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Rwanda's gorilla naming event pushes conservation, tourism

Xinhua, April 5, 2016 Adjust font size:

Rwanda's annual tourism conservation ceremony, locally known as Kwita Izina, has helped protect gorillas in the central and east African country and boosted tourism revenues over the years.

The country is set to give names to 19 baby gorillas, born late last year and this year in the annual event that will mark the 12th of its kind to be held, with thousands expected to attend.

This year's edition of the annual Mountain Gorilla-naming event will be held on Sept. 3 in Kinigi at the foothills of the Volcanoes Mountains in Musanze district in northern Rwanda.

Rwanda's baby gorilla naming ceremony has been used by the government as a platform to market the country's tourism potential for the past 12 years.

Speaking to reporters Monday, Belise Kaliza, chief tourism officer at Rwanda Development Board (RDB) said that the annual event has been a success because it has promoted Rwanda's tourism potential.

"It is an important ceremony because it promotes our country's conservation efforts and boosts the growth of tourism industry. We have seen baby gorilla naming as a success over the years," Kiliza said. Gorillas contribute about 90 percent of the revenues from Rwanda national parks. Available tourism statistics from RDB indicated that, Rwanda's tourism industry registered revenue receipts worth 304.9 million U.S. dollars in 2014. The country hosted a total number of about 1.22 million visitors in the same year.

Gorilla tracking is one of the major cash cows of the country's tourism sector, with permits costing 750 U.S. dollars for foreign tourists.

Kaliza noted that the event not only celebrates the birth of baby gorillas, but also acknowledges the impact that local communities have had on sustained conservation.

Since the inception of the ceremony, the gorilla population has grown by 26.3 percent.

The baby gorilla naming ceremony has positively impacted the growth of gorillas and transformed the social and economic wellbeing of the communities surrounding the park.

The occasion has been marked on international conservation calendar as a big day for Rwanda and conservation enthusiasts.

According to the RDB, the organizers of the function, international celebrities, conservationists and notable icons are expected to attend Kwita Izina. Endit