BUJUMBURA December 21st (ABP) – The Director General of the Burundi Development Agency (ADB), Mr. Didace Ngendakumana, organized on Monday December 18, 2023, in Bujumbura, a workshop on reforms and development strategies for the tourism sector in Burundi.
Mr. Ngendakumana said that the tourism sector in Burundi is considered a driver of economic growth and a creator of jobs. However, he raised the many challenges facing that sector, including the absence of a legal framework, the overlapping of skills between different ministries and the poor development of tourist sites. He also mentioned the lack of a tourism marketing plan, the low quality of tourism products, and the instability of the business environment on tourism services.
According to him, Burundi is full of countless tourist attractions capable of attracting millions of visitors. The Ministry in charge of Tourism has encouraged the promotion of domestic tourism, by raising awareness among different target groups to visit the country’s tourist sites. Those are classified into three categories, namely the historical for memory tourism, natural and cultural tourism, as well as the geographical position that Burundi has as a hub of regional organizations, he reported. But, he lamented, tourism in Burundi remains far behind other countries in the sub-region such as Tanzania, Rwanda and Kenya which have been able to take advantage of their natural assets.
To that end, with a view to making Burundi an attractive destination for investors, the ADB plans to organize workshops aimed at identifying and proposing reforms in key sectors, deemed priorities.
To deal with that uncomfortable situation, that Agency will carry out some actions, including carrying out prospecting and research studies to identify investment opportunities in the field of tourism, carrying out studies of investment projects for sale to investors such as the construction of high-end hotels, the development of the coastline of Lake Tanganyika, the construction of conference centers, amusement parks and leisure centers. The same Agency will design policy reforms and the legal and institutional framework with a view to improving the business climate and promoting investments and exports in the tourism sector.
In that same framework of fighting against the challenges observed in the tourism sector, the ADB will also organize promotion and prospecting missions abroad to attract tourists and tourism operators to Burundi, participate in international tourism fairs and exhibitions to raise awareness of the potential and tourist attractions of Burundi, raise awareness among local tourism stakeholders about the quality of services, environmental protection and the promotion of cultural heritage.
Mr. Ngendakumana further indicated that all those actions aim to make tourism a sector that brings economic growth and creates jobs for Burundi. “They are part of the country’s 2040 vision which projects an image of a united, united and peaceful nation, with a prosperous economy serving the well-being of Burundians,” he said.
The participants pleaded for the construction and maintenance of reception infrastructure. They also asked the government to raise awareness among the Burundian population about the importance of tourism and its contribution to the country’s development.