The year 2023 is already likely to be good for Rwanda’s tourism industry and it has been a pattern. The just-concluded year had its own major wins, with then Prince Charles, one of the namers of the much-coveted Gorilla Naming Ceremony concluding the year as the King of the United Kingdom. Back to 2023, Rwanda has featured on this year’s highly-billed list of the places to travel to around the world, which is compiled annually by American cable network, CNN. According to the network, January 2023 sees the official opening of Rwanda's most exciting hotel yet: Sextantio Rwanda, a collection of traditionally crafted huts on an island on Lake Kivu, one of Africa's largest lakes. This is one of the offerings by Rwanda that the network wants its legion of followers around the world to consider adding on their bucket list for this year. It then adds to the already globally renowned mountain gorillas, which have arguably put the country on the global map as a tourist destination. It is not the first time that CNN has named Rwanda as a destination of choice and this only points to the fact that we are doing something right in this area and these efforts must be sustained. Such wins should however be maximized to make the most of the tourists that throng our country every year. This should be done through deliberate efforts to ensure more foreign exchange is earned not just from direct tourism, but also through other services along the value chain. It is a good thing that the government has invested heavily in attracting high-end tourism. This should be matched with strategies to ensure as many locals tap into this, and this requires consistent education. Local tour operators should also brace themselves for such opportunities. This is the only sure way to get the much-needed foreign exchange that will help keep in check the trade imbalance that we see year-on-year from the figures that are periodically presented by the mandated agencies.
