Tourism in Africa
Senior 3 · Geography
Tourism in Africa
Lesson 2 of 3
30 min
Let's begin
Since May 2017 a permit to spend an hour with mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park has cost US$1,500 per visitor (Rwanda Development Board, RDB). Only a few groups a day may visit each habituated gorilla family, so the park earns a great deal from few visitors and disturbs the animals less. In 2025 tourism earned Rwanda US$685 million from 1.49 million visitors (RDB Annual Report 2025). What made tourism grow in Rwanda and in Africa, and what does the money do for development?
Definition
Foreign exchange: money in foreign currencies, such as US dollars or euros, earned from exports, including tourism. MICE tourism: travel for Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions. Habituated: (of wild animals) slowly made used to the presence of people, so visitors can watch them closely without danger to either.
| Physical factors | Human factors |
|---|---|
| Wildlife: large mammals and primates found nowhere else, such as mountain gorillas in the Virunga and the wildebeest migration in the Serengeti–Mara | Peace and security: tourists go where they feel safe; Rwanda's safety is one of its selling points |
| Scenery: volcanoes, the Rift Valley, waterfalls, deserts, Kilimanjaro | Government policy: protected parks, marketing, easy visas; since January 2018 visitors of every nationality can get a visa on arrival in Rwanda |
| Climate: warm, sunny weather all year that attracts visitors from cold countries in their winter | Transport: international airports and airlines (such as RwandAir and Ethiopian Airlines), tarmac roads to parks |
| Beaches and coral reefs on the Indian Ocean, Red Sea and Atlantic coasts | Accommodation: hotels and lodges of every standard, from campsites to luxury lodges |
| Lakes and rivers: Lake Kivu, Lake Victoria, the Nile, the Zambezi | Culture and history: monuments, heritage sites, music, dance and crafts |
| Relief: mountains for climbing and hiking, cool highlands | Marketing: for example "Visit Rwanda" sponsorship of football clubs such as Arsenal (since 2018), Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich |
| Conference facilities: the Kigali Convention Centre (opened 2016), and hosting international meetings and sport events |
Definition
Revenue sharing: a scheme by which part of the money earned by a protected area is given to the communities living around it. Diversification: widening the range of goods and services a country produces and sells, so that it depends less on a few products.
Worked example
Worked example 1: growth in revenue. Use Figure 1 to calculate the percentage growth in Rwanda's tourism revenue from 2024 to 2025.
Increase = 685 − 647 = US$38 million. Growth = 38 ÷ 647 × 100 ≈ 5.9%. RDB rounds this to about 6%.
Worked example
Worked example 2: revenue per visitor. In 2025 Rwanda earned US$685 million from 1.49 million visitors (RDB). What was the average revenue per visitor, and why must you interpret it with care?
685,000,000 ÷ 1,490,000 ≈ US$460 per visitor. This is only an average: a gorilla trekker may spend several thousand dollars, while a visitor from a neighbouring country who comes for a day to see relatives spends much less. RDB's visitor count includes business, conference and family visits, not only holiday tourists.
Worked example
Worked example 3: revenue sharing. A national park earns US$20 million in a year. How much goes to community projects under a 10% revenue-sharing scheme? (Illustrative park revenue.)
10 ÷ 100 × 20,000,000 = US$2,000,000. Spread over schools, clinics and water projects in the villages around the park, this links conservation to local benefit.
Warning
Do not list factors without linking them to tourism. "Rwanda has a good climate" is weak. "Rwanda's mild highland climate lets visitors trek all year, unlike places with extreme heat" explains the link.
Geography Masterclass: seven factors behind the growth of Tanzania's tourism industry. As you watch, decide which of the factors also apply to Rwanda.
Practice
Sources and credits
This lesson adapts CC BY-SA material and is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
