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The latest example is Rwanda, most closely identified in the minds of many Americans with the genocide that swept the country in 1994. The country’s main attraction is still the mountain gorillas popularized in “Gorillas in the Mist,” the 1988 movie about the primatologist Dian Fossey. But now, aided by a newfound stability under Rwanda’s first democratically elected president, the country’s government, business leaders and entrepreneurs are trying to convey that Rwanda has more than primates to offer tourists.
A chief attraction is Lake Kivu, one of Africa‘s largest and most striking lakes, surrounded by mountains and volcanoes. In February, Serena Hotels, which is based in Nairobi, Kenya, and owns 19 hotels in Africa, entered Rwanda for the first time, acquiring the Lake Kivu Serena Hotel and another in Kigali, now called the Kigali Serena Hotel.
The company, a division of the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development, an international development company, plans $9.5 million worth of upgrades, including a high-end spa at the Lake Kivu Serena and 50 more rooms at the Kigali Serena. The company also plans to acquire more hotels in Rwanda, the company’s managing director, Mahmud Jan Mohamed, said.
“For us, there’s a lot of potential,” said Dixon Ondieki, a Kenyan who is general manager of Lake Kivu Serena. “The government is doing a huge marketing effort. It’s one of the safest countries in Africa. You can leave your gold earrings here,” he added, pointing to a table in the hotel’s lobby, “and they’ll still be here. And of course, the culture — it’s the best. Each person speaks four or five languages.”
In large part, Rwanda is seeking to copy the success of Vietnam. The country is perceived as a safe, tourist-friendly destination, and services, including tourism, now make up about 40 percent of its gross domestic product. South Korea, Cambodia and Laos — other Asian countries ravaged by war several decades ago —have also become popular among tourists and serious about promoting their offerings. At the end of July, Laos played host to an ecotourism conference for countries in the Mekong region.
Ismailimail 