gorila safaris in Rwanda Rwanda – the land of a thousand hills as it is always referred is one of the tourism destinations that have rose from grass to grace. Having went through the horrific genocide terror in the year 1994 that left over 800,000 Tutsi and moderate Hutus dead, Rwanda has passed through the dark times to emerge from that horrific event alone which greatly affected the safaris to Rwanda.
Following the end of genocide and the emergence of the new regime, Rwanda saw tourism as something that would not only bring on the foreign exchange that was badly needed but as a tool that would also be used to rebuild the international image of Rwanda as the international community had considered it a lost country. The new government worked tooth and nail to ensure that peace and security prevail and it particular secured the Volcanoes National Park where gorilla trekking safaris in Rwanda take place as it is the only home for the critically endangered mountain gorillas in Rwanda.
It was a considerable challenge for the tourism developers including the private proprietors to market Rwanda as a tourist destination as travelers worldwide considered taking a safari in Rwanda as dangerous accruing from the image that she had attained from the bloody genocide. It is remarkably interesting that this image has substantively changed in these two decades that have followed since the genocide took place. A good count of world travelers now perceive Rwanda as an ideal tourism destination and the safaris in Rwanda are competing favorably on the international scale.
The tourism sector in Rwanda has developed considerably for the last 15 years and the sector which fetched $62 in the year 2000 has increased expeditiously to $303 million in the year 2014, the boom that has been driven by the country’s social economic rejuvenation. It is interesting to note that as of now, tourism in Rwanda is the third chief export after tea and coffee. This increment can be attributed to good security, sanitation and infrastructure.
The statistics according to Rwanda Development Board give the tourist arrivals at 1.17million for the previous year most of which were on Rwanda gorilla safaris. The major generating areas include; United States, India Sub Continent, Britain, Belgium and Germany. The Rwanda safari undertakers from the United States of America alone form 20% of the arrivals.
Rwanda embarked on a rigorous mountain gorilla marketing as her flagship attraction and apparently a gorilla permit in Rwanda is sold at $750 which in turn fetches considerate revenue. Mountain gorillas are worldly critically endangered and are known to be thriving in the countryside of Rwanda, Uganda and Congo in the Virunga Massif and the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in the Uganda’s south west where gorilla trekking safaris in Uganda are carried out.
Rwanda has carried out a lot of marketing initiatives and among these includes the latest invention of the Kwita izina ceremony since 2005 where baby gorillas are named by notable personalities from the international community. This is becoming international and world travelers are increasingly undertaking Rwanda gorilla safaris and tours to participate in this memorable encounter. This is not only a tourism revenue generating initiative but a remarkable conservation strategy technique that have seen the mounting gorillas numbers increase from the 2005 figure of 370 to the 2015 figure of 514. The gorilla tourism also generates $10 million per annum.
Besides gorilla safari in Rwanda, the country’s tourism has rolled out to flourish in other products. The Congo Nile divide trail which is a 10 day hiking adventure along the raised landscape that divides the water catchments from River Nile and River Congo is one of the remarkable inventions that Rwanda has added to its list of must do encounters by travelers on Rwanda safari. The fishing encounter on Lake Kivu which is the largest lake in Rwanda, the famous canopy walk in Nyungwe or the impressive game walking safari in Akagera National Park commune to generate the memorable and diverse tourist experience in Rwanda. This is a justification that Rwanda’s tourist has rose from grass to grace.
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