Rwanda carries its tourism business to a better level

During the recently concluded World Tourism Day festivities in Mumbai, India, Rwanda managed to put itself out in the spotlight through its Rwanda community tourism model.

These models include the communities around the different tourist sites participating in activities like cultural dances, drama and folklore or teaching tourists how to prepare local dishes, and traditional medicine, among other activities.

This came after Clarence Fernandez who is the Rwanda Development Board representative in Mumbai, presented a paper on how tourism is greatly contributing to the growth and development of communities in Rwanda. He then explained that 5% of the proceeds from tourist attractions are given to the surrounding communities in a scheme called profit sharing and this money is provided in terms of services like schools, health centers and roads.

There are also some volunteers who are helping the community market their handicrafts in international markets, which has enabled many of the residents to kick out poverty. RDB has had former poachers and their families join co-operatives that engage in community and cultural tourism, more so those in areas surrounding the national park in the western and southern provinces.  In this case, they have a sustainable source of income which is not even illegal.

There were delegates from Rwanda, Kenya, South Africa, Belgium, Reunion Islands, Oman, Thailand and Vietnam that attended the event.

Meanwhile, Elsie Gabriel who is the founder of Young Environmentalists Programme Trust, part of the event organizers, also mentioned about the importance of  developing the communities that are affected directly or indirectly by tourism activities and also highlighted  how different  stakeholders can contribute to such development for the good of the society and the whole country at large.

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