Tuesday, November 7, 2017
President Paul Kagame had received an award for his efforts in promotion of sustainable tourism and conservation.
The award was presented by the World Travel Market, an annual world leading tourism and trade fair currently underway in London, England.
The event organisers of World Travel Market observed that President Paul Kagame had made bold decisions in conservation, investing in infrastructure and making Rwanda an attractive eco tourism destination for visitors and investors.
Kagame said Rwanda is in the process of increasing connections to the rest of the world to further position the country as a leading destination. The government of Rawanda is also finding ways to multiply Rwanda’s connections with the rest of the world which is what this award represents. The process of opening up the country, he said, is also replicated across Africa.
Among the ways that the country of Rawanda is increasing its accessibility to tourists from all across the world include the expansion of national carrier destination.
He said that it is getting easier to travel to Africa, RwandAir which now flies to 24 destinations on the continent and beyond, including London.
The accessibility is additional supported by accommodation visa policies such as ‘visa on arrival’ for African passport holders and select countries beyond the continent.
The President said that the sustainable tourism efforts have involved a large section of Rwandans who protect the environment as well as invest in infrastructure needed to grow the tourism sector.
The growth in the tourism industry, he said, has proven to be a driver of shared prosperity as the government ensures that citizens are direct beneficiaries.
Among the approaches for shared prosperity include a revenue sharing scheme whereby communities living around Rwanda’s national parks receive a percentage of the tourism receipts.
