According to the WCS boss, the biggest challenge Rwanda’s tourism sector has to deal with is population growth and density of Rwanda. Masozera said that other countries do not have a huge problem with population pressure like Rwanda which, according to him, has a population density of close to 300 people per square kilometre. The big population means that people will often want to partake in the resources in the country's game parks, especially land for agriculture and wood and water resources.
The second challenge he pointed out was the need to clearly show the link between conservation and economic development. He pointed out that many people do not appreciate the value of tourism resources and why they should be conserved and yet tourism remains a key source of revenue for Rwanda.
Insufficient human capacity is the third challenge that Masozera identified. He stressed that Rwanda still has to train qualified people to take charge of game parks and other conservation roles.
The fourth challenge that Rwanda has to address is to do with sustainable financing. Currently, Rwanda’s game parks have not yet reached a level where they can self-finance their activities. There is still a lot of reliance on government support as well as the magnanimity of foreign donors. Masozera insists that this situation is not sustainable.
Lastly, there is the challenge of ensuring that Rwanda doesn’t deplete its tourism resources by failing to practice sustainable and responsible tourism. Masozera admits that there is always a temptation to open them up to more visitors so as to earn from it but this should not be done at the expense of the biodiversity and general health of these facilities.
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