RWANDA CELEBRATES WORLD TOURISM DAY WITH THE OPENING OF A NEW CULTURAL CENTRE
(Posted 28th September 2015)
(Seen here, from right to left, are the Governor of Northern Province Mr. Aine Bosenibamwe, the Minister for Sports and Culture Ms. Julienne Uwacu and the newly appointed Chief Tourism Officer at RDB Ms. Belise Kariza)
In Rwanda things are not done by half measure and well planned tourism developments provide good examples of how and why the country, fondly known as the ‘Land of a Thousand Hills’ has over the past decade increased tourist numbers in leaps and bounds and raked in big money through visitors coming from around the world.
The recent creation of the new Gishwati – Mukura Forest National Park is but one example how the country has diversified tourism attractions and offerings and at the same time advanced the goal to increase the national forest cover to 30 percent by the year 2020.
While celebrating World Tourism Day yesterday was another new facility formally launched, the Rulindo Cultural Center along the main road from Kigali to Musanze.
Speaking in the ceremony, the Rwanda Development Board’s newly appointed Chief Tourism Officer, Ms. Belise Kariza, revealed why the Rulindo Cultural Centre was selected as the venue for this year’s celebration of World Tourism Day when she said ‘This newly launched cultural centre is a display of local heritage and traditional Rwandan arts and culture, aligning with the government’s vision to improve tourism product diversification to enhance the sector contribution to Rwanda’s economy’.
Rwanda has set an ambitious targets of annual tourism receipts of $860m by 2017, up from $305m earned by the sector in 2014. This anticipated boost in tourism revenue shows the urgent need for the development of new and innovative tourism products. The Rulindo Cultural Centre’s launch therefore is in line with the Rwanda Development Board’s mission of connecting various parts of the country through tourism product diversification in order to increase the length of stay of visitors.
An exhibition showcasing art pieces, handicrafts and tourism beneficiaries’ achievements will bring together 50 regular exhibitors. While opening the centre did RDB also use the opportunity to launch the Rwanda’s first cultural documentation, a comprehensive 325 pages book retracing the uniqueness and rich Rwanda cultural heritage.
The United Nations’ World Tourism Day, celebrated globally, is a reminder to the international community that sustainable tourism has the potential to be the driving force to promote social and economic development and job creation. This year theme’s as set by the United Nations is ‘One billion tourists, one billion opportunities’ pointing to the global collective effort to grow tourism’s potential to generate more opportunities that benefit the world’s population in significant ways. The Government of Rwanda readily embraced the theme as it stepped up efforts to develop and diversify the country’s offering, including cultural tourism. The sector remains Rwanda’s leading export reporting an annual growth rate of 4%.
The Rulindo Cultural Center is located on the Kigali – Musanze road, only a 25 kilometre drive from the capital. Rulindo is home to historic sites, mining and farmland and has become a highly successful community-based tourism model. Rulindo Cultural Centre is a remarkable showcase and preservation of Rwandan culture and tradition through arts.
In related news was it learned that the new culture centre cost 470 million Rwandan Francs while equipment and displays brought the overall cost to 590 million Rwandan Francs. Entry fees charged will be 500 RF for Rwandan/EAC CEPGL citizens while international visitors will have to pay 3.000 RF.
The cultural coffee table book that was launched yesterday costs 15.000 RF and will be available at all RDB sales points and libraries countrywide.
RDB yesterday also released their latest statistics for tourism arrivals up to 2014, when the sector generated some 305 million US Dollars in revenues for the country, compared to 294 million US Dollars a year earlier, a rise of 4 percent.
Arrivals into Rwanda in the meantime rose to 1.22 million visitors in 2014, an increase of 9 percent over the previous year. Leading countries of visitor origin, according to the Directorate of Immigration, were the USA which recorded the highest number of arrivals with 24,488 visitors, followed by India with 13,008, the UK with 12,320, Belgium with 8,733 and Germany with 8,228 visitors.
Notably has the coveted MICE sector, which stands for Meetings, Incentives, Conference and Events outstripped tourism’s general performance. In 2014 die Rwanda host 19.085 conference visitors, compared to 2013 when the country hosted 15.441, translating to an increase of 24%. This category of visitors is estimated to contribute in 2014 almost 29 Million USD corresponding to 31% of revenues generated by business travellers and 10% of all tourism revenues and show yet sharper rises when the new national convention centre is opening next year.
For added information about Destination Rwanda click on www.rwandatourism.com
