The Tanzania Association of Tour Operators (TATO) and the Rwanda Tours and Travel Association (RTTA) have agreed to jointly market the two countries as complementary destinations in a bid to provide tourists with an array of adventure experiences.

TATO CEO, Sirili Akko, said the main objective of the partnership was to encourage tourists to increase their stay in the two East African countries.

“We are hopeful it will be a fruitful partnership because tourism is a new frontier in the African continent. East African countries, particularly Rwanda and Tanzania, have a very key synergy because we do not have the same products, which results in complementary products,” he said.

Akko said Rwanda and Tanzania were high-end tourist destinations in the region, with strong conservation policies, and therefore emphasised the need to keep in contact with Rwandese tour operators so that they could together forge meaningful partnership as regional stakeholders.

The Director General of Chamber of Tourism, Rwanda’s Private Sector Federation, Ariella Kageruka, urged operators in the countries to reinforce their network and exchange their experiences about tourism investment opportunities.

Tour operators from both countries participated in a networking event in Kigali, and also visited various tourist sites. As part of their mission to explore tourist products in Rwanda, the TATO members visited Volcanoes National Park to view the mountain gorillas, enjoyed  a boat ride on Lake Kivu, and a canopy walkway in the Nyungwe Forest.