The tourism juices of Rwanda have consistently improved in taste, and with the country’s recent participation at the annual Vakantiebeurs tourism exhibition, a high-profile event in the Netherlands, more potentials could just be seen from the burgeoning sector.

Concluding on Sunday, the Vakantiebeurs, which is arguably the biggest tourism exhibition in the Netherlands’ held for five days in Utrecht, the capital city of the Dutch province. “The Vakantiebeurs tourism exhibition was a success for the Rwandan tourism industry who kept the stand very active holding meetings to generate new contracts and maintain relations with existing partners in the Netherlands,” said Guillaume Kavaruganda, Minister Counsellor at the Rwandan Embassy at The Hague.

At attendance were upwards of 125, 000 visitors and 1,600 exhibitors representing about 160 countries. Also, more than 14,000 travel and media professionals graced the event. Rwanda, itself, was represented by officials of the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) and the Embassy.

Rwanda, which was labelled last year as the freest economy in East Arica by the Fraser Institute, has tremendous natural beauty and immense tourism potentials. Also known as ‘the land of a thousand hills’, Rwanda has six volcanoes, twenty-three lakes and numerous rivers, some of which constitute the source of the great River Nile.

The landscapes are truly breath-taking as spectacular volcanoes and dense tropical forests dominate the north of the country, while gentle hills and valleys, calm lakes and turbulent rivers in both savannah and dense tropical vegetation dominate the rest of the country.

The East African nation is home to a wide variety of wildlife. In northern Rwanda, The Parc National des Volcans is home to the world’s largest number of endangered mountain gorillas which number in the hundreds. These gorillas live in a protected area, and are protected from poachers. Also, Rwanda has one of Africa’s richest bird life with about 670 different bird species having been associated with the country.

“At the Rwanda stand, all visitors took a photo which they were later asked to share on Facebook. The most liked photos will win a ticket to Rwanda under the sponsorship of the national carrier, RwandAir. Rwanda was also showcased as a diverse destination for adventure, culture, unrivaled beauty, while the focus was put on the promotion of Akagera National Park and Nyungwe National Park as tourist destinations.” Kavaruganda added.

By Emmanuel Iruobe

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