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Monday, June 23, 2014

Rwanda’s Kwita Izina (Mountain Gorilla Naming) Ceremony for July 01, 2014

Rwanda will celebrate the birth of 18 baby gorillas at the 10th anniversary of Kwita Izina, the annual gorilla naming ceremony. The event will take place in Kinigi, Musanze on 1 July 2014. This year’s theme is ‘A Decade: Conserving-Empowering-Growing’.

“On this occasion, we will not only celebrate the birth of one of the world’s most endangered species but also the efforts of individuals, organisations and nations involved in the preservation of these rare animals,”

Rwanda’s community led conservation efforts have led to a 26.3% growth in the population of gorillas since 2003 and Kwita Izina has been key to this success. This is also thanks to the Government of Rwanda which has ensured tourism flourishes in a secure and enabling environment.”

Early this year, Kwita Izina won second prize in the UNWTO Ulysses Award for Innovation in Public Policy and Governance. The Rwanda Development Board recognises enhanced national conservation practices and community ownership of projects around the Volcanoes National Park that have seen beneficiaries empowered and their lives improved.

Rwanda’s tourism sector has also been growing remarkably. In 2013, Rwanda hosted 1,137,000 visitors who generated $294m, up from $62m in 2000. This increase is attributed to Rwanda’s attractiveness as a travel destination, new airline routes, especially in West Africa, spearheaded by our national carrier RwandAir, an increase in unique experiences for tourists and the county’s stability and welcoming visa policies.

Kwita Izina will be marked by a series of activities starting with the launch of Basumba Primary School in Bigogwe, Nyabihu District on 26 June 2014. The school of six classrooms has been built with funds from the Shared Revenue Scheme which gives 5% of tourism profits from National Parks back to the communities surrounding the gorilla habitat. This launch will be followed by a mix of conservation, business, cultural and entertainment activities.

Kwita Izina is inspired by the ancient Rwandan tradition of naming babies soon after they are born. In the nine years since the event was established, 161 mountain gorillas have been named in a celebration of nature and the communities who protect the magnificent animals.

Kwita Izina Activities:

26 June: Official launch of Basumba Primary School in Bigogwe, Nyabihu District. The school of six classrooms has been built with funding from the Shared Revenue Scheme. It will enable over 380 children to easily access education facilities.

28 June: Global Umuganda. Participants will have an opportunity to participate in the Global Umuganda. The community work reflects on the culture and commitment of Rwandans to clean and conserve the environment.

28 June: B2B meetings, Serena Hotel, Kigali: This platform will provide an opportunity for local tourism operators to showcase Rwanda tourism experiences to domestic, regional and international markets.

29-30 June: Gorilla Conservation and Community Exhibition at Musanze Stadium. The aim of the exhibition is to showcase what has been achieved in conservation and community empowerment through the 5% revenue sharing scheme.

30 June: Igitaramo (Community Party) in Kinigi is a night of cultural immersion with performances from local dance troupes and musicians.

1 July: Kwita Izina Gorilla Naming Ceremony at Volcanoes National Park

Key Tourism and Hospitality Facts and Figures:

Rwanda has three National Parks: Akagera National Park, Nyungwe National Park and Volcano National Park.
Rwanda has many unique tourist attractions including the mountain gorillas, golden monkeys, eco-tourism, heritage & leisure experiences.
Rwanda is becoming increasingly attractive for Conference Tourism (MICE); recently hosting the African Development Bank meetings and will host the World Export Development Forum in September, among other events.
In 2010, Rwanda hosted 666,000 visitors who generated US$ 200M - a 14% increase from 2009. In 2013, Rwanda hosted 1,137,000 visitors who generated $294m, up from $62m in 2000.
Tourism receipts are expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 25% until 2017 (EDPRS 2 targets).

Rwanda has over 380 accommodation establishments and approx. 6,500 accommodation rooms. Upper range occupancy rate is 70%, with foreigners accounting for 97% of beds availed.
The rapid growth of RwandAir in addition to other airlines serving Kigali such as KLM, SN Brussels, Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines, Kenya Airways and Ethiopian Airlines allow for easy access to the country from all over the world.

For gorilla permits availability for other months, most certainly the dates are available but please contact us to confirm before you go ahead with your flights bookings.

In case you want gorilla tracking in Uganda, kindly drop us an email (info@gorillasandwildlifesafaris.com and gorillasandwildlifesafari@gmail.com) and we will let you know of the possibilities.

