Tourism is on the rise on the African continent but is yet to reach its full potential, according to the 2015 edition of the Africa Tourism Monitor.

The report, produced annually by the AfDB, New York University’s Africa House and the Africa Travel Association, released last week, shows that Morocco, Egypt, South Africa, Tunisia, and Zimbabwe remained the five most visited African destinations.

In an analysis of the top ten travel lists, the report states that although the pool of African countries featured in top travel lists is small, there is a trend.

"Like Africa’s game animals, the Big Five African countries that are the most frequently listed for 2015 include South Africa, Morocco, Tanzania, Namibia, and Tunisia. In the combined 15+ publications’ travel listings reviewed, Egypt, Mozambique, Rwanda, and Zimbabwe are each selected more than once,” reads part of the report.

As the year begins, tour operators such as Evert Jakobs, proprietor of Mountain Gorilla Safaris, is increasingly concerned about the price of Rwanda’s gorilla tracking permits.

Jakobs fears the higher prices compared to other countries in the region risks sending tourists away.

While the cost of a gorilla permit in Rwanda remains at $750 since 2012, low-priced gorilla permits for low season months are issued in neighbouring Uganda.

In 2015, tourists in Uganda paid $350 per gorilla permit in November to see the breathtakingly magnificent animal.

However, off-season prices for discounted gorilla permits in 2016 and 2017 were increased to $450 per day per person.

Looking to improve her tourist inflows, the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), a body mandated to sell gorilla permits on behalf of the Ugandan government, in conjunction with the Association of Uganda Tour Operators, continues to offer discounted gorilla permits or low season gorilla permits.

In Uganda, therefore, the discounted gorilla permits for trekking gorillas in April, May and November (low season months) 2015 helped tourists save $250 per permit as they were sold at $350 compared to $600 in other months.

The world’s remaining mountain gorillas, one of the world’s strongest and mightiest creatures live only in Rwanda, Uganda and DR Congo, spanning four national parks – Volcanoes National Park, and Virunga National Park, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.

In DR Congo, tourists part with $200 – in the low season – to participate in the gorilla trekking experience. A permit in the high season is reported to cost $400 in DR Congo.

Permit and impact on tourism

In January 2012, Rwanda Development Board (RDB) confirmed plans to implement changes to gorilla permit pricing. Prices were increased by 50 per cent and this took effect from June 1, 2012, save for prior bookings made before the date.

Before the changes, foreign non residents would pay $500, foreign residents $250, while Rwandans paid Rwf20,000 for a permit.

A 50 per cent increase in price meant that foreign non-residents would pay $750, foreign residents $375 while Rwandans part with Rwf30,000 to view the mountain gorilla, the largest living primate.

However, Jakobs believes that increasing returns for tourism sector operators can only be done by lowering the price of gorilla permits.

"Now the prices in Congo and Uganda are lower and when there is a big difference people will choose for that option. It is not a problem to keep that high price, but include something else, like a free permit for the Chimpanzees in Nyungwe, or the Colobus monkeys,” Jakobs said.

"By doing this you already ensure that people stay longer in Rwanda than just few days to see the gorillas.”But Faustin Karasira, the acting head of tourism at RDB, counters that argument.

Speaking to The New Times, last week, Karasira said the issue has nothing to do with permit prices but rather, it is "about the strategy and willingness to pay from consumers.”

Rwanda opted for a high-end strategy, Karasira told The New Times, and as years go by, "we have been seeing an increase in demand.”

‘Watch out for DRC potential’

But Jakobs, who was last week in Utrecht, the Netherlands, marketing Rwanda and East Africa as a great tourist destination at the week-long tourism fair "Vakantiebeurs 16” that closed on Sunday, warns that tourists will possibly opt for DR Congo in the future.

"Normally people go in pairs. Two times $400 makes $800, and when DR Congo is $200 dollars in the low season, the difference rises to $1,100. I do not need to tell you what you can do in Rwanda with that amount.

Those are the problems we have to cope with when we promote a trip to Rwanda, once people know this.”

However, Karasira said: "From a practice point of view, Rwanda has done a lot in terms of gorilla conservation and, therefore, to trek gorillas in Rwanda is predictable and almost guaranteed. In addition, the current trend from tourists is to have diverse experience in a limited period of time and manageable distance.”

This, he said, has been one of the motives for the country to position Nyungwe and Akagera parks by "translocating new wildlife” and ensuring the community benefits.

Karasira said, in tourism, much depends on what each country has as a market strategy.

"In the case of Rwanda, the high-end strategy has been identified and is being implemented. We are looking for tourists that can visit Rwanda, spend more and stay longer instead of having tourists that don’t spend,” he said.

Karasira refuted the notion that because of a more costly permit, Rwanda would lose out on increased tourist inflows as the latter opt for Uganda or DR Congo.

"That case will never happen given that two thirds of the gorilla population is in Rwanda. The only difference between Rwanda and Uganda is $100. But the distance between Kampala to the park cannot be compared to Kigali and Musanze,” he said.

Fauna & Flora International, an international conservation innovator working to impact on global biodiversity, says that fewer than 900 mountain gorillas are left in the world today.

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Tourism in Africa on the rise

The African Development Bank report said Africa international tourism arrivals increased to 65.3 million in 2014 while international tourism receipts totaled $43.6 billion in same year.

Destinations with the strongest growth in international arrivals compared to 2013 were Egypt (+454,000), Morocco (+236,000), and Côte d’Ivoire (+91,000).

Africa holds a 5.8 per cent share in worldwide tourism arrivals, and a 3.5 per cent share of worldwide tourism receipts.

Direct travel and tourism employment in Africa totaled 8.7 million in 2014, which is a rise of 0.5 million over the previous year.

To increase competitiveness, the East African Community (EAC), launched a single visa called the EAC visa in 2014, engaging Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda.

The EAC visa allows tourists to purchase a visa at the border, and then enter the other two countries on the same visa, for $100 in total, for a maximum 90 days.

editorial@newtimes.co.rw