The Rwanda Development Board’s (RDB) Tourism and Conservation Division has released their latest data on the trends the tourism industry has taken this year.
It came as no surprise for informed observers, for instance, Trip Advisor, a global travel and tourism agency which saw an increase of over 650 percent in visits to Rwandan hotels and lodge reviews compared to 2010, considering the growing popularity of Rwanda as an eco-friendly tourism destination.
Rica Rwigamba, the head of tourism and conservation at RDB noted that, “Tourist arrivals in 2011, compared with the same period in 2010, were up by an astounding 27 percent already and by the end of the year, the country is expecting a new arrival and spending record”.
She attributed the trend to sustained marketing, the recognition around the world that Rwanda was not just paying lip service to conservation but actually working hard on re-forestation, maintaining biodiversity and the growing number of airlines and connections permitting visitors to fly in the country from around the world with often only one stop.
The national airliner, RwandAir has also been singled out for their exemplary performance in linking Kigali with not only the four East African cities but more recently to South Africa, West Africa – new destinations being Kinshasa, Brazzaville, and Libreville – and to Dubai, from where growing interest in investments and also for holidays has driven arrival numbers up.
Rwigamba further pointed out that easy online travel visa applications are another factor which enables some nationalities to consult the Rwandan government’s immigration website for specifics, which makes entry into the country easy.
What’s more, the launch of the Nyungwe National Park’s canopy walkway last year, high above the tropical rainforest, and efforts to make Gishwati Forest another national park have also resulted in positive media exposure, raising added interest by adventure tourism magazines, which in turn attract yet more visitors to the country.
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