When TV naturalist Jack Hanna was shown gorilla tracking in Rwanda live on CNN and ABC recently, more than 10 million people around the world tuned in to watch. The rare mountain gorillas are Rwanda’s best-known—but not the only—tourist attraction. The publicity delighted the National Tourism Office (ORTPN), which hopes to see 70,000 tourists visiting the country annually by 2010.

Meet the mountains’ famous inhabitants with Primate Safaris’ eco-friendly trekking adventures or enjoy five-star hotel luxury for business and pleasure at the InterContinental Kigali.

So far, the ORTPN is ahead of schedule in meeting its target. The focus is on low volume, high-yield tourism, rather than mass tourism, and on preserving Rwanda’s natural heritage. Rosette Chantal Rugamba, ORTPN’s Director General, says that 70,000 tourists staying in the country for an average of seven days would produce revenue of approximately $100 million annually. “We have chosen to make Rwanda a high-end eco-tourism destination,” she explains. “We are making sure that we are protecting our environment, our fauna and flora, as well as generating wealth for our people.”

Only around 700 mountain gorillas are left in the world, and 380 of them live in the high, lush forests of Rwanda’s Virunga Massif, where they appear to be thriving. According to Ms. Rugamba, the gorilla population has increased by 30 since June 2003. Almost two years ago, gorilla twins were born, which was very exciting.

ROSETTE RUGAMBA Director General of ORTPN

The tourism chief attributes this not just to the authorities’ conservation effort, but also to the peace and stability in the region. “Now when you visit the gorillas, you find babies, infants and adolescents,” she says. “This gives us a lot of hope.” Rwanda held its first public gorilla naming ceremony in June last year. A recent return visitor was actress Sigourney Weaver, who starred in the film Gorillas in the Mist about the life of conservationist Dian Fossey, whose tomb is in Volcanoes National Park.

The gorillas are just one of the amazing and diverse natural attractions that make Rwanda one of Africa’s most appealing destinations. “We are determined to make sure that there are neither crowds nor pollution,” says Ms. Rugamba. “Rwanda is a destination that will make an impact through its natural beauty.”

Known for its undulating landscape as the Land of a Thousand Hills, Rwanda has beautiful scenery with dense forests, grassy savannah plains, and vast lakes. Tourism activity centers on the three national parks: Volcanoes National Park, home of the gorillas; Akagera, an ideal area for safaris with a wide variety of wildlife; and Nyungwe, the largest mountain forest in Africa and famous for its 13 types of primates. With a total area of just over 10,000 square miles, Rwanda is small enough for visitors to sample all of its attractions in a relatively short time. The country is secure and safe, has a very low crime rate, and English is one of the three languages spoken.

High-end accommodation is at present limited to the five-star InterContinental Hotel, which caters to leisure and business travelers visiting the capital, Kigali, and the recently opened Kivu Sun, operated by Southern Sun Hotels, in Gisenyi on Lake Kivu. Situated in the business district of the capital, the InterContinental offers accommodation ranging from the presidential suite to luxury suites, deluxe rooms and studio suites. Each room is equipped with satellite television, telephone and wireless internet connection. The hotel caters both to leisure travelers and business visitors and offers in particular, for the latter, two conference rooms for 550 people each, 70 delegate rooms and a boardroom for 16 attendants, on top of a 24-hour business center with secretarial services.

The government has designated five regions in which it hopes to stimulate opportunities in investment, with an emphasis on providing a range of accommodation at existing tourism sites. “Whoever invests will be adding infrastructure to a place that already has an attraction, so the return should be quite fast”, says Ms. Rugamba. “We are marketing these attractions, and roads and telecommunications are already in place. What is missing is the variety of accommodation that will suit the type of clients we are seeking to attract.”

Eager for Rwanda not to be regarded as a one-attraction country because of the powerful appeal of the gorillas, the authorities are working to expand cultural tourism and promote traditional dancing groups, museums, and exploration of the savannahs and woodlands. Joseph Birori, Managing Director of Primate Safaris, which was established seven years ago (www.primatesafaris-rwanda.com), concentrates on Rwanda’s wildlife but also encourages travelers to visit other parts of the country. “Rwanda is very safe and has the best security within the region. When people think of Rwanda they think of the gorillas, but there is much more to explore.”