Akagera Develops New Community Guiding Initiative

The increasing visitor numbers to Akagera National Park over the past few years has brought about an increase in the demand for guiding services. The 11 guides currently employed on a full-time basis were not sufficient to meet the peak season demand last year. With the high seasonality of park visitation, 45% of annual visitors coming in just 4 months of the year, the full-time employment of additional guides was not a viable option and a more innovative solution was required.

The Community Freelance Guides initiative was designed to mutually benefit the park and the local community. A freelance system suits the seasonality of the demand and sourcing guides from the local community stimulates economic empowerment among the young and unemployed living on the boundary of the park. The initiative enables them to provide a service and generate an income, benefiting from the growing tourism within Akagera National Park and creating long-term support for the parks conservation activities.

15 Community Freelance Guides have created a cooperative and will work alongside the professional park employed guides, creating a two-tier guiding system. As tourism continues to grow with additional accommodation facilities and tourism products, the freelance guides will be in a good position to secure permanent employment. The Community Freelance Guides are bridging the gap between tourism within the park and the local community surrounding the park. They have an opportunity to be the drivers of grass-roots cultural tourism initiatives around the park, which could supplement their freelance income and provide additional tourism products for park visitors to experience. The park will continue to support the cooperative with on-going, in-house, training and assist them to gain funding for external training through channels such as the National Revenue Sharing Scheme.

While the Community Freelance Guides are new to the field of tourism, they have exceeded expectations and their interest and enthusiasm is inspiring. The training was conducted by the park management and park guides and included practical time in the field as well as in the classroom, with lessons about conservation and law enforcement, interpretive training, tourism development and more.

The park-employed professional guides have experience ranging from 2 – 12 years. They have received content training from professional guides trainers, most are certified as Interpretive Guides with the National Interpretive Association in the US and many are trained to give first aid. The knowledge and the experience they can provide is reflected in the slightly higher fee charged for a professional park-employed guide. A visitor will have the choice of taking a park guide, or a community freelance guide to accompany them on their game drive.