The Kigali City Tour Experience training took place in Kigali from 26^th April to 7^th May, 2021 and was prepared by IPRC KITABI in partnership with Rwanda Development Board (RDB) and Chamber of Tourism/Rwanda.

                                                 Trainees and trainers of the KCTET/Photo by Jimmy

This training was prepared in order to have onboard a well-structured tour operating system with well-trained, well-equipped, and well-skilled Kigali tour guides that have a common understanding on different Kigali city landmarks and would properly provide tourists with needed tourism information with attractive Kigali City Tour packages.

Kigali City Tour Experience training was delivered in 10 days, which were divided in two cohorts. To mean 5 days for each cohort, and it was provided to 51 Kigali City tour guides from Rwanda Safari Guides Association, and Rwanda Tours and Travel Association.

Each cohort was trained in two parts: 2 days for theory in class and 3 days for field visits to help the participants practice what they had learned in class and help trainees to see the reality of what they had learned by their own eyes and give opportunity to each trainee to guide the team and be assessed by colleagues for personal improvement of the guiding.

Mr. Abdallah, one of the trainers in this training said: “The main exercise we have been conducting is how we can best equip the Kigali city tour guides with facts about major landmarks in Kigali, because we realized that there is a gap when it comes to different stories that people tell around Kigali.”

The learning outcomes of this training was that at the end, all trainees should be able to identify and understand major attractions of Kigali City, interpret Kigali City Tour Experience Script as a professional storyteller, make the client experience an outstanding one.

Some of the courses that the trainees leant include: Successful story over Rwanda’s effort to fight COVID-19 pandemic, expectation of tourists, trainees’ guiding experience, significance of major landmarks through thematic storytelling tours, understanding urban tourism, historical background of Kigali city’s major tourism products, explanation of interpretive approach and principles of interpretation, country Profiling with reference to Rwanda, categorizing tourism products of Kigali city.

During a field visit at Campaign Against Genocide Museum, a trainee named Floyd MUNYAWERA said: “Tour guiding is my passion and this is the best tour guiding training I have ever had, because we’re being equipped with the way you can actually perfect the art of storytelling with facts.”

                                                                      Trainees during a practical field visit at Kigali Cultural Village/Photo by Jimmy

Kigali has been the capital city of Rwanda since the 14^th century AD. Over the last two decades, the city of Kigali has rapidly grown into a modern city and has not only become Rwanda’s most important business center but also its main port of entry.

Historically, Kigali city was founded by The King Cyirima I Rugwe (In 1345-1378) as the capital of Rwanda. In 1907, during the German colonization, Dr. Richard Kandt, the 1^st colonial resident of Rwanda also chose Kigali to be the capital of Rwanda. From that time up to now Kigali is still the capital city of Rwanda, with 3 administrative districts: Kicukiro, Gasabo and Nyarugenge. Presently, Kigali has approximately 1.2 million inhabitants, where the youth make up the most of the population at about 60%, while women comprise about 50% of the population.

Kigali City attracts worldwide attention due to the provided effort for its sustainable development that makes it to be classified among the safe and green African cities. However, despite its rolling green hills, sparkling clean streets, and energetic young arts scene, Kigali city is among key hot spot for tourism, as an entry point to most visitors to Rwanda on their way to wildlife and safaris experience in addition to delegates who are coming to Kigali for Business and Conferences. Therefore, a particular effort should be made to satisfy the tourism needs of both leisure and MICE segments interested in visiting Kigali and exploring its beauties.

Kigali City Tour Experience Training ended on Friday 7^th May, 2021. Guests of honors for the closing ceremony were Mr. Concorde NSENGUMUREMYI, the Deputy Principal in Charge of Academic and Trainings at IPRC KITABI and Mrs. Grace UMUTONI, Director of operations at Tourism chamber/Rwanda.

                                                    Group photo during the closing ceremony/Photo by Jimmy