A senior official from the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate has requested the government to reduce tourism charges at national parks to enable greater cooperation in tourism with his country.

Roger Lewentz, Rhineland-Palatinate’s State Minister for Local Government, made the request in a meeting he held yesterday with Local Government Minister, Christophe Bazivamo, at the latter’s offices.

"Entrance charges to the parks should be reduced from $500 to between $150 and $200. This will enable an average citizen in the Rhineland-Palatinate to tour the park,” Lewentz said.

The German official is heading a twenty-six person delegation on a tour of several joint projects in the country.

Churches, universities, technical colleges, associations, firms and social groups such as sports clubs and other institutions, are some of the areas of partnership. 

He said that his state would in the future involve Rwanda for her to benefit from capacity building initiatives under the World Cultural Heritage Programme in Germany. 

Lewentz described the relations between his state and Rwanda as ‘high level’ adding that there will now be cooperation in new fields like the media and greater cooperation in training Rwandan police officers.

Bazivamo said that the country still faces numerous challenges in developing the tourism sector, citing lack of capacity and infrastructure around national parks as the major impediments. 

There are now more than fifty municipalities and districts in Rhineland-Palatinate which have partnerships with Rwandan municipalities, and contacts exist between some 250 in Rwanda and Rhineland-Palatinate.

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