Held from February 27th to 28th of this year 2024 under the theme: “Tourism, a catalyst for economic growth in service of an emerging Burundi,” the general states of tourism in Burundi mobilized all major actors in Burundian society. “The opening ceremony of the general states of tourism was graced by His Excellency the Head of State of the Republic of Burundi, Evariste NDAYISHIMIYE, who expressed his firm political will to make the tourism sector a priority pillar of growth and a major contributor to foreign exchange earnings.

The general states of tourism mobilized the participation of several stakeholders in the tourism sector, including hoteliers, airlines and travel agencies, media and communication or event agencies, tourist guides, development cooperation partners, the diaspora, artists, comedians, and others, who gathered to contribute to the development of strategies aimed at integrating tourism into the vision of an emerging Burundi by 2040 and a developed one by 2060.”

Gathered for the occasion at the Club Hotel of Lake Tanganyika, the opportunity was provided:

• to take stock of the tourism industry in Burundi,
• to consider key reforms for the development of tourism in Burundi,
• to explore fiscal legislation for improving the business climate and promoting tourism in Burundi,
• to promote the development of tourist products and stimulate their demand,
• and to explore positioning around conference tourism and large-scale events.

For its part, the CED is pleased with the involvement of its international expert and mandatee for Burundi, Oscar Rwasa through the Ciper Consulting firm, a partner of the CED of which he is also the Managing Director.

The holding of these general states occurs two months after CIPER Consulting launched preparatory activities for the SMED for the case of Grand Bujumbura, as the case may be. Indeed, in 2023, CIPER Consulting played a significant role in organizing these sessions thanks to its proven ability to raise awareness among tourism stakeholders, through lobbying efforts with both public institutions and private sector enterprises.

The recommendations arising from these general states, particularly those concerning the private sector, will be given special consideration by a new tourism player, Tanganyika e-Bridge International Tours (TABITO). Founded in September 2023 under the auspices of CIPER Consulting, TABITO is an anonymous company tour operator. Its main mission is to promote the development of digital marketing for Burundian tourist offers by facilitating collaborations and enabling access to innovations in e-tourism.

It should be noted that the CED’s international expert and the Cabinet he directs were already behind the initiative of Reconfigura Destino for Grand Bujumbura during the post-COVID revival, which two years ago allowed for reflections with various stakeholders involved in the tourism sector in Burundi.

Reconfigura Destino thus constituted an approach proposed by the CED aimed at allowing destinations to reconfigure themselves after the global crisis that affected the entire tourism planet.

There is no doubt that the resolutions of the general states will contribute to laying the foundations for the tourist development of Burundi in general and the numerous potential destinations that exist within it. These destinations will be able to benefit from the support of the CED through its major tool, the SMED (System of Measures for Destination Excellence).

Dr. Dongmo Temgoua Bertrand Director CED Central Africa (Economic Community of Central African States)