the waiver on the single East Africa Tourist Visa was the next step in consolidating and enriching the region’s tourism potential.
“We are approaching the rest of the world as a unified and rich tourist destination with varied experiences for travellers. We are also positioning East Africa’s tourism assets collectively as part of the Northern Corridor Integration Projects,” Karitanyi said at the weekend.
She added that joint marketing programmes will be carried out annually and will cover road shows such as the International Tourism Board (ITB) and World Travel Market (WTM) in 2015.
She pointed out that going forward, the partner states will lobby for a single stand during international tourism marketing events.
Outlining the modalities of implementation, Karitanyi said eligible foreign residents shall be issued with inter state pass on exiting the host state and visitor’s pass endorsed in their passports on arrival by presenting valid work/resident permits.
Other immigration procedures and regulations will, however, be maintained.
In preparing for the joint marketing programmes, she noted that the partner states were already gearing up the teams involved by conducting destination training workshops and disseminating information on the use of national identity cards, student/voters cards and the East Africa Tourist Visa.
“We encourage the private sector to take advantage of this opportunity to offer unbeatable packages while maximising win-win offers.”
The just concluded 8th Northern Corridor Integration Summit attended by Presidents; Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya, Paul Kagame, and Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, held in Nairobi last week, also directed Rwanda’s Minister of Infrastructure to convene a meeting of Airline Industry stakeholders and finalise negotiations on the 5th Freedom Traffic Rights on Entebbe-Nairobi-Juba-Nairobi meant to address outstanding issues to reduce the cost of air travel in the region and report to the next Summit that will be held in Kigali.
Read MoreEast African Tour Operators Visit Rwanda to Eye New Business Opportunities
This week, 11 international tour operators with offices in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda will visit Rwanda for as part of a Rwanda Development Board (RDB) initiative to increase awareness of the country’s diverse tourism opportunities and generate more tourism sales.
“The East African Community is an important growth area for Rwanda’s tourism industry”, said Ambassador Yamina Karitanyi, Head of the RDB’s Tourism & Conservation Department. “The goal of this guided trip is to demonstrate to these high-value tour operators that Rwanda is a multi-day destination with a rich selection of cultural and natural experiences.”
Visiting tour operators will eyewitness that beyond gorillas’ visit, Rwanda offers varied and easily accessible experiences which expand visitors stay thanks to new and well packaged tourism products. There are now more than five globally renowned hotels, and together with the private sector there is a will to transform Rwanda into a high end tourism destination as important tourism infrastructure is being developed.
The RDB has set an ambitious goal of 10% increase in visitation year-over-year and wants to see tourism revenue increasing at 25% in 2020. The East African market is an essential component in meeting this target. The timing of this particular effort is strategic.
Rwanda provides an exciting destination for many of the tour operators that are visiting. The country’s perception as a safe and clean destination provides a desirable sales alternative or contemporary products for travel companies that have heavily relied on Safari Bookings and Indian Ocean beach trips.
The international tour operators will visit Kigali, Rubavu, Musanze, Volcanoes National Park, and Nyungwe National Park. The program will conclude with a networking session with local Rwandan tour operators, hoteliers, and tourism service providers in order to create new working business relationships.
The regional tour operators visit is sponsored by the Hôtel des Mille Collines by Kempinski, RwandAir, Serena Kivu, Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge, Republika Lounge, Volcanoes Safaris and Primates Safaris.
Read MoreRwanda’s Gishwati Forest Elevated to National Park Status
With Rwanda’s keen interest to promote and maintain eco-tourism as one of the pillars of the national economy it was long expected that Gishwati will eventually join the Nyungwe Forest as a new national park, incidentally part of a deal struck between President Kagame and the founder of the Great Ape Trust Ted Townsend some years ago and now become a reality
The law that elevated Gishwati-Mukura into a national park was approved during the cabinet meeting that was held on October 15, led by H.E Paul Kagame.
The creation of a Gishwati Mukura National Park has been a long awaited event and serves to underscore constantly voiced sentiments, that a committed and enlightened government can in fact change the future of a country for the better without trampling on its environment, destroying biodiversity and unsustainable exploitation of the natural resources.
