BURUNDI’S ARRIVAL FIGURES ARE STEADILY CLIMBING
(Posted 12th September 2014)
Burundi, East Africa’s smallest economy and hardly explored by tourists so far, hopes for a major boost in popularity translating in greater visitor numbers, now that FlyDubai has put the country on the map when launching flights twice a week via Entebbe later in September.
Hitherto connected to the world by Brussels Airlines, and to the region and beyond by Kenya Airways, Ethiopian Airlines and RwandAir, has Burundi’s main airport in Bujumbura not exactly seen a great deal of action and the arrival of the Gulf’s leading low cost carrier is bound to raise interest and drive up numbers.
In 2011 did 43.164 passengers arrive at the airport on flights from abroad with Burundians returning from their foreign travel making the bulk of those passengers. In 2012 did that number slightly reduce to 42.147 arriving passengers before rising again in 2013 to more than double that number when 89.104 arriving passengers were counted.
(Statistics courtesy of PAFE Burundi)
In addition to the airport arrivals do visitors, mainly from the region, also arrive across the land borders, from Rwanda, Tanzania and Congo, helping to fill local hotels.
Burundi’s tourism office has been attending major regional and international trade shows and tourism exhibitions in recent years and has under a new leadership started to make waves, showcasing the country through events and festivals, giving hope that the long wait to become part of a wider East African safari itinerary may at last been fulfilled. For more information about Destination Burundi click on www.burundi-tourism.com
