{"id":5173,"date":"2026-11-09T14:35:30","date_gmt":"2026-11-09T14:35:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/?p=5173"},"modified":"2026-11-09T14:35:30","modified_gmt":"2026-11-09T14:35:30","slug":"chinese-tourist-arrivals-in-rwanda-rise-367-in-five-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/2026\/11\/09\/chinese-tourist-arrivals-in-rwanda-rise-367-in-five-years\/economy\/business\/","title":{"rendered":"Chinese tourist arrivals in Rwanda rise 367% in five years"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The number of Chinese tourists visiting Rwanda increased by 367 per cent between 2021 and 2025, rising from 3,000 to 14,000, according to the Rwanda Development Board (RDB).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RDB Deputy Chief Executive Officer Juliana Kangeli Muganza announced the figures in an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) on November 9, on the sidelines of the China International Import Expo (CIIE), an international trade fair bringing together businesses and investors from across the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Muganza said that although Chinese visitors still account for a relatively small share of Rwanda\u2019s tourist arrivals, the growth over the past five years points to significant potential in the Chinese market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThe figures we have are encouraging. Over the past five years, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Rwanda has increased more than fourfold. We received 3,000 in 2021, compared with 14,000 last year. The numbers are still relatively low, but we are seeing growth,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She highlighted Rwanda\u2019s mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park as one of the country\u2019s main attractions for Chinese visitors. Conservation efforts have helped increase the population of the endangered animals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other attractions include Akagera National Park, home to the Big Five \u2014 lions, elephants, buffaloes, leopards and rhinoceroses \u2014 and Nyungwe National Park, known for its primates, birdlife, waterfalls and canopy walkway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Muganza also pointed to Kigali\u2019s modern infrastructure and its capacity to host international conferences, business events and cultural activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Travel and trade links expand<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The increase in Chinese visitors comes as travel from Rwanda to China is also growing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In April 2026, Chinese Ambassador to Rwanda Gao Wenqi said the number of Rwandans travelling to China had nearly doubled in two years, from more than 3,500 in 2023 to about 7,000 in 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He attributed the increase partly to measures aimed at making Chinese visas more accessible, including online applications, a 25 per cent reduction in visa application fees and a temporary exemption from fingerprint collection for some short-term visa applicants. The latter two measures were extended until the end of 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Muganza said the CIIE also gives Rwandan businesses an opportunity to access the Chinese market and connect with potential investors. Rwanda\u2019s delegation includes exporters of coffee, tea, chilli and macadamia nuts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Rwanda exported goods worth $160 million to China in 2025, an 89 per cent increase compared with the previous year, according to figures she cited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She said Chinese investment in Rwanda has also been growing, particularly in agro-processing, manufacturing and construction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Muganza said Rwanda would continue working with Chinese partners to expand exports, attract investment and increase tourism from the country.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The number of Chinese tourists visiting Rwanda increased by 367 per cent between 2021 and 2025, rising from 3,000 to 14,000, according to the Rwanda […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5174,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,43,3,53,36,40,48],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5173","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","category-current_affairs","category-economy","category-featured-stories","category-international","category-top_stories","category-tourism"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5173","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5173"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5173\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5177,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5173\/revisions\/5177"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5174"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5173"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5173"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5173"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}