Residents of Rubavu district have been urged to play a major role in promoting tourism activities by welcoming tourists, maintain tourist attractions sites and avoiding the habit of begging visitors.

Jean Marie Vianney Ruhamanya, the district official in charge of cooperatives and tourism, says that the district has come up with a tourism promotion agenda for 2013 and there is need to have the contribution of residents in order to achieve it.

The Rwanda Development Board (RDB) has designated Rubavu district as one of the priority areas of tourism zones because of its vast tourist attractions. The district has over 30 sites which range from historical sites, natural forests, lakes and rivers, mountains among others.

Ruhamanya said that residents must maintain the general cleanliness of the designated sites, and give a warm welcome to tourists who visit the historical, and show a sign of self respect which will encourage more tourists to visit and thus more foreign earnings through the sector.

To the contrary, most residents living around these sites, in Rubavu district expressed ignorance of the value of tourist sites but were supportive of the district initiative.

Tourism is the largest foreign exchange earner in Rwanda’s economy. From January 2012, the sector brought in US$232million from US$204millions- making an increment of US$28million.

In his state of the nation address in 2012, President Paul Kagame also called Rwandans to promote the sector so as to give a good image of the country and encourage more tourists to visit the country as one of the most favorable tourist destinations in Africa.

Tourists in Rwanda also confirmed that their stay in Kigali city and the countryside is mainly marked with a sense of safety and feeling welcomed in the community despite the cultural differences.

“everywhere you go, you find there are security personnel and one of the biggest experiences of safety was one our truck had mechanical problems- the police and residents were there to help” one Mark O’Connell says, “even while walking on the streets of Kigali, I have never had a thought that someone would rob me, unlike in other cities in Africa.

A research report codenamed “‘Global States of Mind’ released by Gallup on October 31, 2012, indicated that Rwanda ranked top of the list of African countries where citizens are least likely to feel safe according to a research report conducted and

Rwanda scored 92percent followed by Georgia 91percent, and Qatar 91percent, while in Africa Niger was the second ranked country at 84 per cent

Responding to the outcomes of the Director General of Rwanda Governance Board, Prof. Anastase Shyaka, on December 4, 2012, expressed satisfaction that the governance approach the country has chosen to apply is working for its people, as reported in the influential Gallup’s World Poll of 2012

Prof. Shyaka said Rwanda would continue to build on the successes mentioned above in the effort to take good governance to even higher levels.

The research also highlighted issues of widespread corruption in government indicators, in which Rwanda ranked as the second, scoring 12percent, next to Singapore which scores 5percent, in terms of least widespread of corruption.

A tourism company, ‘Gazella Safaris’ has embarked on emphasizing tourism in Rwandan society especially youth starting in Bugesera district and proceeding to other parts of Rwanda.

Marie Claire Ingabire, Director of Gazella Safaris asserts that tourism is all about relaxation and pleasure but many Rwandans never spare time to eye their country’s treasures.

“It’s not having money that makes whites tour our land, but because they understand the importance of travelling and touring. Even those without a lot of money spend time saving to visit countries tourist attractions,” she narrates.

Ingabire reveals that they have introduced the program to the four schools in Bugesera district that is Nyamata High school, ETO Nyamata, GS Catholique and GS EPR.

“We formed “tumenye ubukerarugendo” clubs, which are responsible for sensitizing other students on the importance of tourism,” she adds.

Augustin Mudahunga, Assistant Director of Gazella Safaris

Assistant Director of Gazella Safaris, Augustin Mudahunga says that Rwandans are not much into tourism just because they do not understand how and what to tour.

“We have different bird species and a lot of lakes in Bugesera district, why is it that Rwandans do not appreciate nature when it’s not expensive?” he wonders

It’s for this matter that Gazella Safaris has embarked on sensitizing all people the advantages of tourism and to start from the attractions available in their areas of residence, Mudahunga points out.

He adds that ever since sensitization began in four schools, students have toured Kigali city before the end of the term.

Gazella Safaris is supported by Rwanda Development Board (RDB) in “Domestic Campaign” program, which aims at promoting tourism among Rwandese starting from Rwanda.

