Kigali, November 5th 2009- Rwanda has officially launched the Standards Criteria for Classification of Accommodation, Restaurants and other tourist facilities in conformity with the newly approved East African Community (EAC) standards at Kigali Serena Hotel.

The standards were developed by EAC partner states in a move to provide a roadmap that is crucial in gauging quality assurance of service provision for visitors to the region as stipulated by to Article 5 of the EAC Treaty. The treaty also defines the principles for cooperation in Tourism and Wildlife Management.

The launch comes after various consultations and trainings for the implementation of the EAC standards for classification exercise. Some members that were trained to carry out the assessment of the established facilities at the East African level have trained other assessors at the national level. A series of sensitization meetings have been held with hotel owners and managers on the classification process and its essence.

Notably, the Rwanda development Board-Tourism and Conservation Office has already carried out an inventory of the most likely accommodation to be classified basing on the essential items as approved by EAC. Among the minimum standards in the EAC standards criteria includes basic guidelines to start up a hotel business and details of classification, especially standards of safety, hygiene, environment and service, occupational permits, valid operating license, drainage, sewage disposal, safe deposit, water supply and fire safety as well as non tangible elements such as style, elegance, comfort, finish and luxury. The standards will also address the social contact in aspects such as staff grooming and communication skills.

This means that a hotel that passes for a five star in Rwanda will be expected to have the same quality of service and facilities as any other hotel with the kind of status in the region. With the new standards in place, hopes that the region's tourism resources will be marketed as a single destination are taking shape.

Partner States have been working together to develop the standards since 2000 and was finalized in 2009. The Government of Rwanda will inject about 110 Million Frw in this whole exercise which is expected to be finalised by the end of December 2009.

The Government of Rwanda requests all accommodation owners to put more effort in the preparation for the classification exercise. The launch was organized by Ministry of Trade and Industry in collaboration with RDB/Tourism and conservation.

For more information on Rwanda’s bird life please Contact please contact RDB tourism and Conservation office or email reservation@rwandatourism.com or visit our website at www.rwandatourism.com www.rwandatourism.com

Notes to Editors

• Importance of the standards
  • Classification is an essential marketing tool for proprietors to identify the segment of clients they are targeting as long as the classification facilitate the proprietor to know what kind of services is able to provide and therefore the kind of clients is able to satisfy depending of the facilities he or she has.
  • It provides tourists with the information of what they can expect from various hotels while hoteliers use it as a guide on the services, facilities and standards that are expected of them.
  • The classification helps also tourism sector administrators to maintain an inventory for policy and planning purposes;
  • Quality assurance indicators like the star rating system established in the developed criteria for accommodation and catering facilities is one of the ways of building confidence in potential customers who would like to patronize the region, and have the quality of our tourism product internationally recognized. This is the only way in which the Community is going to be able to develop and maintain competitive tourism accommodation and catering facilities.
• Lack of proper accommodation facilities has been a major challenge for the sector and having these standards in place is one of several initiatives to lure the 780,000 visitors to Rwanda this year generating an estimated $195 million in tourism revenue
• Currently tourism industry is booming with increased number of rooms to 4,225 this year from 3,438 last year and target 6000 rooms in 2010.
• Also in the offing is a 10 year master plan that provides guidelines on the new destination management areas to be developed that will take the sector to greater heights.
• Rwanda Joined EAC on July 1st, 2007 and Under the Article 115 and 116 of the Treaty for the establishment of the East African Community, it outlines the principles for cooperation in Tourism and Wildlife Management
  

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