The office of tourism in Burundi has been restructured; in bid to promote the country’s tourism. This is aimed at marketing Burundi to become a major travel destination within the East African Community(EAC) region and on the regional tourism industry scene.
Burundi’s tourism has a high potential for development and according to the newly recruited director general of the national office of tourism – Burundi is open to investors with an interest of marketing and developing the tourism industry and the available natural resources within the destination.
In a bid to attract investors, the government has regulated the institutional framework and has installed a conducive atmosphere for private businesses hence establishing very good investment conditions for prospect investors
According to the appointed director General Ms. Carmen Nibigira “Burundi has lot of potential and is a hidden treasure nestled in the heart of the EAC and Africa.” The country is not only endowed with natural resources but also with unique assets vested in its people and their legendary hospitality and warmth.
Burundi is a secure country and over the years she has made tremendous efforts in keeping political security, development and integration within the EAC, a regional trade and economic block that includes Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania and Burundi. Though its tourism industry is still in infant stages, Burundi has tried to market itself as an alternative destination for ecotourism in Africa and has started to attract travelers interested in Burundi safari adventures and as well as those seeking for leisure!
In recent years, Burundi has initiated far-reaching regulatory and economic reforms that are meant to enhance the growth of her economy. With such reforms, Burundi has made positive strides in enhancing the ease of ‘”Doing Business'” through the creation of a one-stop shop business registration and trade licenses unit that is meant to expedite the process of new companies registering and opening their operations in Burundi. We are proud to say that, since March 2012, it is possible to register your business in Burundi in one single day and for less than 30 $US,.” said Carmen.
“Some of the tangible indicators can be demonstrated by the increase in hotel bed capacities around the country from around 800 three years ago to over 2,000 today. Most of these hotel beds are located in Bujumbura the administrative and commercial capital of Burundi and this is growing as we continue to witness an increase of new hotels coming up all across the city including international brand,” explains Carmen.
The private sector, Carmen noted, has been at the forefront of this dynamic development of not only the tourism sector, but also other sectors of the economy and they have welcomed the new incentives from the government through the Burundi Investment Promotion Authority (API).
Explains Carmen: “The National Tourism Board (ONT) in its mission is committed to promote and market Burundi as a tourism destination with a direct focus on the EAC region, “principally because Burundi wants to complement the existing tourism products from the region as it works towards developing its own niche products that will profile the uniqueness of our destination..” We would like to register Burundi in the same framework experienced within EAC trade, services and most important integrated efforts towards a sustainable tourism sector,.” she said.
According to Carmen, Burundi as a tourism destination is setting out to be part of an integrated regional tourism setup where Burundi can play a critical role in complementing existing and new products. The different parks existing in Burundi can be easy be fitted into the same framework of the existing one in EAC, the lake experience, rich culture and leisure side of Burundi can all fit into the new dynamism of the region. With its warm climate, the capital of Bujumbura on the shores of the Lake Tanganyika, the Rusizi NationalPark situated just few minutes’ drive from the city.