(DTIS) Update, Volume 1 – Main report - Enhanced Integrated ...

the attractiveness of the sector for investors, through the Burundi Investment Climate Reform Programlaunched in 2010.Burundi does not impose barriers to trade in tourism services, which should facilitate the entry offoreign actors. Tourism (including hotels, restaurants, tours operators, guides, etc.) is one of the servicesectors for which Burundi has committed not to impose any trade restrictions on mode 1 (cross-bordersupply), 2 (consumption abroad), and 3 (commercial presence) under the WTO’s GATS, the EAC’sschedule and provisional COMESA schedule on the progressive liberalization of services (i.e.commitment schedules specifying “none” for these three modes of supply). Mode 4 (presence of naturalpersons) is unbound (i.e. no commitment made), except for managers and specialized seniormanagement under the GATS commitments, for which a renewable 90-day visa can be delivered. Inpractice, no specific market access or national treatment barriers seem to be currently imposed againstforeign actors (TradeCom Facility 2011), and the main issue, as far as regulation is concerned, is theoverall weakness of sector’s domestic regulations and institutional framework.3.3 Burundi’s new commitment to develop tourismThe example of post-conflict countries, such as Mozambique and Rwanda (box 7.2), suggests thattourism, when supported by adequate policies and liberalization efforts, can attract FDI andcontribute to economic recovery 115 . While no such pattern has been observed in Burundi so far,strengthening the sector has become an important long-term development objective of the Government(e.g. the Government’s “Vision 2025”), who sees tourism as a way to create jobs, diversify exports andobtain foreign currency. To this end, a comprehensive “National Strategy for the SustainableDevelopment of Tourism” (SNDDT) was launched in September 2011 (Republic of Burundi 2011a).This strategy, developed with support from the UNDP, presents the sector, describes its regulatory andinstitutional framework, and suggests ways to strengthen it over the next decade (cf. box 7.3 below).Box 7.2: Post-conflict tourism development, the examples of Rwanda and MozambiqueTourism development in post-conflict countries involves a unique set of challenges. Nevertheless, whensuccessful, tourism can be a tool for peace building, poverty alleviation and infrastructure investment. Itcan also improve the image of the country as an investment destination. Rwanda and Mozambique aretwo examples of post-conflict countries which managed to develop tourism and attract foreigninvestment in the sector, contributing to economic recovery.Mozambique: marked by a history of conflict since the 1960s, Mozambique was in the early 1990s oneof the poorest countries in the world, with extremely weak infrastructure and human resources. Althoughtourism was well-developed in the colonial period, it collapsed with the independence and civil wars. Inthe post-war period, the Government devised a strategy with the World Tourism Organization topromote tourism, which was based on the development of both high end facilities for internationaltourists and medium end infrastructure for regional visitors. Legislative reform and the removal of visasfor visitors from SADC countries are also credited as important drivers of success. In the five yearsfollowing the conflict, the sector received significant amounts of FDI and foreign firms contributed tojob creation. Moreover, marginalized regions also benefited from a new dynamism thanks to investmentsin tourism. The growth of tourism has been sustained in the recent period, and international touristarrivals grew by 284 % between 2005 and 2010 (the government expects four million tourists annuallyby 2025).Rwanda: after it had been severely affected by the 1994 genocide, Rwanda managed to improve itsinternational image and is now considered one of the safest destinations for tourists in Africa. Thisrebranding has principally gone hand in hand with the revival of gorilla tourism. Rwanda’s strategy has115 The argument that tourism can contribute to post-conflict recovery is developed in Novelli et al. (2012).137 / 153