Rwandan President Paul Kagame was on Monday awarded by the World Travel Market for his efforts in promotion of sustainable tourism and conservation.
The event organisers observed that Kagame had made bold decisions in conservation, investing in infrastructure and making Rwanda an attractive destination for visitors and investors, local online website, the New Times reports.
Speaking from the World Travel Market, 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.
“We are also finding ways to multiply Rwanda’s connections with the rest of the world which is what this award represents,” he said.
Among the ways that the country is increasing its accessibility to tourists from all across the world include the expansion of national carrier destination.
“It is getting easier to travel to Africa, RwandAir now flies to 24 destinations on the continent and beyond, including London,” he said.
The national carrier has also been in the process of growing its fleet size through acquisition of modern aircraft. It launched a hub in Cotonou, Benin to further facilitate access across the continent.
The accessibility is further supported by accommodative visa policies such as ‘visa on arrival’ for African passport holders and select countries beyond the continent, the report said.
The President said 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.
Some of 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.
This scheme has transformed communities through the construction of schools, health centres and the ability to earn a living through the tourism sector.
The tourism sector remains one of Rwanda’s top earners raking in $ 404 million in 2016 and expected to generate about $440 million this year.