Google map event program is being applied in Kigali city and it will be applied soon in Rubavu, Musanze and in Kinigi aiming at attracting more tourists.

This program will help those who will want to see the tourist attractions and sites in Rwanda wherever they’re using Google.

Germain Tuyishime Gatabazi a worker in RDB and a teacher of ICT Bus in Nyabihu district explained confirmed it when talked about it on the telephone.

Google map event program was prepared by people who work in tourism in Rwanda. This program will promote tourism by making tourism places popular which can be seen by anyone on Google.

Mu rwego rwo kumenyekanisha ahantu nyaburanga mu Rwanda ku buryo uwashaka kuhamenya yakoresha ikoranabuhanga rya Interineti,gahunda ya google map event ubu yatangiye gukorwa mu mugi wa Kigali,ikazakorwa no muri Rubavu ndetse na Musanze mu kinigi ,akaba ari naho muri rusange ibikorwa byayo bikorwa kuri uyu wa 23/03/2012 ndetse no kuwa 24/03/2012.

Iyi gahunda izafasha abazajya bashaka kureba ahantu nyaburanga ho mu Rwanda, aho baba bari hose kuhamenya bakoresheje  google nk’uko Germain Tuyishime Gatabazi,umukozi wa RDB, akaba n’umwarimu muri ICT Bus mu Karere ka Nyabihu yabidutangarije ku murongo wa Telefone.

Iyi gahunda ya google map yateguwe n’abakora mu bukerarugendo mu Rwanda nk’uko Germain yakomeje abidutangariza. Iyi gahunda ikaba ari imwe mu zizatuma ubukerarugendo butera imbere hamenyekanishwa ahantu nyaburanga mu Rwanda ku buryo uwashaka kuhasura byamworohera.

The holy place

Ruhango parish, about 20 kilometers from Kabgayi in the southern province of Rwanda, is the Center Jesus Merciful home in Ruhango that every tourist cannot abstain to visit in Rwanda. (Urugo rwa Yezu Mutagatifu).

Here has been initiated the divine Mercy worship from the beginning of the 1990 years, that from all countries of the region, thousands of believers tourists and patients come, without discontinuity, every first Sundays of every month searching for their relief.

Many miraculous recoveries have been recorded here. For this reason, Ruhango became a shrine of the perpetual adoration of the Holy Sacrament attracting different kinds of people around the world.

The first miracles appeared at the parish in 1992 during a holy sacramental pilgrim that saw many sick people healed during prayers dedicated to the sick.

Sick person carried to be prayed for

Despite being a holy place full of wonders and miracles, Ruhango Jesus the merciful center has become an attractive tourist site where many people around the region tour for pleasure, exploration, need for divine and spiritual healing and much more.

Many miraculous healings do take place there, but above all, it is known as the only parish where people went for refugee during the 1994 genocide committed against the Tutsi  and none were killed which is a different story from other parishes in Rwanda.

If not a myths, people neighboring the parish say that a great miracle occurred during the 1994 genocide when a white priest who was at the parish named Stanley saw people who had took refuge at the parish staving and ordered them to cook mean while there was nothing at all to cook.

It is said here that by the time refugees were making fire a truck came from nowhere carrying food but the driver said that he is been sent by someone he did not know.

Tourists and pilgrims visiting the place will also find a cross that is said to have placed its self at the place where authorities of the parish had planned to put it.

Congregation attending prayers

Testimonies of Felicita Nyirambanje from Nyamagabe district in the southern province of Rwanda say that through prayers at the parish she was able to be healed the wounds she had for 14 years.

General prayers at the parish are conducted every first Sunday of the moths gathering thousands of people from Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi, the democratic republic of Congo and different tourists.

Ruhango parish authorities have said that the parish is set to build hostels for pilgrims and tourists who come from abroad adding that another gathering for prayers will be conducted on the

15^th of April 2012.

Tourism in Rwanda is composed of different safaris including mountain gorillas, forests, genocide memorial sites, holy places such as Kibeho and the Ruhango Jesus merciful center, mu

seums, king Rudahigwa’s palace (former King of Rwanda) and much more.