Rwanda and Uganda Gorilla Treks: Tracking Gorillas and Chimps across Uganda and Rwanda in Volcanoes National Park, Bwindi Impenetrable, Kibale National Park

4 days Uganda+ Rwanda Gorilla
This is a 4 day safari which starts and ends in Kigali- Rwanda with 2 gorilla permits (for Parc Nationale des Volcanoes and Bwindi in Uganda) included in the. Having a chance to see some of the last remaining 840 mountain gorillas in the world is a wonderful experience. It offers you an opportunity to track gorillas two times.

5 Days of Rwanda Uganda gorillas, primates with Golden Monkeys Tracking trekking Rwanda
This is a 4 day safari which starts and ends in Kigali- Rwanda. One gorilla permit for Parc Nationale des Volcanoes is included in the cost but the other gorilla trackings require other permits to be paid at time of booking. Having a chance to see some of the last remaining 700 mountain gorillas in the world is a wonderful experience. It offers you an opportunity to track gorillas two times. Parc Nationale des Volcanoes in Rwanda has five habituated gorilla families and tracking most groups in the afro-montane forest usually takes a few hours. You can also climb a volcano, visit the remains of Dian Fossey's grave or visit the endangered golden monkey.

5 days Uganda+ Rwanda Gorillas
with gorilla treks in Volcanoes National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The tour starts and ends in Uganda. You can choose to track golden monkeys instead of doing a second gorilla trek in Rwanda.

5 days Rwanda+ Uganda Gorilla tracking tour
This is a 5 day safari which starts and ends in Kigali- Rwanda with 2 gorilla permits (for Parc Nationale des Volcanoes and Bwindi in Uganda) included in the. Having a chance to see some of the last remaining 700 mountain gorillas in the world is a wonderful experience. It offers you an opportunity to track gorillas two times and thus have a totally different experience with two different gorilla families each in a very unique habitat.

5 days Gorillas trek Rwanda and Safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park Uganda
This is a 5 day safari which starts and ends in Kigali- Rwanda. One gorilla permit for Parc Nationale des Volcanoes is included in the cost but the other gorilla trackings require other permits to be paid at time of booking. Having a chance to see some of the last remaining 700 mountain gorillas in the world is a wonderful experience. It offers you an opportunity to track gorillas two times. Parc Nationale des Volcanoes in Rwanda has five habituated gorilla families and tracking most groups in the afro-montane forest usually takes a few hours. You can also climb a volcano, visit the remains of Dian Fossey's grave or visit the endangered golden monkey.
Queen Elizabeth National Park to see wildlife like lions, leopard, elephants, hippos, buffalo plus over 500 bird species.

5-day Uganda Rwanda gorillas tracking safari + Lake Bunyonyi Canoe Trek
with gorilla treks in Volcanoes National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The tour starts and ends in Uganda or Rwanda. You can choose to track golden monkeys instead of doing a second gorilla trek in Rwanda.

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Rwanda’s Mountain Gorilla Naming Ceremony (Kwita Izina) set for Awards

Rwanda’s annual Kwita Izina, which invlolves the Rwandan tradition of having the community and invited guests name the baby Mountain Gorillas, will join two other projects for the United Nations World Tourism Organisation Ulysses Award.

The finals are set for Madrid, Spain on January 22nd. This was announced by the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) after a list of the finalists were published at the end of last year.

“We are so grateful for this chance to participate in the finals of innovative projects by UNWTO,” Valentine Rugwabiza, the RDB Chief Executive Officer said.

He said this was a global recognition of the efforts by Rwanda in innovative, community focused and sustainable tourism.

Kwita Izina was launched in 2005 and has so far seen 173 baby gorillas named by different people who include the Rwandan President Paul Kagame, the First Lady Jeanette Kagame, various Hollywood stars, renowned journalists, tourism personalities, conservationists among others.

Such an event is in line with creating and raising awareness for the conservation of the endangered mountain gorillas. At the same time Rwandan tourist attractions and destinations are promoted, particularly for the community surrounding the Volcanoes National Park where the gorillas live.
“Rwanda is on the right track of developing tourism and RDB will continue forming a basis for continued positioning of the country as a high end destination that puts first sustainable tourism development which integrates both biodiversity and the community development,” the Head of Tourism and Conservation at RDB, Rica Rwigaba, said.
She said this was a great opportunity to market Rwanda even more widely in the tourism industry.

During the forthcoming 10^th edition of Kwita Izina later this year, it is anticipated that the event will get increased publicity due to UN-WTO recognition.

To date, the event has raised Rwf586,838,751, (about $978,065) for community development as part of the RDB’s tourism revenue sharing scheme.
it has evolved from a one day celebration to weeks and this mainly benefits the surrounding community.

