Tourist trips to the mountain gorilla reserves kept the tourism sector in Rwanda steadfast on its feet, at a time when demand for famous tourist attractions in the country collapsed due to the Corona epidemic, as is the case in neighboring countries, and in sub-Saharan Africa in general.
While the number of visitors to Rwanda declined to 54% in March and 100% in April, according to official statistics, under the weight of closures and quarantine measures, the tourism sector began to gradually breathe with the reopening of mountain gorillas reserves.
The country's tourism makers and travel agencies are now hoping for a promising recovery for the sector; After tourism revenue fell by 35% in the first quarter of this year, compared to the same period in 2019, according to the National Institute of Statistics in Rwanda.
To encourage return, Rwanda eased restrictions starting from June 18th, after nearly three months of closure, as travel agencies began offering low promotional offers to attract tourists to the famous forests of the mountain gorillas, Rwanda's tourism engine, alongside safari.
Rwanda, which achieved its renaissance in the ruins of the genocide war in 1994, owes its reputation as a tourist attraction east of the continent, to the extermination museum itself as a symbol of learning and learning from the past, but rainforests, national parks and wildlife reserves as well, especially the original home of gorillas, are popular destinations for tourists .
The authorities estimate the number of the remainder of this rare species of mountain gorilla to be around 1,000, including those in neighboring Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Rarely, travel agencies in Rwanda give visitors the opportunity to meet gorillas face-to-face in their natural stronghold.
The Rwanda Development Council is one of the most prominent actors internationally with its local civil society partners, to protect mountain gorillas from the danger of extinction. Annually, the authorities dedicate a celebration of "Quetta Aizina" to publicize these efforts and support them in the presence of international celebrities and stars. This year the authorities tend to cancel the festivity due to the epidemic, but hopes for a revival of tourism are increasing. With the first flow of quarantined charter flights, Rwanda recorded, in the second half of June, a steady increase in the number of reservations to mountain gorillas, safari and forest trails. .
"One week after the resumption of tourism activities, the indicators look good, really they are good," the director of the Rwandan tourism office told local newspaper The New Time, Blaise Kariza. Because of the Corona virus prevention measures, the authorities limited the number of visitors per day to the Vulcan National Park to 69 visitors led by a tour guide. The park, which is the last safe bastion in the world for mountain gorillas, is located in the northwest of the country near the city of Rohangiri, 120 km north of the capital, Kigali.
"We have 42 confirmed reservations, for a large number of foreign tourists, and this means that people embark on mountain gorilla exploration trips," she said.
The official pointed out that the Newjo National Park, which attracts suspended travel enthusiasts, has returned to life with the arrival of the first four experienced tourists, while 16 tourists have also reached the Akagira National Park on the border with Tanzania, where forests, swamps, low mountains, savannah and wild animals are present.
To book a visit to the mountain gorilla, the authorities set a tariff for foreign tourists at $ 1,500, of which 10% will be deducted to finance projects for local development, while the rest will go to fund efforts to preserve the gorilla and protect its environment.
To book a face-to-face interview with the gorillas, the authorities set a $ 1,500 foreign tourist fee.