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

een highlighted as an example of successful focus on high-end tourism which contributed towildlife/environmental conservation, as well as to poverty reduction through the involvement ofcommunities. Additionally, the country has been particularly successful in attracting large numbers ofbusiness and conference travelers, mainly from the Democratic Republic of Congo and countries of theEAC. This success is evidenced by the large increase in the number of hotel rooms, restaurants, and theplanned construction of a convention center. Local and foreign direct investments have been substantial,accounting over the last 10 years for 16 and 20 percent of total local and foreign direct investment,respectively. In terms of export revenue, tourism already outperforms coffee and tea by a wide margin.Besides viable tourism assets and relatively good infrastructure, several key characteristics havecontributed to the successful revival of the tourism sector in Rwanda. First and foremost, the governmenthas shown a clear commitment to the development of tourism and has established Rwanda as a safedestination in the region. The early development of a strategy and policy, as well as domestic campaignsto promote tourism and international marketing efforts, demonstrated this commitment. Furthermore, thegovernment involved the private sector from the start, despite its initial lack of capacity and resources.The business environment has improved markedly in recent years, promoting private sector involvementin tourism. In addition to this, Rwanda has always seen tourism as an instrument to reduce poverty, forexample by directly involving local communities.Sources: Nielsen and Spenceley 2011; UNCTAD 2010; World Bank 2011aBurundi has a significant potential to attract tourists. The country’s assets notably include thediversity of its landscapes (with Lake Tanganyika and some natural parks with diversified wildlife),cultural heritage (notably traditional drumming and dances) and historical sites. However, due to thesmall size of the sector, most of this potential has not been exploited on a commercial basis yet 116 . Interms of tourism products, the main options envisaged by the SNDDT include the promotion of tourismon Lake Tanganyika (beaches, nautical activities) and of niche activities, particularly eco-tourism andbusiness tourism 117 . Indeed, the UNCTAD recently argued that given its low competitiveness, Burundicannot bet on mass tourism, but should rather focus on niches and “adventure tourism” for which visitorshave lower demands in terms of comfort (UNCTAD 2010). Moreover, the relatively unexplored natureof the country as a tourism destination could be marketed as an asset for this category of tourists. Otheractivities, like community-based tourism (for example in coffee or tea growing areas) could alsocontribute to diversify Burundi’s tourism offer. As discussed at length in section 7, the most promisingstrategy is to insert these products in a regional framework, in order to piggyback on the higher maturityof tourism in other EAC countries.116 The limited weight of tourism also means that tourism assets, such as national reserves or Lake Tanganyika, areat a risk of being harmed by unsustainable policies and practices, concerning notably land allocation, deforestationand construction. This highlights the need for sustainable land management and conservation policies, and forefforts to orientate tourism development in a sustainable way, which will all require broader awareness of theopportunities offered by tourism (Novelli et al. 2012).117 See the SNDDT (Republic of Burundi 2011a) for a detailed overview of the country’s tourism assets. Severalpilot projects are proposed in the strategy, including an eco-tourism project in the Ruvubu national park and acommunity-based tourism project around Gishora drummers.138 / 153