Since 2003 UNWTO awards for excellence and Innovation in Tourism have honored tourism initiatives that contribute to advanced tourism through knowledge and innovation in line with principles of the UNWTO Global Code of Ethics for Tourism and United Nations Millennium Development Goals.

This event has again increased on revenue got from tourism and therefore this is why it is crucial to be developed even more.

Meanwhile according to UNWTO, compared to the same period in 2012, international tourist arrivals grew 5 percent in the first nine months of 2013, UNWTO’s latest ‘UNWTO World Tourism Barometer’ shows that destinations around the world welcomed a record 845 million overnight visitors in the first nine months of this year. That’s 41 million more overnight visitors than the first nine months of 2012.

Growth was especially strong in Europe and Asia Pacific, where international tourists numbers rose 6 percent.

Thursday, April 25, 2013

TOURISM TO MUSANZE CAVE TO BE OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED

I have previously written about how you can conduct an excursion to the Musanze Caves near Volcanoes National Park – home of gorilla trekking in Rwanda. Now, after great re-invention by the RDB – Rwanda’s Tourism Body, the site is set to be officially launched for tourism activity in a space of a few weeks from now according to information received from the Rwanda Development Board’s Tourism and Conservation Department.

Located north of the country in Musanze District, the site has had a major facelift with establishment of tourist walkways and trails, stairs and other safety measures for tourists.

Apart from tracking the mountain gorillas, visitors to this region have previously been restricted only to fewer options for the extra days they would spend in the area like hiking the Kariosoke, Hiking to the Diana Fossey Grave and mountain gorilla graveyard, golden monkey tracking, a visit to Lake Bulera, Cultural village visits and visits to Gisenyi (Lake Kivu).

In fact scores of tourists have managed to spend only a day in the area and departed immediately after their one-day gorilla tracking activity. In some way this obviously has led to loss of potential revenue as these visitors have the potential to spend more in the local community if they had the choice tourist activities to engage them. Certainly they would even spend at least a night or more in order to engage in these activities.

Related articles:

Trek to Dian Fossey Tomb (Grave) Hike

Climbing Mount Karisimbi (Rwanda)

All you need to know about Golden Monkey Tracking in Volcanoes National Park Rwanda

When is the Best time for gorilla trekking/ tracking in Rwanda and Uganda?

What to wear and take when trekking to see the gorillas?

How to do a 1-Day Rwanda mountain gorilla trekking tour ...

All you need to know about Golden Monkey Tracking in Volcanoes National Park Rwanda

Mountain Gorilla Trekking Tour Packages in Rwanda and Uganda
3 days Uganda Gorilla tour
4 days Rwanda Gorilla Tour -
1 day Gorilla trek Rwanda with tour price
2 days Gorilla tracking Rwanda with tour price
3 day Gorilla tracking Rwanda with tour price
5 days Gorillas trek Rwanda and Safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park Uganda
5 days Rwanda, Uganda Gorillas
6 days gorilla tracking, wildlife safari
14 days Uganda Rwanda Safari
7 days Uganda Gorilla Safaris
9 days Gorillas, primates wildlife
8 days Uganda Gorilla Game safari7 days Gorillas, chimpanzee, wildlife -

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Rwanda’s RDB to Grade more hotels

tours/uganda-chimp-wildlife-gorilla-trek-7-days/sing the East African Community’s guidelines for grading and classification of hotels and other hospitality businesses, RDB is reportedly committed to play their part in ensuring that standards and quality of tourism establishments in Rwanda are uplifted to match if not exceed those of their neighbours in the East African community.

The Rwanda Development Board’s Tourism and Conservation Department is set to grade at least 30 more hotels this year, following the start of the exercise last year. tours/uganda-chimp-wildlife-gorilla-trek-7-days/sing the East African Community’s guidelines for grading and classification of hotels and other hospitality businesses, RDB is reportedly committed to play their part in ensuring that standards and quality of tourism establishments in Rwanda are uplifted to match if not exceed those of their neighbours in the East African community. Presently only the Kigali Serena Hotel and the Nyungwe Forest Lodge by DubaiWorld hold the coveted 5 star ranking, while a number of other Kigali hotels were graded as four star properties, as was the Lake Kivu Serena. A number of other establishments have requested to be put on the list for upcoming inspections to ensure they too can publicly announce and display their star rating once the exercise is complete. Those already graded will however also undergo a fresh audit to ensure that standards established at first inspection will have been maintained to ensure continued high ranking, also giving others the opportunity to attain a further star, should improvement made over the past two years warrant such a decision.

