The management of the Akagera Park announces that the lions that have been brought to Rwanda for seven years now have increased to more than 50, this makes a person who wants to visit the Park and see this animal in the top five in the world.
Akagera Park’s liaison officer, Ishimwe Fiston, told IGIHE that it contributed to the increase in tourism. He said, “Tourism has increased significantly since 2015 we had 25 thousand tourists but in 2019 they reached 49 thousand.
He explained that in 2020 due to the Covid-19 epidemic they decreased to 20 thousand but now in this year 2022 we have received more than 30 thousand and the year is not over yet. ” Ishimwe Fiston said that this increase in visitors to the Akagera Park has led to a profit for the people from 200 million Frw in 2015, to more than 500 million Frw in 2022.
He said that they have also set up games that connect all the cells working at this Park in a cup called the Lion Cup, which aims to help them create a campaign among the people to show them the benefits of the Lions that the State provides them and also have the opportunity to avoid those who want to hunt them to kill them.
He said, “Now we have been organizing games for women and men for seven years with the aim of showing them the good things that these Lions have achieved. We will reward the first teams with the value of 500 thousand Frw. to hunt these Lions.”
Nsabimana Evariste who lives in Kagai da Ndama said that they have understood the importance of preserving the park and its ecosystem. He said, “As of now, we have built a restaurant in Kagari da Ndama, if tourism did not increase, we would not have found that house and it is very important for us.”
Sezibera Léonard, who lives in Mwulire Village in Kagari Kiyovu near Akagera Park, said that many of the residents have already seen the benefits of participating in the maintenance of this Park.
Turikumwe Emmanuel who lives in Ndego Sector said: “When they brought these lions and I entered the Park twice to visit them and I did not pay, you understand that if they give me time to visit them, different tourists will come and build clinics for them and we will have water, I would not allow it for me to hunt them.” ”
This year, it is planned that 18 projects of the people living in Akagera Park in the three affected areas including Kayonza, Gatsibo and Nyagatare will be funded with 512 million Frw from sharing the profits that have been obtained.
