The International Coalition of Tourism Partners (ICTP) has lauded Rwanda following its move to issue entry visas to nationals from all African countries travelling to or transiting through the country upon arrival at any entry point effective January 1, 2013, saying this would promote tourism. It further singled out the country’s adoption of online visas for all foreign visitors as well as its existing biometric-based entry for citizens, saying this illustrates the country’s overall commitment to promoting e-government and smart visa policies.ICTP President Professor Geoffrey Lipman said this is clearly part of the country’s leadership vision in which tourism is a central element in the socio-economic development of the country. "It’s right in line with ICTP’s vision of streamlined border controls and will help open up Rwanda’s great national parks which I experienced firsthand last year when attending its unique gorilla naming ceremony. "ICTP is particularly pleased to have the Rwanda Development Board as a member of its council. We look forward to working with them to position these initiatives in the overall African green growth transformation and the worldwide movement for easy travel to create jobs.”The Rwanda Development Board is a Council member of ICTP, while the country is a destination member.The International Coalition of Tourism Partners (ICTP) is a grassroots travel and tourism coalition of global destinations committed to quality service and green growth. The coalition engages communities and their stakeholders to share quality and green opportunities including tools and resources, access to funding, education, and marketing support. It also advocates sustainable aviation growth, streamlined travel formalities, fair coherent taxation, and investments for jobs. The coalition supports the UN Millennium Development Goals, the UN World Tourism Organisation’s Global Code of Ethics for Tourism, and a range of programmes that underpin them. It has about 62 destination members around the globe.