Nyamasheke District launches Rwf20m plan to attract tourists

Nyamasheke District has embarked on a Rwf20m strategy to woo tourists to the district.

Monday, February 27, 2012

Nyamasheke District has embarked on a Rwf20m strategy to woo tourists to the district. In an interview with The New Times, the district mayor, Jean Baptista Habyarimana, said they are currently carrying out consultations with various stakeholders on how to come up with a broad plan, which will be unveiled in a two months time.The district features many tourist attractions, located mainly on the shores of Lake Kivu, including splendid islands and Nyungwe forest. The area boasts the longest and biggest bay on the Lake Kivu (Rwandan side) – The Kayenzi Bay, beautiful peninsulas, lake-side markets, chimpanzees, birds, and provides excursion to Cyamudongo forest and walks into Kamiranzovu marsh, according to officials. "Every year the district receives a lot of investors who want to invest in the tourism sector and I believe the master plan will serve as a guiding tool that will help all the investors in the tourism sector to easily identify the tourism area which they can venture into,” Habyarimana said.He said that the plan is being designed by Urban Planning Civil Engineering enterprise, a local firm. The master plan will enable the district to attract more investors not only in the tourism sector but also in other sectors, the mayor explained.As a result unemployment levels in the district will go down as residents will get jobs from investors who will constructs hotels, he added.He added that the plan will enable them to easily promote various developmental activities that are being carried out in district, saying that will help them increase taxes collected from hotels and areas of tourism in the district.