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).

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

"This 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,” the report reads in part.

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Rwanda’s tourism revenues amounted to $498 million in 2019 – 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.

As noted, the country’s tourism sector faced a very challenging year (2020) as global tourism and travel fell sharply in the wake of the covid-19 pandemic.

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’s growing popularity as a destination within the continent.

Furthermore, 47.5 per cent of the visitors came for business purposes, reflecting Rwanda’s positioning as a hub for business activities, it added.

"The 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,” RDB CEO, Clare Akamanzi, said in her foreword in the report, adding "our achievements in the tourism sector were satisfactory.”

"The 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,” Akamanzi observed.

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The report indicated that in 2022, great strides were achieved in conservation, further cementing Rwanda’s efforts and commitment to promoting environment protection, natural resource management and climate change preparedness, as key economic assets.

These include the operationalisation of the country’s fourth national park – the Gishwati-Mukura National Park – 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.

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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’s eco-luxury tourism offerings and draw visitors from Singapore and around the globe to Rwanda.