• Fri. Mar 29th, 2024

The government of Burundi is committed to supporting the tourism sector

ByWebmaster

Sep 30, 2022

BUJUMBURA September 28th (ABP) – The government of the Republic of Burundi, under the leadership of the Head of State Evariste Ndayishimiye, is absolutely committed to supporting the tourism sector, in order to exploit its full potential, underlined the Vice-President of the Republic of Burundi, Mr. Prosper Bazombanza, on Saturday, September 24, 2022, in Bujumbura, during the opening of the second edition of the East African Community (EAC) Regional Tourism Exhibition.

The Vice-President of the Republic pointed out to the participants from the EAC Member States that Burundi has prioritized the tourism sector as an economic activity, adding to that effect that we are in the process of creating political, legal and institutional frameworks for the effective development of this sector.

According to Bazombanza, Burundi boasts of tourist attractions including chimpanzees, national parks, museums, lakes, culture and marvelous landscapes while recalling that Lake Tanganyika is the second deepest lake in the world. after Lake Baikal.

He went on to say that the people of Burundi have a rich culture which is based on centuries-old local traditions, in this case the sacred drum which is an important part of Burundi’s cultural heritage and whose worldwide fame has not ceased. increase, and the traditional dance that often accompanies the drum.

In this regard, the Ministry of Trade, Transport, Industry and Tourism is undoubtedly busy and responsible for all political issues related to this sector, not to mention the General Directorate of Tourism which coordinates all issues techniques including the promotion and development of standards, he noted.

“We are currently collaborating with other EAC states on the development of minimum standards for tourism service providers as well as the assessment of classification criteria for tourist accommodation establishments,” Mr. Bazombanza said, hoping that the implementation of common standards in the region will enable them to improve their competitiveness as a unique tourist destination.

In this regard, the Vice President of the Republic of Burundi urged the EAC Secretariat and relevant policy organs to expedite the development of the necessary regional instruments that would enable them to move forward together as a region.

He indicated that the Republic of Burundi will undoubtedly continue to put in place the infrastructure required for the tourism sector, including the improvement of connectivity with the tourist destination areas of the country. “We hope that we will be properly linked with all EAC partner states and other neighboring countries in the near future, to enable an efficient flow of travelers for tourism purposes at the community level,” he said. -he adds.

From all the above, the Vice-President of the Republic pointed out that the Burundian government is also working with its development partners to modernize Burundi’s Melchior Ndadaye International Airport and improve its capacity, whether in management at the level of collecting more flights or managing more passenger traffic.

According to Bazombanza, hosting this exhibition is a demonstration of Burundi’s commitment to developing its tourism industry. “We will do this through innovative approaches that translate into real benefits for investors, citizens of Burundi including local communities,” he continued.

To that end, he called on all EAC partner States, development partners and trade partners to work with Burundi in the development and promotion of the tourism sector in the region.

Note that the opening ceremonies of the second edition of the EAC regional tourism exhibition were closed with a guided visit by the Vice-President of the Republic in the company of the Burundian ministers in charge of Tourism, EAC and National Defense as well as the mayor of the city of Bujumbura and delegations from EAC partner states, at the various tourist stands of exhibitors from member countries of the community.