It was revealed yesterday in a press conference on Kwita Izina activity roadmap for 2019 held at the Kigali Convention and Exhibition Village.
Held under the ‘Conservation is Life’ theme, this year’s naming ceremony will take place in Kinigi at the foothill of Volcanoes National Park, Northern Province on 6th September 2019.
Kwita Izina, a uniquely Rwandan event introduced in 2005 with the aim of creating awareness of conservation efforts for the endangered mountain gorillas. 25 infant mountain gorillas will be named this year.
Rwanda became the official tourism partner of Arsenal last year. The three-year partnership saw the new “Visit Rwanda” logo featured on the left sleeve of all first team, under-23 and Arsenal Women’s matches from the new season that started in August 2018.
The deal highlights Rwanda’s tourism offerings such as the National Parks, which are attracting the number of tourists due to growing numbers of wildlife including black rhino, lions, zebra, chimpanzees and the famous mountain gorillas, as well as the investment opportunities in the country.
RDB revealed that the cost of the partnership was catered by funds dedicated to promoting Rwanda, attracting investors and tourists.
RDB Chief Tourism Officer, Belise Kaliza has told the media that Rwanda, Arsenal partnership has borne fruits within one year.
“Before the signing of the partnership between Arsenal and RDB last year, 71% of Arsenal fans globally did not think of Rwanda as a tourist destination. At the end of the first year of the partnership, half of Arsenal fans would consider Rwanda as a destination to visit,” she said.
“In terms of overall value, the partnership so far, in year one, is worth £ 36 million (over Frw 36 billion). This number is based on TV viewership and social media. These statistics were compiled by Nielsen, Blinkfire Analytics and research agency Hall, and Partners,” added Kaliza.
This year, using the park revenues in 2018, RDB distributed Rwf1.4 billion in total to the revenue share program. This was up from Rwf 741 million in 2017.
In 2018, Rwanda hosted 1.711 million visitors. Visitor arrivals increased by 8% compared to 2017.
Figures from RDB indicate that Akagera National Park was the most visited park with 51, 724 visits in 2018, an increase of 17% since 2017. Nyungwe received 15, 665 visitors in 2018, up 9%. Overall park revenues reached over $ 21,153,292 in 2018
In 2018, RDB sold 15,132 gorilla permits worth US$ 19.2 million, a 25% increase compared to 2017. In 2016, before the increase in the permit price, RDB sold 22,219 permits worth US$ 15 million.
US tourist visits to Rwanda have grown by 114% according to Virtuoso. The luxury agency network, Virtuoso in their latest data release noted that Rwanda was among the top 10 countries that have experienced significant increases by percentage in year-over-year bookings among American travelers.
US visitors spend an average of $12,000, making them the most lucrative source market. Chinese nationals spend an average of $1,084, ranking 10th. Nigerians are the top African spenders, spending an average of $1,498 per stay, raking higher than Australians and only slightly below the French.
In terms of accommodation, Rwanda now has up to over 14,000 hotel rooms, up from only 4,000 in 2009.
Since 2010, RDB saw a jump of over 200% in the number of Rwandans visiting Akagera, Nyungwe and Volcanoes National Parks. Just in one year, from 2017 to 2018, RDB saw a 21.5 % increase.
Through the Tembera u’Rwanda local campaign, RDB has given over 400 young Rwandans the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to trek the endangered mountain gorilla for free.
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