The ministry of trade and industry (MINICOM) in a move to develop tourism in Rwanda is encouraging hotel owners, tours and travel companies to hire graduates with enough knowledge in tourism and related fields.  

The director of splendid hotel in Muhanga town Jacqueline Mukagatare said it is easy to get graduates in tourism but at times non graduates do the work much better than graduates whereby she would prefer to train non graduates.

She requests for more training in every district because the previous training was held in Butare yet they work in Muhanga district.

On the other hand, the owner of Hotel Dayenu in Nyanza said graduates in tourism whom they employ do not outweigh any better those who are not graduates apart from knowing international languages.

The head of developing tourism in Rwanda development board Faustin Karasira did not agree with the arguments as he said it all depend with hotel management, experience and location of the hotel which might lead to offering good or bad service.   He gave an example of where the hotel owner controls all sections of the hotel.

He continued to say that low salaries and not training workers is among the things which cause poor service delivery and that the reason why hotel owners, tour and travel companies do not appreciate the work done by graduates in tourism is because the graduates are tasked with roles outside their field of study and are not cheap compared to un professional ones.

In a bid to promote eco-tourism and new ways to support Rwanda, Kigali Crafts is organizing a Rwanda gorilla trekking trip this summer and bookings are open to all well wish of the organization, says Amy Trumpeter, the founder and CEO of Kigali Crafts.  

Trumpeter found the organization after having a volunteer’s experience in Rwanda. The organization was set up as way of helping poor Rwandan women to earn a living out of their crafts- which the organization solicits markets for in the UK.

“Since I travel to Rwanda on an annual basis, so many people have asked me to take them to this amazing country. Organizing travel to Rwanda and expanding into eco-tourism and backpacking seemed like the next logical step for Kigali Crafts,” Trumpeter said.

She added that encouraging tourism to Rwanda is important for the economy, but also important in transforming the perceptions of Rwanda as a whole. Many people find it difficult to separate the past event of genocide from the beauty that exists in Rwanda today.

“I would like to encourage people to move away from the violent image of the country and towards an understanding of the friendliness and safety of modern day Rwanda,” she added.

Rwanda is known as ‘the land of a thousand hills’, and when you see the beautiful scenery, you will soon see why. Rwanda is most famous for its gorilla trekking. It was the location chosen by Diane Fossey (Gorillas in the Mist), to study the gorillas in their natural habitat. Rwanda offers the amazing opportunity to see the gorillas up close!

In terms of preparation Kigali Crafts will use its contacts in Rwanda who will arrange the gorilla permits and drivers for Volcanoes National Park.

However there will be need for a test which will be organized by York based Marc Williams-Windsor and Dave Collins- who will fly out to Rwanda at the end of this month to do that.

Bamwe mu bita kuri ba mukerarugendo ku buryo bw’umwihariko ni abafite amamodoka atwara abantu n’abafite amahoteri n’andi mazu acumbikira akanagaburira abagenzi. Hari ubwo usanga abita ku bakiriya batazi uko bagomba kubyitwaramo, akaba ari na yo mpamvu Minisiteri y’ubucuruzi n’inganda (MINICOM) isaba ko abize ibijyanye n’uyu murimo ari bo bagomba kuwukora, mu rwego rwo guteza imbere ubukerarugendo. Ibyo ariko si ko ba nyir’amahoteri babibona.

Twifuje kumenya niba abize ibijyanye no kwakira ndetse no kuyobora ba mukerarugendo baboneka ku buryo bworoshye, maze Madame Mukagatare Jacqueline uyobora Splendid Hotel y’i Muhanga asubiza gira ati  « biroroshye kubona abize iby’amahoteri. Barahari. Gusa hari igihe usanga abatarabyigiye babikunda barusha ababyigiye gukora neza ».

Mukagatare rero asanga guhugura abasanzwe muri uyu murimo ari byo byiza kurushaho, kuko abahuguwe mu minsi yashize na WDA byabagiriye akamaro cyane.

