Sport, tourism at Tour du Rwanda

The annual and week-long Tour du Rwanda bonanza has been doing this nation proud, especially since 2009 when it went international from what initially was a regional affair that attracted pre-dominantly Rwandan riders, with only a splattering of visiting challengers from neighboring Burundi, Tanzania and Uganda. You will forgive the unconventionally long intro. It was only necessary because we are talking of a competition that involves covering routes as long as 140 km on pedal. But Tour du Rwanda isn’t just about grown men in tightly-fitting body clothes chasing wind on two wheels. This is also about the sheer prospect of millions of people across the globe partaking of the extensive international media coverage of the event to get a glimpse into Rwanda’s alluring land and greens capes. What this in turn means, is that clearly, the tour goes way beyond just the obvious precincts of sport. There is also a potentially lucrative tourism aspect to it. Just like I, the folks at FERWACY, the body charged with putting Tour du Rwanda together seem to know a thing or two about how the tourism aspect to this will play out; They know that the bulk of international television audiences following the races from thousands of miles away won’t initially believe these are Rwandan scenes and landscapes they are seeing. “No, that can’t be Rwanda!” some will exclaim, while a teenager in some European country is likely to assert naively that “That’s not Rwanda. That’s not Africa. All Africa is a desert!” In the end, the ones who have some money on them will be tempted to consider a trip down to Rwanda so they can discover the reality on their own. Presently, the tour is still basking in the glory of having gone international over eight years ago, and really nobody is complaining. The good press that it attracts every other year is only comparable to that which RwandAir always attracts with each new acquisition or innovation. But there’s always room for improvement. How about FERWACY now introduce a parallel tour for the ladies of this nation? This is very practicable and full of promise, in an era where women have gained acceptance even in sports and athletics disciplines hitherto considered taboo for women. Surely if women can wrestle, then they can ride a bike too. If they can compete in martial arts disciplines like karate and kung-fu, then they surely can bike too. A plus is that this country is already well-reputed almost world-wide as gifted-by-nature on account of the Rwandan woman. So FERWACY should consider bringing on the Tour du Nyampinga already!

Lifestyle

Sport, tourism at Tour du Rwanda