With everyone still left in wonders about Rwanda’s recent deal with Arsenal, shortly after this tremendous partnership, this Africa’s landlocked country has also embarked on aggressive marketing of its natural wonders to China a move that is expected to attract many Chinese tourists in the nearby future.
The recent focus on this particular tourism market is mainly based on the continued growth in consumption by its citizens (Chinese) in global tourism. Last year alone, over 131 million outbound Chinese tourists were record with each of them spending about $726 each person on retail shopping whereas the non-Chinese tourists spent in average $486.
In total, the tourism expenditure from China rose up to $261 billion in 2016 alone. Among other reasons Rwanda has embarked on tapping the Chinese market. So far, Rwanda has launched the online platform as a way to ease the booking process for packages by the Asian nation’s nationals.
For Chinese visitors who are in search for Rwanda, you can now directly reserve tour packages to follow the launch of the Visit Rwanda online pavilion on Fliggy, the Alibaba’s travel platform that more than 500 million users have access in China. The platform was launched recently following the introduction of electric world trade platform in October by H.E. Paul Kagame and Jack Ma-the founder and chairman of Alibaba Group.
The main objective of eWTP is to support development of the digital economy in Rwanda by making it simpler for companies in Rwanda to engage in world trade. The Fliggy platform permits the tour operators in Rwanda and hotels to aggressively create awareness and sell tourism products in the country as well as services to the Chinese outbound visitors. This move is most likely to diversify the markets of the Rwandan tourism sector.
The Rwanda Development Board (RDB) CEO, Clare Akamanzi added that this Asian state features as the biggest source of world outbound tourist traffic and expenditure worldwide. She pointed out that regardless of the high consumption rate by Chinese tourists, little was done to attract them visit Africa thus the introduction of the target platform. What is shocking is that Africa has only 2 percent of Chinese tourists and with the launch of this platform, higher chances are that most of them will be attracted to visit Rwanda and other African states.
The launched Visit Rwanda pavilion on Fliggy is one way that is intended to increase the tourism traffic in Rwanda. Other stakeholders equally added that the new development will remarkably make an increase in the Chinese market. This move will however help tourism stakeholders in Rwanda bypass the intermediaries and brokers who in most cases make them spend a lot.
They further added that trading tourism products on Fliggy offers a great chance for the country’s sector to maximize the entry into the Chinese market. Besides, more profits will be earned the fact that most intermediaries will be bypassed and commissions are minimized. Stakeholders are however encouraged to embrace the set platform and package their services and products they have in offer uniquely and creatively so as to keep the destination attractive and competitive.
Rwanda’s tourism sector depends mainly on wildlife in its four national parks of Volcanoes National Park -a a popular destination for gorilla safaris in Africa, Akagera National Park-a main refuge to the big game and many savanna grassland wildlife species-and game drives, bird watching, aerial tours, boat ride and others, Nyungwe Forest National Park-ideal for chimpanzee tracking, canopy walks, bird watching, nature/forest walks, colobus tracking and others and Gishwati-Mukura National Park a newly established national park in Rwanda which is also popular for its vast primate species. Besides, it is vibrant when it comes to events/conference or rather MICE sector and there are other incredible attraction including historical sites especially genocide sites, water bodies, volcanoes a mention but a few.
Conclusively, Rwanda is remarkably one of a few countries that have continued thriving due to continued safety thus attracting not only tourists but also many investors who have impacted in the country’s tourism sector and other sectors as well. Its move to attract the Chinese visitors is intended to expand its market which in a long run will boost on its tourism sector.
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