Rwanda tourism sector still performs well despite the wars in Congo

The information that has been got from Rwanda reveal that Rwanda’s tourism industry has not been affected in any way by the ongoing war in Congo as the mountain gorillas have remained very safe in the  Virunga National Park, which is their habitat home and shared by the Congo too.

According to Rica Rwigamba who is the head of tourism and conservation in Rwanda Development Board (RDB) while commenting on the reports that the conflict that has pitted the DRC armed forces against mutineers commonly known as M23 could end up killing these gorillas. She said that the gorillas on the side of Rwanda are frequently watched on a daily basis and they all seem fine.  To ensure that they are safe, they have formed joint patrols units who are making sure that they keep these gorillas safe all the time.

These Virunga habitats are in 3 countries which include Rwanda, DRC and Uganda, currently this jungle is the only place where these mountain gorillas still exist in the whole world. Dr Jean Felix Kinani who is the wildlife veterinary officer in the Virunga stated that tourism has been put to a standstill in Congo because the M23 militias have moved their bases in the region which is a threat to the tourists. The gorillas however have not been hurt in any way despite the fact that the rebels have taken over the place, the only problem they are experiencing is that they get scared away when they hear helicopters which the military uses so said groups of Congolese rangers who visited the areas.

Rwanda received over 908,000 tourists from different parts of the world last year and the tourism industry earned over $252 million that is according to the statistics from Rwanda Development Board. And they got $9.6 million from gorillas only which is huge amount of money that has got to be maintained or better yet increased and it can only be done if the gorillas are protected from any kind of  threat at all times.