{"id":41263,"date":"2023-05-06T18:52:31","date_gmt":"2023-05-06T18:52:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/rwanda-tourism-revenue-more-than-doubled-to-445m-in-2022"},"modified":"2023-05-06T19:15:57","modified_gmt":"2023-05-06T19:15:57","slug":"rwanda-tourism-revenue-more-than-doubled-to-445m-in-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/culture-and-art\/rwanda-tourism-revenue-more-than-doubled-to-445m-in-2022","title":{"rendered":"Rwanda tourism revenue more than doubled to $445m in 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Rwanda. <\/strong><\/span>Tourism revenues rose by 171.3 per cent from $164 million in 2021 to $445 million (about Rwf496 billion) recorded in 2022, according to the 2022 annual report by the Rwanda Development Board (RDB).<\/p>\n

This growth represents a remarkable 89.3 per cent recovery compared to pre-Covid-19 pandemic period, indicated the report published on RDB\u2019s website on May 3. The growth in tourism revenue is also above the earlier projected revenues ($350 million) of 2022.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis substantial increase can be attributed to the global lifting of Covid-19 induced travel restrictions, and increased connectivity by RwandAir, as well as other airlines, specifically to and from Kigali International Airport,\u201d the report reads in part.<\/p>\n

Rwanda\u2019s tourism revenues amounted to $498 million in 2019 \u2013 before Covid-19 hit in March 2020 but plunged to $121 million in 2020 as per RDB data, which implies a reduction of more than 300 per cent or three times.<\/p>\n

Annual visitors by region in 2022 (Source, 2022 RDB annual report)<\/p>\n

As noted, the country\u2019s tourism sector faced a very challenging year (2020) as global tourism and travel fell sharply in the wake of the covid-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n

According to the report, in 2022, Rwanda welcomed a total of more than 1.1 million international visitors. Of these, the report showed, more than 60 per cent came from African countries, highlighting the country\u2019s growing popularity as a destination within the continent.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, 47.5 per cent of the visitors came for business purposes, reflecting Rwanda\u2019s positioning as a hub for business activities, it added.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe path to economic recovery is well on course. In 2022, I am delighted to report that we continued to make significant progress in our efforts to achieve sustainable economic growth, despite the global challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic,\u201d RDB CEO, Clare Akamanzi, said in her foreword in the report, adding \u201cour achievements in the tourism sector were satisfactory.\u201d<\/p>\n

Visit by purpose in 2022 (Source_ 2022 RDB annual report)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe national parks attracted 109,800 tourists, an increase of 142.4 per cent from 2021. Gorilla tourism, which drives high-end tourism in Rwanda, generated revenues of $113 million, exceeding the performance in 2019 by 6 per cent,\u201d Akamanzi observed.<\/p>\n

The report indicated that in 2022, great strides were achieved in conservation, further cementing Rwanda\u2019s efforts and commitment to promoting environment protection, natural resource management and climate change preparedness, as key economic assets.<\/p>\n

Tourism revenue trends from 2018 to 2022 (Source_ 2022 RDB annual report)<\/p>\n

These include the operationalisation of the country\u2019s fourth national park \u2013 the Gishwati-Mukura National Park \u2013 onboarding the World Bank as new partner for the Volcanoes National Park expansion project, and the inauguration of the Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund.<\/p>\n

Also, RDB and Mandai Park Development, a private company in Singapore, signed a partnership agreement to establish the Nyungwe Experience at Mandai Park. This project will highlight Rwanda\u2019s eco-luxury tourism offerings and draw visitors from Singapore and around the globe to Rwanda.<\/p>\n\r\n