RWANDA: Most Expensive Tourist Destination In East Africa Community, After Rwanda Doubles Gorilla Permit Fees

Rwanda Development Board announced an increase in Gorilla Permits from US$ 750 to US $1,500 for all visitors effective immediately.

A new exclusive package for tourists who wish to book an entire family of gorillas was also introduced at US$ 15,000, and will receive exclusive personalized tour guide services.

The price increase will not affect tourists who had already purchased their tickets at the time of this announcement.

Tourists who visit other national parks,Nyungwe and Akagera for a minimum of three days, in addition to gorilla trekking will receive a discount of 30%. Similarly, conference tourists, who stay pre or post conference dates to see gorillas will be eligible for a 15% discount.

According to Rwanda tourism strategy, the price increase aims to strengthen conservation efforts and contribute more to the development of communities living around the Volcanoes National Park.

Along with the new tariff, the tourism revenue sharing rate for communities adjacent to the park, will also increase from 5% to 10%, which will quadruple the absolute revenues received by communities.

More than 400 community projects have been completed including hospitals, schools, business development centers and water supply systems to facilitate access to clean water. The projects surely benefit the people living around the parks.

Ms. Clare Akamanzi, the Chief Executive Officer at Rwanda Development Board says Gorilla trekking is a highly unique experience. We have raised the price of permits in order to ensure sustainability of conservation initiatives and enhance visitors experience.

We also want to make sure that the communities living near the park area receive a bigger share of tourism revenues to fund development projects and empower them economically, he added.

New, high-end lodges are opening in Musanze and plans are underway to improve visitors’ experience at Kinigi, including renovation of the information center to equip it with modern offices and tourism services such as conservation education, children’s learning space as well as digital facilities.

Mountain gorillas are an endangered species with only around 880 remaining in the world. Of those in in the Virunga Massif, Rwanda accounts for 62% of the gorilla population.

Stringent conservation measures have significantly contributed to a rise in gorilla numbers. There are currently 20 families habituated for tourism and research in Rwanda, making more than 9 families in 2010.

Reactions from the tourism fraternity in Rwanda were swift and harsh, denouncing the doubling of the tariffs without notice as unacceptable and calling for a suspension of the measure.

Many tour operators around the world have published package prices based in the tracking permit costing 750 US Dollars,, the highest among the three gorilla countries of Rwanda, Uganda and Congo,asking RDB to respect contractual commitments and giving a decent notice of the tariff increase of up to one year and not making increases abruptly all the time.

Apart from the wisdom to double the permit fee is the no notice period a major cause for concern. This will put Rwanda in a bad light abroad that we cannot respect proper notice periods like all other regional wildlife management bodies do, says a Gorilla tour operator in Rwanda.

Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania all give as much as a year notice of planned fee revisions. What is the urgency now to do this without observing regional practice?.

That is madness, says a lady gorilla Tour Operator,this will kill our business. Rare animals or not, there is a limit to what the market can accept and sell and I see sales nosediving which will affect all of us who invested in cars and marketing expenses.

Uganda in contrast not only charges just US Dollars 600 for foreign tourists but also offers tariff reductions to US Dollars 450 for the months of April, May and November, something Rwanda has never done even though they too experience a low season and lower demand periods.

Yet another Gorilla Tour operator says Uganda is now going to benefit from more than 50% of Rwanda destined tourists, they will not go for the new fees, they can not just double permit fees like that, she Lamented.

With the doubling of Gorilla permit fees, rwanda definately becomes the most expensive tourist destination in East Africa Community.

RWANDA: 24 Baby Mountain Gorillas Named

Rwanda named two-dozen baby mountain gorillas in an annual ceremony Saturday that highlights the African country's efforts to protect the endangered animals, which attract large numbers of foreign tourists to the volcano-studded forests where they live.

The young gorillas, identified by trackers and researchers, were in their wild habitat nearby and not at the naming event Saturday in Kinigi, near the entrance to Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda. But Rwandan President Paul Kagame was among thousands of people who gathered there to celebrate the threatened population of mountain gorillas, whose image adorns numerous sculptures in Rwanda as well as a national currency banknote.

The Rwandan government hopes the naming ceremony, which began in 2005 and is based on a similar tradition among Rwandans, will highlight the importance of protecting mountain gorillas as well as promote the tourism industry, the country's top foreign currency earner. Researchers also refer to the names to identify gorillas and their families while conducting studies in the wild.

The names bestowed on the gorillas on Saturday included the words for "Power," ''Courage" and Conviviality" in the Rwandan language.

Rwanda's mountain gorillas live in the Virunga Massif, which spans Volcanoes National Park as well as parks in neighboring Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Another population of mountain gorillas lives in a separate area of Uganda.

The numbers of mountain gorillas dropped dramatically in the last century because of poaching, disease and human encroachment on their habitats. The total population of mountain gorillas is currently an estimated 900; conservationists say the population has been increasing in recent years.

About Kwita Izina
Naming a newly born baby has been part of Rwandan culture and tradition for centuries. Given the remarkable efforts by the Government of Rwanda, through the Rwanda Development Board, and in collaboration with various conservation partners and local communities , to actively protect the Mountai n Gorillas and their habitat, the old naming century’s tradition was modelled on these species to get the national brand known as “Kwita Izina”.

Names attributed to the gorillas play a significant role in the on-going programme of monitoring each individual gorilla in their families and habitat. Kwita Izina, a uniquely Rwandan event, was introduced in 2005 with the aim of creating awareness of conservation efforts for the endangered mountain gorilla.

For three decades prior to the first official gorilla naming ceremony, the naming of baby gorillas was carried out with little awareness amidst the public by the rangers and researchers that closely monitor these unique animals on a daily basis.

Kwita Izina has been attended by thousands of international, regional and local participants over the recent years. The Government of Rwanda and conservation partners have donated substantial resources to gorilla conservation and continue to do so. Each year new born gorilla babies are celebrated in an exciting event at the foothills of the Virunga Mountains .

Tourism that focuses on natural environments is a large and growing part of the tourism industry in Rwanda. While it can contribute in a positive manner to soci o-economic development and environmenta l protection, uncontrolled tourism growth can also cause environmental degradation, destruction of fragile ecosystems, and social and cultural conflict, undermining the basis of tourism. Therefore, considering that natural forests constitute 8.7% of the national territory, conservation continues to play a crucial role in the country’s development.

Eleventh Annual Kwita Izina 2015

On 5th September, 2015, the Rwanda Development Board hosted the eleventh Kwita Izina, naming 24 baby gorillas, the newest arrivals born after last year’s ceremony.

This year’s Kwita Izina will take place as we embark on carrying out another g eneral census of the gorilla population in the Virunga Massif following the one that was carried out in 2010. In 2010, the gorilla population registered a 26,3% growth in a period of 7 years from 2003.

The theme for Kwita Izina 2015 is conserving now and for the future

The private sector has explored expansive business opportunities around conservation efforts that have been harnessed into ongoing profitable and viable business ventures. As a result, the tourism sector has registered continued growth through attracting international hospitality brands and businesses .

Since 2007, tourism has been the leading sector in foreign exchange earnings for the country. The objective is to grow tourism revenues by 25% per annum as projected in the Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy 2.