Gusa, kuba amahugurwa yarakorewe mu mugi wa Butare kandi bo bakorera i Muhanga byatumye batohereza benshi. Madame Mukagatare rero yifuza ko ubutaha amahugurwa nk’ayo yajya akorerwa muri buri mugi, byaba ngombwa bakaba basabwa kugira amafaranga batanga ariko bakabasha kuba bahugura abakozi babo benshi.

Kuba abize ibyo kwakira no gutembereza ba mukerarugendo badatanga umusaruro bifuzwaho, Mukagatare abihuriyeho na nyiri Hotel Dayenu y’i Nyanza. Yagize ati « abantu barangije mu ishuri rikuru ry’ubukerarugendo n’amahoteri (RTUC) tubaha akazi ariko ugasanga ibyo bakora hari igihe birutwa n’ibyacu twarangije amashuri yisumbuye gusa. Abarangije amashuri yisumbuye mu by’ubukerarugendo n’amahoteri bo, ntacyo umuntu yakwirirwa avuga kuko bo usanga hari n’igihe badashoboye kuvugana n’abashyitsi batavuga ikinyarwanda ».

Ibi ariko, Mukagatare na nyiri hoteli Dayenu ntibabivugaho rumwe na Karasira Faustin, ushinzwe iterambere ry’ubukerarugendo mu kigo cy’igihugu gishinzwe iterambere (RDB).

We avuga ko imicungire y’abakozi, ubumenyi n’aho abantu bakorera bishobora gutuma hoteli itanga serivisi mbi cyangwa nziza. Aha yatanze urugero rw’uko ushobora gusanga nyiri hoteli ari we ucunga imikorere y’abakozi akaba ari na we ubika imfunguzo z’ahabikwa ibintu ku buryo abura gato ugasanga akazi kose kahagaze.

Karasira anavuga ko guhemba amafaranga make no kudahugura abakozi biri mu bituma abakozi batanga serivisi mbi. Na none kandi, ngo imikorere bagaya y’abarangije amasomo muri kaminuza yigisha iby’amahoteri n’ubukerarugendo (RTUC) ahanini iterwa n’uko ahanini babasaba gukora imirimo itajyanye n’ibyo bize.

NDOLI Darius-Managing Director Mgeni Adventures Ltd

Rwanda being a country of a thousand hills has got many beautiful things including rivers and lakes, mountain Gorillas, wild animals and many others that attract tourists from all over the world. Rwanda has three national parks which are; Akagera National Park in Eastern province, Nyungwe National Park in Western Province and Volcano National Park in Northern Province.

On 19^th January 2012,we visited MGENI ADVENTURES LTD at prince House, Remera-Gasabo district a company that has dealt in Tours and Safaris, Car rentals, Airport pick up and drop off and Hotel reservations for two years but with branches in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

Ndoli Darius, Mgeni Adventures Managing Director who is one of the founders and Chairman of EATN (East African Tourism Network) has 11 years of experience in Tourism in addition to attending various International Trade fairs in USA, Europe and Asia as he told the reporter.

Highlighting challenges faced, Darius indicated lack of enough accommodation especially in Akagera national park as the main problem.

“Visiting the Park requires tourists to be there by 6:00am yet it’s a long journey from Kigali to that place. So you need to spend a night around there to be on time” There is one hotel in Akagera which is very expensive and without enough accommodation in addition to poor service delivery, adds Darius.

He continues to say that compared to other national parks in the neighboring countries, Akagera is not well developed yet it has variety to be seen: different bird species, lakes, crocodiles, Hippos among others. RDB-tourism department knows about the problem of accommodation but no quick effort has been made by the government to solve the problem.

In abid to improve tourism industry in Rwanda, Darius request the government to think about Akagera like how other national parks of Rwanda are taken care of or privatize it to Investors to better develop it for the good of the country and residents.

Also, there is a need for Government Tourism Information Centres in different places of Rwanda  because tour companies have to go looking for tourists in trade fairs yet if the GTIC was there, tourists would access easily tour operators and vice versa.

Darius further said that for the local community to benefit from the national park, they should be sent to school or sensitized on how they can work together in cooperatives and make crafts that attract tourists. He advised people in the same business to love and respect their profession because tourism requires honesty, in other words they shouldn’t promise what they can’t offer.