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

the Arusha Agreement, mounting political tensions and violent events, notably since the end of2010, show that the situation is not fully sustained yet, even if it seems to have improved in early2012 118 . While poor quality of tourism facilities or insufficient marketing efforts are likely to slowtourism growth, news of disease or security concerns in a country can result in immediate cessationof tour activities and a drastic reduction of tourist arrivals, as was recently experienced byZimbabwe, Madagascar, Kenya or Mali (World Bank 2011a). Moreover, “unlike short-termdisasters, civil unrest can affect the image of a destination for years to come and so internal conflictsis totally inconsistent with sustainable tourism development” (Novelli et al. 2012). Security issuesare also a clear deterrent for potential investors. Significant improvements will therefore be neededfor Burundi to be considered a safe destination by investors, tourists and tour operators. At present,major source markets like the United Kingdom, the United States or France still advise their citizensagainst all but essential travels to Burundi, particularly outside of Bujumbura and after nightfall.ii. The difficulty to access the country: Poor air and road connections are among the most commonconstraints to tourism growth in SSA mentioned by tour operators. The transport infrastructure inBurundi (road, lake, absence of railways) remains weak (AfDB 2009),even if this is in partcompensated by the small size of the country, the relatively limited distance of tourism assets fromthe hub Bujumbura and the existence of a reasonably well-maintained network of paved roads.Another major concern is the limited number and high cost of flights to Burundi, especially longhaul. Currently, the only non-African airline flying to Bujumbura is Brussels Airline, who operates aservice from Brussels to Bujumbura three times per week. According to the SNDDT, around 4,500seats on flights to Bujumbura are available weekly (234,000 / year), with only half of these beingoccupied. Nevertheless, the limited number of flights and absence of direct flights mean that the timeand cost of reaching Burundi are considerable, especially coming from countries outside Africa.iii. The cost and complexity of procedures to obtain a visitor visa. This is a crucial enabler fortourism, especially for small countries like Burundi. If the visa is too expensive or difficult to obtain,tour operators may opt to not include the country as part of a regional tour, and individual travelersmay favor countries with less constraining visa requirements. An analysis of visa requirements in 47SSA countries carried out by the World Bank showed a clear correlation between ease of visaprocessing and tourism performances (World Bank 2011a). In Burundi, a visa is required for allforeigners (except EAC nationals). According to the tourism office, tourists can request a 1-monthrenewable visa by completing a form at the Embassy of Burundi and presenting an internationalcertificate of vaccination against yellow fever, a round-trip plane ticket, a passport valid six monthsafter the return, an invitation from a friend or hotel reservation, two photos and 60 Euros in cash 119 .While the tourism office’s website mentions the possibility to obtain a visa on arrival at Bujumburainternational airport, conflicting information suggests that this is not the case anymore since January2010, at least officially 120 .iv. The weakness of Burundi’s utility networks, all the more so outside of Bujumbura:• Electricity: the country’s installed generation capacity is very limited and almost completelydependent on hydropower, making the country’s energy supply highly vulnerable to droughts.The current system is characterized by a growing power supply-demand gap and frequentoutages. Major energy supply crises affected Burundi in the 2009, 2010 and 2011 dry seasons(June-September), resulting in severe electricity shortages for all basic services (e.g. water118 See, for example, HRW (2012).119 Source: www.burunditourisme.com120See, for example: www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/conseils-auxvoyageurs_909/pays_12191/burundi_12220/index.htmlorwww.travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1078.html140 / 153