Despite having been destroyed by the 1994 genocide where thousands of people were killed, Rwanda has struggled to overhaul its image abroad and emerge as a destination of choice for many foreign tourists.

The 2011 World Economic Forum Travel and Tourism competitiveness report ranked Rwanda as the most preferred tourism destination in the East African region. The new country in the survey came 7th in the Sub-Saharan Africa region and 102nd out of 139 countries worldwide.

Kenya was ranked 8th in Sub-Saharan Africa while Tanzania, Uganda and Burundi came in the 11th, 13th and 28th positions respectively.

Last year Rwanda won the International Tourism expo for the fourth time in a row. Among others, the award was attributed to having the most beautiful stand of all African countries present. Prior to that, Rwanda had been the only African country to be awarded with one of the five awards at the 2009 World Travel Market Exhibition in London.

At the time, Rwanda scooped the Best Stand Personnel award beating 600 selected exhibitors. The staff at the Rwanda booth has been described by WTM as very friendly, vibrant and culturally authentic.

The annual WTM event attracted nearly 50,000 exhibitors and over 2,500 travel media from over 190 countries. Rwanda's ranking has been made possible by the government's prioritisation of the sector and investing heavily in intensive marketing of the country's image and its tourism products to create opportunities.

The country has participated at numerous global trade tourism exhibitions to create awareness of the country's diverse beauty and attractions and all these have helped portray it as a destination of choice.

Last year, Rwanda received about 666,000 tourists who contributed $200 million to its economy, representing a 14 per cent growth when compared to 2009.

The Rwanda government also plans to increase its publicity campaigns that are aimed at pushing the country as a unique tourism destination in Africa and in the EAC region in 2011.

Rwanda also diversified its tourism products to expand its traditional offering of gorillas, savannah, baskets and traditional dancers to include canopy swings, cave tourism and new city tours.

The introduction of various the new tourism packages is said to have attracted new tourists to the East African country, generating more income for the country. The country has also invested in improving its infrastructure including roads, hotels, restaurants and education, which are key elements to a vibrant tourism sector.