Unveiling new tourism center, Rwanda eyes to attract global tourists

Rwanda marked the 2015 World Tourism Day on Sunday by unveiling a new cultural center in Rulindo district, northern part of the country.

The Rulindo Cultural Center is yet another tourist spot with a package combining cultural showcasing and community-based tourism, according to officials.

The tourism day celebration is a major step in the direction to showcase various aspects of Rwanda's tourism offering beyond the gorilla, a lifetime experience, officials said.

"This newly launched cultural center is a display of local heritage and traditional Rwandan arts and culture, aligning with the government's vision to improve tourism product diversification to enhance the sector's contribution to Rwanda's economy," the Rwanda Development Board's Chief Tourism Officer, Belise Kariza, said at the launch.

Rwanda targets annual tourism receipts of 860 million U.S. dollars by 2017, up from 305 million U.S. dollars in the period 2014/2015.

In this light, there is pressing need for the development of new and innovation tourism products.

Rwanda's Minister of Sports and Culture Julienne Uwacu said the government had adopted a policy expected to prop up the tourism sector, specifically cultural tourism.

"Our tourism shouldn't be dependant on national parks, gorillas and a few museums in the country. Rwanda has unique history which can attract visitors to learn about our traditions if we simply open cultural centers across the country," she said.

According to officials, the new cultural center is in line with Rwanda Development Board's mission of connecting various destination management areas through tourism product diversification in order to increase the length of stay of visitors.

An exhibition showcasing art pieces, handcrafts and tourism beneficiaries' achievements brought together 50 exhibitors at the launch.

During the same event, Rwanda's ever first cultural book, a comprehensive 325 pages book retracing the uniqueness and rich Rwanda cultural heritage was unveiled.

The United Nations' World Tourism Day, celebrated globally, is a reminder to the international community that sustainable tourism has the potential to be the driving force to inclusive development and job creation.

This year theme's as set by the United Nations is "One billion tourists, one billion opportunities" pointing to the global collective effort to grow tourism's potential to generate opportunities that benefit the world's population in significant ways.

A statement from Rwanda Development Board said government readily embraces the theme as it ramps up efforts to develop and diversify the country's offering, including cultural tourism while the tourism sector is still Rwanda's leading export reporting an annual growth rate of 4 percent.

The Rulindo Cultural Center is located on the Kigali-Musanze road, a 25km drive from Kigali. Rulindo is home to historic sites, mining and agricultural grounds and community-based tourism model.

The center is a remarkable showcase and preservation of Rwandan culture and tradition through arts, the statement said.

Local and regional visitors to the cultural center will part with slightly less than a dollar while international visitors will be charged 4 U.S. dollars.