Kigali needs a zoo, more entertainment options

Editor,Refer to the article, “Rwanda tipped to become regional conference hub” (The New Times, December 5).I have watched in amazement as the Kigali skyline and the offerings from our ever-growing hospitality industry expand rapidly to a point where the sector is unrecognisable from what it was only five years ago – let alone 20 years previously.Only one fly remains in that impressive ointment: our current “international” airport! Kigali International Airport (KIA) is clearly below the standards we want to project as a regional hub. It also does not correspond with the deserved up-and-coming image of a marquee metropolis which is a crucial marketing attribute of Kigali-the-Hub.We need to urgently fast-track the implementation of the planned Bugesera International Airport. And while we are at it, what are our businesspeople doing to invest in high-end entertainment and social amenities that the kind of clientele we have in mind will demand?Investors, the ball is in your court.Mwene Kalinda, Kigali****************I want to challenge Rwanda Development Board (RDB) to set up a zoo in Kigali. Rwanda is the only East African country that does not have a one-stop sight centre for animals. If visitors can’t make it to the national parks, Kigali lacks in this area.Joe, Kigali****************As we project for bigger conference-related businesses, I also wish that RDB looks into Kigali entertainment domain. I run out of options to take my visitors around whenever I’m in Kigali. If it’s not a restaurant, it’s the memorial museum and that’s it.We need public parks, art museum of international standards, and a zoo within Kigali.Richard Niwenshuti, Kigali****************Rwanda is on the right course in terms of diversification of tourist attractions, while preserving our culture – that of self-respect and dignity. As we open up our doors to the outside world, it remains important that we uphold our cultural values.In the midst of all these good developments, and while we continue to enjoy the benefits of regional integration and globalisation, we need to nurture a generation that will pass on our heritage to the one after them.They need to uphold our zero tolerance to corruption, our Agaciro, work ethic, and, most importantly, a sense of ‘Rwandanness’.Abdul Kanoti, Rwanda

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Kigali needs a zoo, more entertainment options