‘When you were here last time we discussed the very issue of standards. Rwanda is a niche destination, still largely focused on gorilla tracking. The new products launched over the past two or three years however have attracted a lot of attention. Hiking is now a regular activity, in Nyungwe Forest, Gishwati Forest and along the Congo-Nile Trail. Birding has become an important additional niche. It is now important to raise our standards so when visitors come to Rwanda as an extension of their Kenya or Tanzania holiday they get the best possible quality, in guides, in infrastructure and of course in hospitality. There is always room to improve but we have made it our mission to accomplish certain goals sooner rather than later. When the new Marriott will open, it will compete at level terms with the Serena and that is good for the country as it offers another 5 star choice. Our MICE business is growing strongly too and that segment of the market in particular is really very much interested in quality facilities. Rwanda is going places’ said a source in Kigali working at a hotel but, for not being the official company spokesperson had to opt for an off the record comment.

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Rwanda looks to Russia, China for new markets of Rich Tourists

Russia and China are increasingly becoming sources of both high-end leisure tourists and also mass tourists because of the increasing wealth among their populations and also their thirsty to explore new destinations like Africa.

Rwanda will this year market its tourist attractions to Russia and China in a new strategy that is expected to woo more leisure tourists to boost the East African country’s tourism revenue.

The move follows the passing of a new tourism marketing strategy last year, which aims at helping the country to target potential markets and consolidate marketing efforts in the existing markets with the view to increase high-end tourists.

Rica Rwigamba, the Head of Tourism and Conservation Directorate at the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) which is charged with fast-tracking Rwanda’s economic development says that the country seeks to continue increasing the number of foreign leisure tourists who contribute at least 40% of the country’s revenue collected from the tourism sector. Mountain gorillas in North West of Rwanda remain the major attraction to most western leisure tourists.

“This year we passed a new tourism marketing strategy and we have identified the need not only to diversify our products but also approaching new markets. Two main markets that we have identified are Russia and China because there are people who have the capacity to travel more and spend more money,” Rwigamba said in December 2012.

She says that Rwanda will in 2013 have representatives in the two countries who will particularly be dealing with the markets there.

“We are targeting specialised tourism companies into these markets because they will be able to go and target tourists. We expect them to increase the number of tour operators as well,” Rwigamba further explained.

However, Rwigamba added that more efforts will continue to be invested in retaining and developing the existing markets such as the tours/uganda-chimp-wildlife-gorilla-trek-7-days/nited States, tours/uganda-chimp-wildlife-gorilla-trek-7-days/nited Kingdom, Belgium and Germany to continue boosting the number of high-spenders from these markets.

More specifically, Rwanda is focusing much on exploiting the Germany and tours/uganda-chimp-wildlife-gorilla-trek-7-days/K tourism markets. Germany continues to be the big spender in Europe whereas tours/uganda-chimp-wildlife-gorilla-trek-7-days/K has developed deep interest and connection with Rwanda which provides a huge potential for Rwanda’s tourism sector. But the number of tourists coming from the two countries to Rwanda is still small.

Currently, there are direct flights between Rwanda and some European countries such as Netherlands through KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Belgium through Brussels Airlines and Turkey through the Turkish Airlines.

Rwigamba says that Rwanda will continue to take advantage of these airlines and some European tourists that have developed deep knowledge on the Rwandan tourism market offers as an outstanding advantage for the country to attract more European visitors.

Tourism continues to be Rwanda’s leading foreign exchange earner outpacing other export oriented sectors such as coffee, tea and mining in terms of revenue. This year alone, according to the National Export Strategy (NES), tourism revenue is expected to be tours/uganda-chimp-wildlife-gorilla-trek-7-days/S$261 million.

But between Jan. and Sept. 2012, RDB says that tourism revenue rose to tours/uganda-chimp-wildlife-gorilla-trek-7-days/S$210.5 million, representing an increase of 14% compared to the same period in 2011. The number of visitors also grew by 28% to 800,122 compared the same period in 2011.

Visitors from member states of the East African Community (EAC) and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) rose 34% to 639,536 while international visitors rose 4% to 130,586.

However, visitors from what RDB calls key markets such as the tours/uganda-chimp-wildlife-gorilla-trek-7-days/.S. tours/uganda-chimp-wildlife-gorilla-trek-7-days/K. Belgium and Germany are still few in numbers but they are considered big spenders.

RDB’s statistics show that the number of Americans who visited Rwanda was higher than that of other individual countries considered as key markets.

At least 18,459 Americans visited Rwanda followed by 10,126 British, 7,675 Belgians and 7,103 Germans. Overall, leisure attracted 70,383 visitors while business attracted 295,322. Leisure visitors rose 19% while business visitors rose 17%.