Rwanda eco-tours In Responsible Tourism

There was a time  when tourism was just a routine of  Tour companies,Guides and Tourists, when less  was known that within that cycle there was a loop hole as some of the important stake holders and issues were not being addressed.

Within this cycle there was no  involvement of the local people and eco-tourism which tends to look at environmental conservation and sustainable development, the all above mentioned stakeholders are very important in realising responsible tourism and conservation

What is responsible tourism? It's the one that creates better places for people to live in and better places to visit.

The 2002 Capetown declaration of responsible tourism in destinations defines responsible tourism as follows;

• Generates greater economic benefits for local people and enhances the well being of the host communities.
• Improves working conditions and access to the industry.
• Involves the local people in decisions that affect their lives and life chances.
• Makes positive contributions to the conservation of natural and cultural heritage embracing diversity.
• Provides more enjoyable experiences for tourists through more meaningful connections with local people and a greater understanding of local cultural, social environmental issues.
• Is culturally sensitive,encourages respect between tourists and hosts, and builds local pride and confidence

Tourism used to be the coming of tourists and making them tour wherever they wanted to tour without impacting the local communities and the environment. Its in this regard there fore  that Rwanda eco-tours has been involved in practicing responsible tourism as it is in its core principles as a tour company that knows the impacts of responsible tourism in the the tourism cycle as a whole.

Here,Guests are Participating in a traditional "intore" warrior dance.