Tourism’s transformative power

Recently, a new plan was launched to further develop tourism activities in the Kivu Belt. (file photo)

In recent years, Rwanda has worked very hard to increase tourism, with the Rwanda Development Board and oth­ers ambitiously promoting the country’s cultural as well as natural attractions across the world in order to attract more visitors and increase tourism revenue. If anyone ever doubted the economic importance of the tourism sector, the World Bank has just released a new study to dispel any reserva­tions.
The study, “Tourism in Africa: harness­ing tourism for growth and improved live­lihoods” underscores the transformative potential that tourism—the fastest growing industry in the world—can have on African countries, transforming them from devel­oping into developed nations. For Rwan­da, the thousands of new jobs and influx of millions of dollars in private investment brought by a vibrant tourism sector are crit­ical to the government’s vision of achieving status as a middle income country.
The study’s claims are not just specula­tive. Thailand’s tourism sector was non-existent in the 1960s. Today, it accounts for nearly 20 percent of jobs. Similar transfor­mations took place in Mexico, Cape Verde, Mozambique, and many other countries, over even shorter spans of time. Today, tourism directly contributes 7.6 percent of Rwanda’s GDP, and since 2011 has been the country’s largest foreign exchange contrib­utor, earning $281.8 million last year. De­spite these large earnings, RDB plans to in­crease annual sector growth by 25 percent, generating $860 million by 2017.
But cultivating such a successful tour­ism sector is easier said than done. Dozens of factors and challenges contribute to the industry’s success, and competition from countries around the world is only getting tougher.
The report lists focus areas key to attract­ing international tourists. When faced with a myriad of tempting holiday locations, most vacationers look for the same things: affordable and convenient airfare, safety, natural beauty, cultural appeal, adequate domestic infrastructure, and a working healthcare system. In order to develop such aspects, a country needs political stability, a cohesive government strategy, a trained labor force, and a positive business envi­ronment.
Sustainable tourism
Rwanda is already doing a lot of things right, and is even looked to as a model of sus­tainable tourism. Too often in tourism development, local communities are brushed aside to make way for resorts, hotels, and attractions, never seeing the proceeds from such activi­ties. Not only is this unethical, it creates hostility between lo­cals and visitors leading to an unsustainable situation that misses the purpose of tourism: community development.
Rica Rwigamba, head of Tourism and Conservation at RDB, said that, in order to bal­ance cultural and environmen­tal preservation with increased development, Rwanda uses “cohesive and integrated plan­ning that involves all govern­ment institutions, the private sector and civil society.”
A perfect example of such a balance, as outlined in the study, is Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge in Volcanoes National Park. The luxury lodge op­erates on a revenue-sharing scheme, with local members from the four surrounding dis­tricts representing their com­munity’s needs, and with a significant portion of proceeds being funneled back into the local districts through conser­vation projects and micro fi­nancing. The lodge also guar­antees local employment. This setup creates a symbiotic rela­tionship in which it is in the community’s best interest to support the tourism sector, and it is in the lodge’s best interest to respect the environment and the local people.
The government, too, is play­ing its role, as it has adopted a policy under which 5% of tour­ism revenue is set aside to be invested in local communities, especially those living in the vicinity of the national parks.
 ‘Only the gorillas are known’
Despite these positives, there is still a long road ahead. Domestic infrastructure, roads and hotels, are lacking in many areas. Rwigamba explained the improvements in air travel over the recent years, with the entry into the market of several international carriers, but not­ed the need for more.
“This has greatly helped in addressing what was the great­est challenge in the sector.  Nevertheless, we still need to have more options that would allow a direct flight from the USA which is our biggest mar­ket as well as from upcoming markets like China as well as others. This remains among the biggest challenge on the continent,” she said.
Ian Munyankindi, the Man­ager of Rusizi tented lodge in Akagera National Park, has been working in the tourism industry for over five years. In his view, Rwanda should strive to promote more than just the mountain gorillas.
“Rwanda has done a good job of attracting people to the county, but most people come only for the gorillas and do not stay long. I see many tourists who say they wish they had planned a longer trip because there are many things here they did not know about and want to see. They just stop in Rwanda for a few days on the way to Kenya or Tanzania.”
The country’s goals for tour­ism are ambitious, but they are well underway. And as shown the World Bank’s extensive re­port, rapid and extensive de­velopment is not impossible; in fact, countries all over the world have done so.
Recently, famous Ameri­can blogger David Hoffman promoted Rwanda’s tourism industry, giving the country important exposure through social media. Additionally, the government’s plans to develop the districts surrounding Kivu Lake, if done correctly, will help set Rwanda on a transfor­mative path.