Category: Tourism

Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda have formed a joint tourism marketing committee to among other things promote East African tourism sites at the World Travel Market Exhibition in London, starting next week (7-9 November).

Describing the imitative as the first ever joint exhibition by the three East African countries, Godfrey Kiwanda, the state minister for tourism, said the move will enhance the growth of the tourism sector in the region.

“This year’s exhibition is also unique because of the preparatory work that has been done by the East Africa tourism platform as well as Kamageo, the public relations firm that Government contracted to market Uganda in the UK and Ireland. Over 20 Ugandan tour operators and Government agencies will participate in the exhibition,” he said.

In October, Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda launched a single entry tourist visa to allow free movement of tourists within the region. “We now promote East Africa as a region, and if you recall, the East African tourist visa has been operational for a couple of years now. Tourists can use a single visa to visit Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda,” he added.

According to the website of World Travel Market London, during the event, various tourism actors will meet industry professionals and conduct business deals.

Kiwanda said Uganda’s tourism sector will benefit from the event because professional public relation firms have been conducting aggressive awareness for the unique sites in the country.

In January, at a cost of $1.5m (sh3.5b),Uganda Tourism Board contracted three firms to conduct public relations for the country—PHG Consulting for the North America market, Kamageo for the United Kingdom (UK) and Ireland; and KPRN for the German speaking Europe.

Kigali, 27th Sept, 2015: Rwanda marks the 2015 World Tourism Day celebrations at the Rulindo Cultural Center in Rulindo District, which is yet another tourist spot with a package combining cultural showcase and a community-based tourism.

The tourism day celebration is significant as it is a major step in the direction to showcase various aspects of Rwanda’s tourism offering beyond the gorilla, a lifetime experience.

Speaking in the ceremony, the Rwanda Development Board’s Chief Tourism Officer, Belise Kariza, reveals, the Rulindo Cultural Centre was selected as the venue for this year’s celebration of World Tourism Day. “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 in the period 2014/2015. This anticipated boost in tourism revenue reveals a pressing need for the development of new and innovation tourism products. The Rulindo Cultural Centre comes in line with Rwanda Development Bard’s mission of connecting various Destination Management Areas through tourism product diversification in order to increase the length of stay of our visitors.

An exhibition showcasing art pieces, handcrafts and tourism beneficiaries’ achievements will bring together 50 exhibitors. On the same day, will be launched the Rwanda ever first cultural book, 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 inclusive 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 countless opportunities that benefit the world’s population in significant ways.

The Government of Rwanda readily embraces the theme as it ramps up efforts to develop and diversify the country’s offering, including cultural tourism while the tourism sector is still Rwanda’s leading export reporting an annual growth rate of 4%.

The Rulindo Cultural Center is located on the Kigali- Musanze road, a 25km drive from Kigali Capital City, Rulindo is home to historic sites, mining and agricultural grounds and a highly successful community-based tourism model. Rulindo Cultural Centre is a remarkable showcase and preservation of Rwandan culture and tradition through arts.

AKAGERA NATIONAL PARK, Rwanda (AP) – One dog being trained to track poachers in a Rwandan national park is nicknamed “Machine” because of his reputed stamina on a trail. Another dog is known as “Professor” because of his seemingly analytical approach when following a scent.

They are, respectively, a 4-year-old Belgian Malinois whose regular name is Bruno and a 3-year-old Dutch Shepherd called Duco. They are among eight dogs, along with some Kenyan handlers, who were transferred to Rwanda by the foundation of U.S. philanthropist Howard G. Buffett. Earlier, they were deployed in Central African Republic to sniff out captives and members of the Lord’s Resistance Army, whose leader Joseph Kony is wanted for war crimes.

In Rwanda, the dogs are staying in new kennels at Akagera National Park, where bushmeat poaching has traditionally been a problem. African Parks, a Johannesburg-based group that manages the park, re-introduced lions there this year, nearly two decades after they were wiped out by livestock herders. It also plans to bring in rhinos, whose horns are coveted by poachers.

“The dogs make a huge difference,” said Sean Kelly, a former South African military dog handler who trained the dogs in Central African Republic and has worked with anti-poaching canine units in South Africa, including at the Sabi Sands wildlife reserve.

A wildlife park can distract an inquisitive dog seeking to investigate every animal scent. The key, Kelly said, is to get the dog to focus on the aroma around a footprint or some other clue identifying the quarry.

“You’re teaching the dog to ignore each and every scent except for the scent that you as the handler gives him,” he said.

Bruno and Duco initially struggled in Central African Republic but did “extremely well” after a refresher course in “scent discrimination,” comfortably tracking scents up to 1.8 miles (three kilometers), Kelly said.

U.S.-backed Ugandan troops have been searching in Central African Republic for Lord’s Resistance Army members and captives.

In its 2013 annual report, the Howard G. Buffett Foundation said it funded “K9 tracking units to find and recover victims kidnapped by the LRA,” including young boys forced to join the rebels and young girls coerced into becoming sex slaves, as well as the children from those rapes.

The dogs operated in denser terrain in Central African Republic, but did not have to deal with the kind of varied wildlife living in Akagera.

During an exercise, Kelly monitored data from GPS collars as Bruno and Duco, both leashed, took turns zigzagging through dry grassland, pursuing a scent laid by park staff in camouflage uniforms.

“Find him! Find him!” urged Duco’s handler, Japhet Nshimiyimana.

Duco fared better than Bruno, who was not with his usual handler. The dogs in Akagera actually have more experience than the handlers, who must read a dog’s glance, head swivel and other body language while sometimes operating in heat that quickly dissipates scent, according to Kelly.

Earlier, Duco nipped Kelly on the ear, drawing blood and a gentle reprimand.

“You’re supposed to give kisses, not bites,” the trainer said.

The Associated Press.

This year’s edition of the annual Mountain Gorilla-naming ceremony will see the launch of Kwita Izina awards to recognise local conservationists for their lifetime achievements and contributions to the wildlife conservation and tourism.

The Kwita Izina ceremony will be held on 5th September in Kinigi in Northern Rwanda.

The biannual awards are also in line with encouraging local communities to play a continuous role in the protection of environment for better future.

This Year’s Kwita Izina theme is “‘Conserving now and for the future’, as part of a broader focus on the benefits of Kwita Izina as a conservation initiative.

The Rwanda Development Board’s Chief Tourism Officer, Ambassador Yamina Karitanyi, announced that “Through Kwita Izina, we will not only celebrate the birth of 24 baby gorillas, but will also acknowledge the impact that local communities have had on sustained conservation. Together, we have worked with rangers, guides, conservation groups and local communities to take proactive steps to restore and enhance the habitat of not only the gorillas but of other wild life as well”

Naming a newly born baby has been part of Rwandan culture and tradition for centuries.

Given the remarkable efforts by the Government of Rwanda, through the Rwanda Development Board, and in collaboration with various conservation partners and local communities, to actively protect the Mountain Gorillas and their habitat, the old naming century’s tradition was modelled on these species to get the national brand known as “Kwita Izina”.

Kwita Izina, a uniquely Rwandan event, was introduced in 2005 with the aim of creating awareness of conservation efforts for the endangered mountain gorilla
A general census that was carried out in 2010 has showed that in 2010, the gorilla population registered a 26,3% growth in a period of 7 years from 2003.

Since 2007, tourism has been the leading sector in foreign exchange earnings for the country.

The objective is to grow tourism revenues by 25% per annum as projected in the Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy 2.