Par Martina Fuchs
PERTH, Australia, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) — Rwanda’s High Commissioner for Australia, Singapore and New Zealand recently told Xinhua that he expected a sharp increase in the number of Chinese tourists in years to come, despite a recent outbreak of Marburg virus disease (MVD).
“I will start with the good news: last year we reached our highest level ever, generating US$620 million in revenue,” High Commissioner Jean de Dieu Uwihanganye said at the 24th World Travel Summit. & Tourism Council (WTTC), which took place from October 8 to 10 in Perth (Boorloo), Western Australia.
“We now plan to reach the target of US$1 billion by 2029 and, if possible, US$800 million by 2025. Last year, we hosted more than 1.4 million visitors, and this number continues to increase. We have invested massively in the diversification and expansion of our tourism offering,” he added.
This comes as Rwanda reassures tourists and foreign investors that the country remains a safe destination despite the recent outbreak of Marburg virus disease (MVD). According to a statement made last week by the Rwanda Development Board (RDB), a government department responsible for investment and tourism promotion, Rwanda is open for business and tourism, with rapid and proactive measures taken to contain the virus.
The outbreak has not deterred Rwanda’s efforts to expand into new markets, with a focus on attracting more Chinese visitors. Recognizing the vast potential of the Chinese market, Rwanda is working to improve its tourism offering and create tailor-made experiences that appeal to Chinese travelers.
“The numbers from Asia are still low, at around 2%, including Chinese,” Mr Uwihanganye said.
“But it is a market that we admire and we are making efforts. We have started working with Chinese travel agencies, we are participating in China tourism trade fairs and we are starting to provide Mandarin tour guides in the country,” he said.
“These are all efforts we are making to ensure we welcome and attract Chinese tourists so that they can also experience the beauty of Rwanda,” he noted.
The annual WTTC Global Summit, with this year’s theme “Ancient Lands: New Perspectives”, is one of the most influential events in the travel and tourism industry. END
