Strategic Familiarisation Trips to Celebrate 80 Years of Conservation
As part of the 80 Year celebration of Akagera, three strategic familiarisation trips were recently conducted with prominent local journalists and bloggers, Office of the Government Spokesperson representatives and the Tourism Chamber with the aim of raising the awareness of Akagera’s more recent developments in the parks 80-year history.
The fam trips involved: touring Akagera, both as a tourist and ‘behind the scenes’ to get a more in-depth understanding of the park; a visit to Ruzizi Tented Lodge for lunch and to see the newly launched luxury tree-top tent; and then a camping experience just south of the Mutumba Hills where a purpose-made camp was set up with spacious tents, a dining tent and kitchen. A three course meal was served from pots over a campfire, and there was even a hot shower and loo-with-a-view.
As we had hoped the camping experience was unlike anything they were expecting and made the trip unforgettable; there is nothing quite like sitting around a cosy campfire to share food and drinks, knowledge and experiences.
As a result of these trips, several articles have been published in the local media, and there has been a buzz on social media sites with tweets such as these:
Throughout the rest of the year, we plan to encourage more local tour operators to visit the park and see first-hand the progress Akagera is making as we celebrate 80 Years of Conservation.
To keep up with the conversation about Akagera, check out our Facebook and Twitter pages and follow the links below to read the articles recently published.
• The Story of Akagera Park is the very story of Rwanda, The New Times, Sunny Ntayombya
• Akagera celebrates 80 Years, Rwanda Government website, Noel Kambanda
• Tamed by the wild at Akagera National Park, The Sunday Times, Allan Brian Ssenyonga
• 80 Years of ups and downs, The East African, Katherine Sullivan
For more information, contact: Sarah Hall, Tourism and Marketing Manager - [email protected] or phone +250 (0) 782 166 015