Nyabihu district administration is excited about the cabinet approval to elevate Gishwati forest to a national park following its geographical location and tourist attractions.
Angela Mukaminani, vice-mayor for economic affairs in Nyabihu district disclosed that they are happy over the decision to make Gishwati a national park.
Understandably this development has been kept under wraps for a longer time.
“We informed Rwanda Development Board (RDB) about the tourist attractions of Gishwati. Many hills, farmlands and forests that attract the attention of people,” she said.
Nyiraminani added that guest houses and hotels are being set up to accommodate the growing number of tourists, saying it will promote investment and increase the economy of the district and the country at large.
Before 1994 Tutsi genocide, Gishwati forest had 280 acres per km2 but after the 1994 Tutsi genocide many Rwandan who returned from DRC settled on one part of the forest reducing its size to 7acres per square kilometer.
In a bid to restore Gishwati to its former glory, The Gishwati Area Conservation Program (GACP) began in 2007 with the collaboration of Rwandan president, Paul Kagame, and Great Ape Trust to protect the biodiversity of the Gishwati Forest area and stop some of the rapid degradation.
In the process of protecting the biodiversity of the forest, it was divided into three parts for cultivation, livestock farming and forestry. This resolved the problem of soil erosion that had been caused by the population.
Gishwati makes the biggest part of Nyabihu, Ngororero, Rubavu and Rutsiro district.
Read MoreRwanda, Uganda partner in Tourism Development
In its commitment to promote East Africa as a single Tourism destination, Uganda has partnered with Rwanda to jointly promote two -way tourism traffic; between the two sister-countries.
Speaking during the a tourism training conference at Serena Hotel-Kigali, Louise Mushikiwabo, Rwanadan Minister for Foreign Affairs said the move which was championed by the Uganda.
Tourism Board in partnership with the Rwandan Development Board is purposed to defend both the security and business developments of the two countries.
“People to people relations between Uganda and Rwanda is a very important step to strengthening the tourism sectors of the two economies-both of which come as their country’s biggest revenue earners, contributing over $1b to either country.”
Mushikiwabo said while addressing over 5,000 celebrants including Ugandan fraternity in Rwanda, High Commissioners and friends of Uganda in Rwanda.
According to Stephen Asiimwe, UTB Chief Executive Officer, under the merger, the two countries will have healthy tourism exchanges whenever marketing opportunities such as tourism marts and expos arise in the two countries and the Great Lakes Region in general.
As a result, social-economic problems such unemployment will be effectively addressed because Tourism is the world’s biggest employer, employing at least one of every ten people in its various sub-sectors such as Roads and Transport, Hotel and accommodation among others.
To aid in this realization, Uganda’s High Commissioner to Rwanda, Richard Kabonero said Rwanda will with immediate effect start by stamping out hindrances that have over the years suffocated a healthy business exchange between the two countries such as the border to border bureaucracies.
According to Edwin Muzahura, Head of Marketing UTB, the board’s choice for Rwanda was highly influenced by the fact that no other country in the region feeds Uganda with as much tourists as Rwanda.
Read MoreProtea Hotels is Extending to the Shores of Kivu
Rwanda then becomes the 10th African country to benefit from investments in Protea Hotels services and infrastructure. The boom in Rwandan tourism is allowing Rwanda to become a tourist destination in the region and in Africa. Investors are scrambling in hospitality services and infrastructure. The South African Hospitality Giant “ProteaHotels” is following suit with the construction of a 5-star hotel in the District of Rusizi, in the west of the country, on the shores of Lake Kivu. This hotel of 15 billion Frws, or 22,058,823$, will have 76 rooms and will be completed in 2016 under the brand of “Protea Kivu Marina ResortHotel. “.
Thus, “ProteaHotels Group”, part of “Marriott Hotels International”, one of the world’s leading hotels is also building another five-star hotel in the city of Kigali. Other internationally renowned hotels like Radisson Blu, Radisson by Park Inn, Kempinski, Sheraton and Golden Tulip are already in the market for Rwanda’s tourism and hospitality sector.
