19 August 2008
Revenue receipts collected from the tourism industry have increased by 15 per cent with a collection of $80m in just six months. According to officials in Kigali this figure has surpassed the $68m target that was envisaged for the year 2008.
Office Rwandais du Tourisme et des Parcs Nationaux (ORTPN), Rwanda's agency that regulates the tourism industry and the country's national parks said last week that the collected revenue now officially makes the tourism industry the number one foreign exchange earner contributing about 3.7 per cent to Rwanda's Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
In the last six months, more than 410,000 tourists have come into the country, a record 3.4 per cent increase accounting for 22 per cent growth in revenue over the same period. The tourism agency now envisages that for the remaining half year Rwanda's tourism revenue could grow to $148m and visitors receipts at 884,220.
In 2007, ORTPN said revenue from tourism hit the $42.3m mark and for the first time topping coffee and tea exports - the traditional biggest foreign exchange earners.
The Rwanda Investment and Export Promotion Agency says that both coffee and tea exports earned $35.6m and $31.5m respectively last year. However statistics released early this year indicated that the revamped mining industry had emerged the country's top revenue earner attracting some $60m for the year 2007.
The tourism turnover is attributed to increased and improved accommodation facilities. Room capacity has increased from 2,391 in 2007 to 3,282 rooms countrywide.
The success of the recently concluded Gorilla naming ceremony referred to as 'Kwita Izina' that attracted over 150 conservationists both local and international was also partly responsible for the good results.
"In collaboration with the private sector, there are already nine new hotel projects with 416 rooms that will be operational by the end of 2008.
Worth noting is that there were only 651 rooms available in 2003," Ms Rosette Rugamba, the Director General of ORTPN said. ORTPN now targets to bring in more than 70,000 tourists by 2010.
It has also earmarked $112,000m for support of Child-headed Households of the genocide survivors in Ntarama, as part of its corporate social policy.
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