Talk of tourism in Rwanda, first thing that comes in one’s mind is Mountain Gorillas but it’s more than just Gorillas. There are so many other options available for a tourist say going for Canopy walks, visit to Kigali, Rwanda’s Museums and Memorial Centers, Lake Kivu, Bird watching or Parks! Rwanda in the olden times had lost much due to war but is now reviving its tourism with its natural beauty, landscape, volcanoes, waterfalls wildlife and rainforests though much emphasis has been put on to gorilla tourism.
The country’s north is famously known for mountain gorillas because of efforts of Dian Fossey in the 1960s and 1970s. A number of tourists visit the volcanoes National Park for gorilla trekking and so the country put strict rules for those trekking and habituating and a price to pay for the permits. Despite the fact that Rwanda has mainly focused on gorillas it also has other national Parks and tour places which have helped in poverty diminution through the involvement of communities.
Whereas the gorillas still stay as the country’s main drive for revenue, there is need for diversity in Rwanda’s tourism. Let’s take a look at different options to be done to promote tourism in Rwanda; ease in city tours/movement, loosening up local organizational policies, construct leisure parks, promote entertainment industry, maintain its current security and protect the environment.
The government has dedicated to develop tourism in the country through establishment of a safe Rwanda, a safe destination for tourists and also involvement of the communities and private sector in policy implementation.
RDB should affix on its website a selection of different options on what to explore while in Rwanda. Many clients come from Europe, USA and Asia with different interests in Rwanda and this would be an opportunity for RDB to sell more of the country’s positive outputs. Rwanda has a great weather which most countries do not have.
The government, private sector, communities, NGOs are key players in tourism development and have played big roles to the tourism industry in the following ways;
- The National government should provide an enabling environment for sustainable tourism to burgeon, and provide the overarching idea of a sustainable tourism industry by establishing a safe and stable political and economic environment for tourists.
- The private sector plays a significant role in development and promotion of tourism through delivery of quality tourism services and promoting involvement of local communities and individual tourism services in tourism ventures by providing quality products and services
- The communities play an imperative part in the development of tourism through identification of prospective tourism attractions and resources around the area and participation in decision making towards ornamental reimbursement of tourism and lessen the negative impacts.
- Non-governmental organizations have also played a momentous part development of tourism through assisting the private sector and communities and the government in implementation, and monitoring and evaluation of tourism based projects as well as assisting the government in conducting tourism and environmental awareness programs among communities and the tourism industry as a whole.
Rwanda through RDB can increase its creative base through the development and promotion of existing tourism products and the major National Parks, Marketing and awareness, developing human resources and capacity building.