Yamina Karitanyi, Head of Tourism and Conservation at Rwanda Development Board (RDB) welcomes this new development. “We welcome investors like Protea because Rwandans will directly benefit from this partnership which will also contribute to Rwanda’s competitiveness, especially in tourism”. According to Karitanyi, “the Kuvu Belt (Kivu Bellt) is one of our priority places for the development of tourism and the diversification of the services we offer”.
ProteaHotels is a South African creation specializing in hospitality and leisure headquartered in Cape Town. It is the largest hotel company in Africa with over 126 three, four and five star hotels in 10 African countries. The majority of its hotels are in South Africa. Others are located in Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, Tanzania, Zambia, Uganda, Kenya and Ghana.
Read MoreRwanda Emerges as a Popular Destination
Once blemished by one of the worst cases of ethnic violence that resulted in to the popular 1994 Rwanda Genocide, Rwanda is fast becoming one of the top travel destinations in Rwanda. To many people in the world, when you ask them about Rwanda, the few who know this tiny country know about the genocide than the adventurous side of it. Twenty years after experiencing the genocide, a worst ethnic violence the world has ever seen, Rwanda has greatly recovered and established itself as one of the places to go gorilla trekking though still now the effects of the genocide is still fresh in the hearts of Rwandanese.
The country has steadily emerged as a well-known tourist destination internationally thanks to the existence of the mountain gorillas. Tourists are drawn to Rwanda by its natural and scenic beauty, rich culture, as well as the unique flora and fauna in its national parks, which are home to the giant mountain gorillas. Many travelers have taken safaris into Rwanda to see the amazing gorillas, chimpanzees, genocide memorial sites and experience the unique culture of the Rwanda people.
The Goma, Kibuye, Kigali, Gisenyi are the well known places to see in Rwanda. Rwandan wildlife attracts a huge number of tourists every year. The dangerous volcanic mountains preserved by the Volcanoes National Park and the dense tropical forests are the main attractions in the northern part of the country. On the other hand lakes, rivers, valleys and hills dominate the rest part of the country. Akagera National Park in eastern Rwanda and Parc National des Volcanoes is the home place for many endangered species. The water bodies of Rwanda are also very famous particularly the Lake Muhazi and Lake Kivu
Besides that, the Rwanda recently joined the International Council of Tourism Partners. All of these attributes have helped the nation to rank among the top five as it was voted among the; “Top Emerging Destinations” in the Wanderlust Travel Awards 2011. This all means that the country’s efforts to develop travel and tourism in a sustainable way seem to be paying off, so all you have to do is bear witness to what Rwanda has to offer by booking one of the packaged Rwanda safaris today.
Read MoreRwanda to Boost Cultural Tourism
In the bid to avoid being over reliant on Gorrilas for tourism, there has been efforts to diversify the tourism industry to avoid dependence on a single attraction.
It is against this background, that a there is a proposal of a Cultural Tourism Village in Kigali spearheaded by the City of Kigali, Ministry of Trade and the Rwanda Development Board (RDB).
According to the Proposal, the Kigali Cultural Tourism Center will be built in Rebero City Suburb.
The Minister of Trade and Industry Francois Kanimba emphasises the importance of cultural tourism which he referred to as a critical component to Rwanda’s tourism product diversification agenda which has the potential improve the annual foreign revenues generated by tourism.
The Head of Tourism in RDB, Rica Rwigamba says that foundations to support cultural tourism are being developed.
“Rwanda has a rich cultural heritage and investments are being made to ensure the necessary infrastructure and the development of clusters, especially in strengthening the creative industries which include handicrafts, dance and music,” says Rwigamba.
She further notes that, for Rwanda to overcome the single attraction challenge and to sustain its tourism growth momentum, more efforts are required to diversify product offerings.
“This is crucial in order to leverage other avenues where the country is well positioned to compete and to significantly augment its tourism receipts. One of these avenues is cultural tourism.”
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