Tourism as a route for the economic development of rural areas of Rwanda: Vibrant hope or impossible dreams?

Abstract

Rwanda’s economy collapsed after the 1994 genocide. The government, as is the case with many third-world countries, decided to kick-start the economy via tourism. While this industry does create jobs, uplift poor communities and support an economic revival, careful planning and co-ordinated development is needed, certainly at grass-roots level where tourism takes place, which has both positive and negative implications for the local communities. Whether tourism can revive the economy of the country, bearing in mind the somewhat limited resources of the country, is the subject of this article.