Belise Kariza, Chief tourism officer at RDB talked to Rwanda Today's Andrew I. Kazibwe about steps being taken to shield sector.

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To what extent has the tourism sector been affected by Covid-19 pandemic and how much progress has been made since the re-opening of the airport in August 2020? 

The Covid-19 pandemic has without a doubt led to significant losses within the industry as most of the world halted travels last year at around March. Though we have not finalised last year’s figures yet, revenues from the sector and visitor arrivals are estimated to have declined by 70 percent as a result of the pandemic. However, the government came up with different interventions to mitigate the losses incurred in the sector including setting up the Rwf100 billion Economic Recovery Fund of which 50 percent was disbursed to enable businesses in the sector such as hotels to restructure their loans and access working capital to sustain their operations. The government also introduced tax reliefs and other schemes to keep businesses in the sector afloat.

What is the progress in promotion of domestic tourism?

As part of the initiatives, we are working with private sector and other regional tourism players during the course of this pandemic, who were to come up with innovative travel packages, which can be accessed online to encourage domestic and regional tourism.  Through the packages, local travelers can access discounted offers at most of the country’s tourist attractions and facilities such as hotels and lodges. We are happy to note that thousands of Rwandans and East Africans are visiting these destinations, including primate trekking in national parks.

Industry analysts say despite the vaccine being in place, tourism is only expected to recover from 2022, what do you think will drive recovery, and what are the low hanging fruits?

Yes, with the arrival of the vaccine, we expect global travel to resume at a steady pace over the course of this year and the next, and our goal is to continue positioning Rwanda as a country that is safe for travellers of all kinds. Last year, Rwanda was among the first countries in the world to receive the first-ever global safety and hygiene stamp, launched by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC). The safety stamp means that Rwanda has adopted the global standardised health and hygiene protocols that were devised following the experience of WTTC members dealing with Covid-19, also based on the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines. Rwanda is proud to adopt these global standards that re-establish traveler confidence. Our number one priority remains the health and well-being of visitors.

How do you envisage the tourism sector benefiting from the African Continental Free Trade Area(AFCTA)?

The ACFTA is a great addition in the tourism space as it will enable us to foster stronger ties with regional blocs and countries Rwanda constantly engages with when it comes to promoting regional tourism. Africa has a fast-growing middle-class which is good for tourism. Before the AfCFTA, some of Rwanda’s emerging source markets for tourism were African countries like Nigeria and we expect that with AfCFTA in place, we will work more closely with key private sector stakeholders in the continent to curate and strategically promote tourism experiences African travelers can enjoy in Rwanda.