Editor,

Re: "Thousands of Catholics flock Kibeho for Assumption Day”, The New Times, August 16.

It was very encouraging to read that thousands of pilgrims on Tuesday flocked to Kibeho for Assumption Day.

Religious tourism is always a very special segment of any country and Kibeho, nestled in Nyaruguru District in Southern Province, will continue to be the mainstay for this important form of tourism.

Rwanda is blessed with this holy land of Kibeho and it is, therefore, important in the efforts to market this tourism product effectively to potential tourists from different parts of the world.

From India’s Mumbai city alone, we had as many as sixty six religious tourists visit Kibeho all within a short span of just over six months.

Yet, that is just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. Going forward, we should visualise a much larger flow of religious tourists to Kibeho, more so now that the Government of India has already allocated the required funds to develop the infrastructure in and around this holy land.

In today’s materialistic world, religion tends to be given a back seat but your newspaper has done a commendable job in highlighting the importance of this place of great religious tourism.

Clarence FernandesMumbai