RTB eLearning

Introduction

Community-based Tourism (CBT) is one of the tourism sub-sectors with a direct social and economic impact on local communities. By developing Community-based Tourism Enterprises (CBTEs), communities gain income-generating opportunities and better job prospects. At the same time, CBT helps communities to manage and preserve their knowledge and cultural resources. It allows them to take part in the direct development of their communities while simultaneously reaping the benefits of tourism. CBT places a strong emphasis on all aspects of social, cultural, economic, and environmental sustainability. In Rwanda, CBT is closely linked with the growth of eco-tourism and sustainable tourism. The Government of Rwanda identified CBT as a key tourism development priority for diversifying the tourism industry beyond gorilla related tourism. The Tourism Policy (2009) targets support at viable Small, Micro and Medium Enterprises (SMMEs) offering marketable tourism products and services that meet essential quality standards as well as aiming to promote CBT 1 in order to achieve a wider spread of the economic benefits from tourism, especially with regards to the rural sector. The module of community based tourism comprises three learning units and ten learning outcomes which will be delivered in one hundred and twenty hours (120). Within twelve (12) credits.