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Revenue generated from gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park amounted to $11 million (approx. Rwf11 billion) within the first six months of 2022, according to Rwanda Development Board (RDB).
The money was earned from the sale of 6,200 gorilla permits during that period. Each permit costs up to $1500In 2021 and 2020, the park generated $6 million and $5.9 million respectively owing to the lockdowns and movement restrictions attributed to the Covid-19 pandemic.
In 2019, it stood at $21.9 million before the pandemic.
According to Ariella Kageruka, Head of Tourism and Conservation Department, RDB, gorilla tourism is one of the key contributors of recovery in tourism sector.
“The high-end tourism with gorillas being the leading attractions that has brought back tourism in Rwanda.”ADVERTISEMENTKageruka was speaking during a press conference for the occasion of Kwita Izina 18th edition slated for September 2.
The ceremony that will be held on the foothills of Volcanoes National Park will see the naming of 20 baby gorillas born in Kinigi, Musanze.
Since the start of the tourism flagship event in 2005 which is held annually, about 354 baby gorillas were named.
There has been a number of initiatives to improve the livelihoods of park communities including tourism revenue sharing program.
Kageruka cited that the program that gives 10 percent of total revenue back to the community has seen over Rwf7.9 billion distributed to more than 880 community based projects.
These include schools, medical facilities, and other key infrastructure projects.RDB’s statistics indicate that the tourism sector has generated $168 million revenue in the first six months of this year.
After facing challenges of Covid-19 inbound tourism revenue has increased by 25 percent from $131 million in 2020 to $164 million in 2021 with Rwanda welcoming over 512,000 international visitors last year.
With the increasing population of the endangered mountain gorillas, the government of Rwanda in collaboration of the African Wildlife Foundation seeks to expand Volcanoes National Park, a project that is expected to cost $255 million (approx. Rwf260 billion).
The initiative will expand the park by approximately 23 percent, increasing its size by 37.4 square kilometers (or 3,740 hectares) to enhance the effective habitat functioning of the park

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Downtown Circle is made up of five levels and would sit on five points, or pillars, embedded into the ground. The massive span of the circle itself would be composed of two main rings held together by a continuous green belt named the Skypark which vertically connects the floors with each other creating a connected three-dimensional urban green eco-system.
The National mentions that the (supposedly) self-sustaining 550-meter-tall (1,804-foot) structure would include a tram system and incredible landscaped features such as swamps and a waterfall in and around its three-kilometer (1.86-mile) long tract. ZNera Space, the Dubai-based firm behind the proposal, mentioned it in terms of the NEOM project’s recently-announced ‘The Line’ megastructure, stating that its concept differs within an urban context, but that the radical design, which was thought up during the pandemic, “raises the discussion of what we can do better” in terms of agricultural production and social division.
“Our roles as architects is to come up with these ideas,” co-founder Najmus Chowdry said. “We want people to comment on it, criticise it, to see how we can think about building topographies.”

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Bermuda Opens Up to Unvaccinated Travelers

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Bermuda is removing its restriction on unvaccinated travelers, according to the Bermuda Tourism Authority.
Beginning Aug. 22, unvaccinated travelers will be able to visit the destination. Previously, unvaccinated visitors 12 and over had been required to apply for a medical exemption from vaccination to enter Bermuda.
“The pandemic is not over, but today, Bermuda has the necessary tools and processes in place to protect ourselves and our communities,” said BTA Interim CEO Tracy Berkeley. “Our updated travel protocols will streamline the process for visiting our island, further boosting Bermuda’s tourism comeback in 2022.” 
Unvaccinated travelers to Bermuda will have to take a Covid test no more than two days before landing in Bermuda, and then test again on day four of their vacation.
They must also have valid travel health insurance to enter Bermuda, and must upload proof of their insurance to the Bermuda Travel Authorization application for approval. ADVERTISEMENTIf travelers don’t take a test two days before arrival, they can test at the airport.
For more, visit Bermuda Tourism.

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