Editor, RE: “Biruta says Africa needs to leverage tech to harness its tourism potential” (The New Times, September 21). It is a fact that tourism is the single largest foreign exchange earner for Rwanda. The Government of Rwanda has effectively used technology, right from the point of having to apply for a visa online. The ease with which one can apply for a visa online, coupled with the amazing efficiency of the Directorate General of Immigration and Emigration in processing online visas, gives potential visitors a positive vibe of what to expect in this technology driven country. Dr Vincent Biruta (the Minister for Natural Resources) was right when he stated: “We must innovate so that tourism, conservation and development go hand in hand”. And innovation, coupled with diversification, is precisely what the New and Remarkable Rwanda always strives to focus on in its quest for excellence. Cultural and historical tourism, as well as religious and community-based tourism, are areas being effectively marketed in this beautiful Land of a Thousand Hills. Earlier this month, Rwanda received the single largest group (forty six) of Indian pilgrims to ever visit at once. They were heading to the holy land of Kibeho in the south of the country. With the necessary infrastructural improvements, Kibeho could see many more Indian pilgrims visiting in the very near future. I was pleased to learn that the 41st World Tourism Conference will be hosted in Kigali in November 2016. Well, I can only imagine how technology will transform Africa, not just in tourism but across all the sectors of the economy. Clarence Fernandes
