Rwanda Office of Tourism and National Parks (ORTPN) has introduced new arrival and departure forms to improve the collection and reporting of tourism statistics in the country.

The project that started in June 2007 aims at determining the role of tourism in the national economy and setting up a database system for the collection of national tourism statistics in Rwanda. 

"As part of this exercise, new Arrival and Departure forms have been introduced at Kigali International Airport and all land borders since January 1, with an updated version of immigrations data-capture software,” a statement from ORTPN reads.

The analysis software has also been introduced to provide up-to-date information on a regular basis to tourism industry operators and planners.

Jan Bjarnason, team leader of Competitive and Enterprise Development Project (CEDP) that assisted in developing the system, said that one of the most important tools for planning and promotion of sustainable tourism development in Rwanda is collection and dissemination of reliable and up-to-date statistical information about tourists visiting the country.

He said that it is not only essential to know how many tourists visit Rwanda every month and every year, but also to know where they come from and why they decide to visit this country.

"For years, this essential planning information has not been readily available in Rwanda and there is an urgent need to ensure that such information is collected and made available to tourism industry operators and planners,” Bjarnason explained.

According to the release, the new immigration forms are much more user-friendly and have been developed by the Directorate General of Immigration and Emigration (DGI) and ORTPN in close conjunction with other members of the Inter-Institutional Tourism Statistics Working Group.

These working groups include: ministries of Finance, Commerce, National Bank of Rwanda and the Chamber or Tourism and other stakeholders.

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