DIARY OF A MUZUNGU SHARES SOME INSIGHTS FROM A RECENT VISIT TO RWANDA
(Posted 06th September 2017)
If the ‘golden’ shovel used to break ground is a harbinger of things to come, financially speaking for the lodge, only time will tell but for now is construction underway of the new Singita Kwitonda Lodge, as Charlotte Beauvoisin, Publisher of Diary of a Muzungu www.muzungubloguganda.com reports:
31st August 2017 marked the occasion of the ground-breaking for Singita’s first property in Rwanda and their “first and only gorilla lodge.”
At the ceremony below the towering Mount Sabinyo, Graham Ledger Managing Director of Singita Grumeti Tanzania gave a eulogy to the famous mountain gorilla Kwitonda who died almost five years ago.
“Kwitonda means ‘to be humble.’ That powerful yet humble one has been an inspiration to us and it is in that magnificent creature’s memory that we are proud to announce today that this lodge will be known as Singita Kwitonda.
Singita was established 24 years ago in South Africa and set the standard for luxury safari travel in Africa against a philosophy of preserving and protecting the land and wildlife and well-being of local communities
Over recent years we have expanded our interests to the rest of Africa and proudly adopted our 100 year purpose to preserve and protect iconic areas of African wilderness for future generations.
None of this that we are witnessing today would be possible without the unwavering support of the philanthropist and conservationist Paul Tudor Jones.
One of the jewels in the crown is the Grumeti Reserves, located in the western corridor of the Serengeti ecosystem. At the turn-of-the-century, uncontrolled poaching had decimated wildlife populations, in turn leaving the surrounding communities poverty-stricken. Paul Jones’ commitment to – and significant investment in – the project since 2002 has resulted in a vast increase in animal populations with the natural carrying capacity and ecological balance of the area fully restored and the plains once again teeming with resident wildlife. Other highlights include the creation of over 800 jobs and reintroduction of Black Rhino to the Serengeti National Park. We want to replicate that (success) in Rwanda.”
Ledger reminded the invited audience of conservationists, tourism stakeholders, security representatives, district officials and media of Singita’s “deep commitment to conservation, sustainability, skills development and community uplift” as evidenced in their “12 lodges dotted across Africa.” Singita Kwitonda will join their three properties in South Africa, two in Zimbabwe and seven in Tanzania.
Singita Kwitonda Lodge will comprise eight guest suites and one family unit, with a total of 14 beds.
According to Derek Nkera, the construction project manager, who spoke to the media at Kinigi on 31st August, a new access road to the lodge is planned. This is one aspect of Singita’s corporate social responsibility, in partnership with the Rwanda government. The organisation is in the process of recruiting a community liaison officer.
Chief Operating Officer of RDB, Emmanuel Hategeka stated:
“I want to thank Singita for choosing Rwanda as their next destination. We want to thank you and assure you of our continued support.
Hategeka took this opportunity to explain some of the reasoning behind the country’s decision to promote themselves as a high-end destination.
“Singita joins other brands in high-end hospitality who are investing, including Wilderness Safaris Lodge (Bisate Lodge) open since June 2017 and other high-end companies who are already doing good business in the area.
This area hosts around 100 hotels, of which 40% are high-end and that is probably the size of the market here because we issue close to 100 permits for gorilla tracking every day. That is the size of the market but that is not the entire size of the high-end hospitality.
He went on to say that the new Bisate Lodge, for example, is fully booked until October 2017. Bisate’s advertised rack rates are $1400 per night.
Hategeka reminded the audience of the role of tourism in Rwanda’s economy.
“Tourism is our number one foreign exchange earner. Over the last six years tourism revenue has doubled from US$200 million in 2010 to $404 million in 2016. Rwanda is a country that is taking conservation to another level.”
Singita Kwitonda is due to open August 2019. 100 direct job opportunities are envisioned during construction and 70 lodge management and support staff will be recruited to run the lodge, according to Graham Ledger.
