Articles
RWANDA PROVES THAT ITS STRONGEST INDUSTRY IS TOURISM
The tourism sector of Rwanda has contributed immensely to the economy of the country by fetching revenue worth 304.9 million U.S. dollars in 2014.
The reports from the Central African Nations have been quite promising with 1.22 million visitors in 2014, compared to 1.122 million in the previous year, an annual increase of 97,000 visitors.
Rwanda has the right environment for tourists and provides the security that is conducive for tourism and these are the factors that have boosted tourism in the region said Ambassador Yamina Karitanyi, Head of Tourism and Conservation at the RDB.
The country has made considerable progress in Meetings, Incentives Conferences and Events (Mice). Diversifying its tourism scope, according to the statistics released by the board in 2014, Rwanda recorded 19,085 conference tourists, up from 15,441 in the previous year.24 per cent travellers visited the country on business travel and the rest were leisure travellers.
The African Development Bank annual general meetings in May and the World Export Development Forum in September brought a lot of business travellers to Rwanda. The revenues from the tourists, recorded by the Directorate of Immigration and Emigration, contributed to about 10 percent of the tourism sector’s total revenues last year, according to RDB.
Tourists from European markets have increased by one percent, while visitors from America and Asia Pacific countries have decreased by six and eight percent, respectively. RDB has been trying to diversify its tourism sector by promoting Rwanda as a destination for business travellers, through its MICE initiative.
Rwanda has many attractions like its forests and wildlife, eco-tourism, diverse landscapes, snow, river, mountain peaks which are ideal for adventure tourism its historical and cultural museums and Rwanda’s biggest attraction - its mountain gorillas all contribute to its tourism.
