The Increase of Gorilla Permits From $ 750 TO $1500 In The Republic Of Rwanda

Of recent, the republic of Rwanda increased gorilla tracking fees from $ 750 to $1500. The tour operators in Rwanda have been greatly concerned with the hiking of the gorilla trekking fees. Many complaints were raised by Rwandan tour operators following the meeting which was held by RTTA, RDB, CEO, COO, and CTO. The conclusion which was finally arrived at was to make gorilla trekking fees at $1500. This started on 6^th of May 2017.This is therefore to inform all esteemed customers who are planning to visit Rwanda for gorilla tracking that the price was hiked as seen above. For the clients who had already booked their gorilla tracking permits, they will have to track the gorillas using those permits. The tour operators in Rwanda requested that they peacefully honored all the gorilla permits and bookings that were confirmed to clients before May 6^th 2017 to be considered. Honoring this by tour operators, the prior booked clients will be required to proof confirmation. This must be either by email or by payment proof. Following the payment proof, the customers will be required to attach their booking slips to be viewed by the tour operators.

This increment is applicable to all tourists. Following the ruling however, there are   some unique packages that have been introduced and these include, US$ 15,000 for personalized & exclusive mountain gorilla visits for a requested targeted Gorilla family, US$ 30,000 for a minimum of 3 visitors for 3 consecutive days. Special discounts have also been introduced including 30 percent discount for combined trips within National Parks in Rwanda (Gorilla Trekking, Akagera and/or Nyungwe National Park) for at least 3 days during the months of November-May.15 percent discount has been delegated to people who stay pre & post MICE events to see gorillas. Currently, the new tariffs tariff excludes Rwandans from visiting the gorillas as they don’t enjoy subsidized rates like before and as showcased in the Tembera U Rwanda campaign. The analytics for the domestic numbers for the prized experience indicate low interest that only 3 percent of the local visitors were received in the park. The major objective of increasing the revenue sharing from 5 percent to 10 percent was that the communities evidently benefit from the premium experience. In addition, customized and specialized packages have been introduced to give the tourist the ultimate exclusive experience with these endangered species. The time at present spent at the information centre will be reduced to allow immediate briefings and trekking. There is an infrastructure development plan in the long term to further improve the visitor experience. This will include a road network and an interactive visitor centre. Following the meeting with different stake holders, there were several individual and group consultations with several private sectors. However, this decision was taken based on the contribution to conservation and improved livelihood on the communities living around the Parks. The most important aspect which was discussed about was to offer a unique and exclusive experience for our visitors considering that there is sustainable tourism. It is also important for our communities’ wellbeing to be positively impacted as a direct result of the Gorilla Trekking experience. The Eco- Tourist/Sustainable-Tourist visitor will therefore have a more fulfilling experience because they will be able to see the benefits. Tour operators were advised that with the bookings that had been by the various tour companies and have not been paid, these cases were to be  handled on a case by case basis based on the evidence presented by the Tour Operator or Individual(s) who made the booking or made a down payment.