Rwanda – Nyungwe Nziza Project Rwanda

What

The Nyungwe Nziza Project (USAID)

This USAID-sponsored project was  launched in 2010 by DAI with support  from  SW Associates, as a sub-contractor,  and other organizations. The SW  Associates  team focused on  marketing and promotion, especially  online marketing  and the development of  a project website, as well as increased international media  coverage.

Through the project set out to transform Nyungwe National Park  (NNP) into a viable ecotourism destination, generating sustainable and equitable  income for local communities and as many other stakeholders as possible including private investors, creating employment for surrounding communities, thus providing economic incentives to conserve the rich biodiversity of the Park. The focus of the project is two-fold: inclusive ecotourism development for the benefit of local communities surrounding the park and leveraging private sector investment in the management, construction, and maintenance of new and existing park infrastructure. The objectives of the project were to:

  • Support the Rwanda Development Board to transform NNP into a viable ecotourism destination;
  • Generate sustainable and equitable income for local communities and other stakeholders;
  • Create employment for surrounding communities; and
  • Provide economic incentives to conserve the rich biodiversity of the Park

Activities & Services:

Marketing strategy for Nyungwe National Park

  • Identified country and segment targets especially focusing on the ecotourism, bird watching, and chimp tracking segments.
  • Identified and recruited international media interested in these segments.
  • Conducted global tour operator survey to focus on market targets.
  • Created multiple tour operator profiles from 10 countries.

Results

  • Two groups of international media recruited and taken on  familiarization tours resulting in global media coverage.
  • Best Overseas Tourism Project and Best Tourism Project Globally, 2012, British Guild of Travel Writers, November 2012: The Guild named the Nyungwe Nziza Project in Rwanda the best tourism project globally in 2012.
  • National Geographic Traveler Best Trip 2014: Nyungwe National Park, Rwanda, December 2013.
  • Phoenix Award, Society of American Travel Writers, October 2013: in recognition of the conservation and preservation efforts of the USAID Nyungwe Nziza Project, Nyungwe National Park, Rwanda.