Rwanda’s tourism wins accolades in Cape Town

Rwanda has been singled out the eminent country on the African continent that has made the most out of its tourism potential by creating a thriving industry. The commendation was made during the launch of the The Africa Competitiveness Report 2011 in Cape Town at the World Economic Forum on Africa, organised jointly by the World Economic Forum, the World Bank and the African Development Bank. It indicates that the African continent has many advantages on which to build its tourism industry Shantayanan Devarajan, the World Bank’s Chief Economist for the African region, noted that despite the challenges that are facing the African continent in tourism, Rwanda has strived to promote a sounding sector. “Rwanda was coming off the Genocide in the mid-1990s and they needed a source of foreign exchange,” he said. “They’ve (Rwanda) got these beautiful gorillas . . . and they decided to promote an ecologically friendly, highly targeted tourism industry around the gorillas,” he said The report also mentions that the country has involved the local communities in the gorilla tourism industry. This creates employment and insures that villagers have a direct interest in the conservation of the gorillas’ natural habitat. It further points out price competitiveness, strong affinity for tourism and rich natural resources supported by efforts towards environmental sustainability as the key advantages the continent can depend on. It also noted that improving safety and security, upgrading health and hygiene levels, developing numerous forms of infrastructure, and fostering the region’s human capital would help resolve a number of challenges that have slowed down the continent’s competitiveness in the tourism sector. According to official statistics, the sector accounted for US$56 million (Rwf33 billion) in revenues in the first quarter of 2011, up from US$43 million in the same period last year. Ends