A new report has revealed that Rwanda's tourism revenues from international visitors dropped by an estimated 35 percent in 2020 compared to 2019, with the total of number of visitors dropping by 47.2 percent in 2020.
The report, Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on East African economies, by Deloitte indicates that in the months of April and May, Rwanda saw a drop of 100 percent in the number of international tourists following the announcement of the lockdown.
The losses related to Meetings, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) tourism were estimated to be around USD 80M for events that would have been hosted between Mar-2020 and Nov-2020.
The report shows that Rwanda benefitted on a global scale as from the third quarter of 2020 after being included on the European Union's list of 'epidemiologically safe' countries for travel.
"The Rwanda Development Board (RDB) continues to promote tourism in 2021. The board has since reduced the price of permits for tracking endangered mountain gorillas by between 60 percent to 80 percent," the report says.
It further indicates that the board has been offering attractive all-inclusive tourism packages for Rwandans and foreign residents.
The report therefore projects the Rwanda's tourist arrivals to grow by 29.4 percent to 1.1 million arrivals in 2021 mainly due to the rollout of vaccine inoculations which will result in the easing of travel restrictions.
The growth will also be on account of increased incentives by the RDB to promote tourism.
Growth expected in aviation too
The report also projects the aviation sector to grow by 6.6 percent in 2021 as travel restrictions are eased following the rollout of the vaccines.
Further growth is also anticipated in future due to the planned construction of the Isaka-Kigali Standard Gauge Railway line.
Additionally, Qatar Airways' purchase of a 60 percent stake in Bugesera International Airport bodes well for the sector.
The government in February 2020 sold a 49 percent stake in the Rwandair airline to Qatar Airways.
Continue reading "Report sheds light on how COVID-19 impacted Rwanda's economy"
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