Cultural heritage should be leveraged to spur tourism

Editor, Allow me to react to the story titled “World tourism projected to grow 4.5% this year” (The New Times, January 22). The projections are quite clear but the best is yet to come. In the past, the trend of tourism industry saw its primary role as marketing ready products to travelers. But today more emphasis must be on the cultural set up and sustainability. For a tourism-based economy to sustain itself in local communities, the residents must be partners in the process. Rwanda’s tourism industry needs to be merged with culture. Cultural attractions play an important role in tourism at all levels, from the highlights of world culture to attractions that underpin local identities. Heritage tourism is a fast growing segment of any tourism industry. Tourism being essentially a service-based industry, its success depends on the competence of people in many different jobs and locations. A well-managed tourism project improves the quality of life as residents take advantage of the services and attractions tourism adds. It has to promote community pride that grows as people work together to develop a thriving tourist industry. Studies have suggested that the level of tourism development is related to residents’ perceptions of community life because there is a frequent interaction between the residents and tourists, their willingness to be part of the tourism operation and become welcoming hosts is critical to the success of the tourism industry. Therefore, communities must be involved in planning as well as be informed and consulted about the scope of the development. Their values and attitudes towards tourism and perceptions of its impact on community life must be continually assessed. Culture is increasingly an important element of the tourism product, which creates distinctiveness in a crowded global marketplace. Cultural heritage tourism creates new opportunities for tourists to gain an understanding of an unfamiliar place, people or time. We need to build a well-established cultural heritage tourism industry for increased tourism that does not destroy the very qualities that attract visitors in the first place. David Nkusi,Rwanda

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Cultural heritage should be leveraged to spur tourism