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1. Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO: Application Form
Before you submit your application, we invite you to carefully read the following
documents (available at http://www.unwto.org/tourism-villages/):
• Terms and Conditions
• Guidelines for Application
• Application Rationale
• Areas of Evaluation
IMPORTANT NOTES:
- Applications must be submitted online.
- The online application form, the presentation and the Application Rationale must
be submitted in English only. Information in any other language will not be
considered.
- All supporting documents shall be submitted in English. If documents are only
available in another language, please provide a short summary in English (not
exceeding 300 words) and an audio-visual supporting documents (link to a
website, photo or video). As much as possible relevant links are preferred to
documents.
- All documents must be submitted in the format specified in the online application
form and must not exceed the maximum length and/or size indicated. The title of
each document should reflect the contents of the document.
- Make sure to have all mandatory documents ready for upload before submitting
your application. Incomplete and/or late applications shall not be considered.
- Once an application is submitted, no changes can be made. The submitted
application will be considered as the final version.
- Deadline for applications is 31 July 2021 (23:59 CET)
- All fields marked with an asterisk (*) are mandatory.

2. 1. Basic Information
1.1. Name of the
village*
Butaro Village
Open-
ended
Question
1.2. Country* Rwanda
Drop-
down
Question
1.3. Population of the
village (number of
inhabitants) *
Considering that a maximum of 15.000
inhabitants is an eligibility pre-requisite,
please indicate the number of inhabitants
and submit/provide a supporting
link/document of the population census for
the village for the latest year available.
Open-
ended
Question
+ File
upload
/link
1.4. Contact information for representative in the village (highest
authority)
1.4.1. Title
(Mr/Ms/Other)*
Mr.
Field
Questions
1.4.2. Family Name* NIYITEGEKA
1.4.3. First Name* Jean
1.4.4. Institution* Burera Youth Community
1.4.5. Position* Chairperson
1.4.6. Address*
Northern Province, Burera District, Butaro
Sector, Rusumo Cell
1.4.7. Telephone
Number*
0783147722
1.4.8. E-mail Address* Jean.niyitegeka07@gmail.com
1.5. Contact information for the responsible for the application at the
UNWTO Member State
The responsible for the application of the village will be the representative of the
UNWTO Member State. This person will be responsible for the communication and
coordination of all issues related to the candidacy.

3. 1.5.1. Title
(Mr/Ms/Other)*
Field
Questions
1.5.2. Family Name*
1.5.3. First Name*
1.5.4. Institution*
1.5.5. Position*
1.5.6. Address*
1.5.7. Telephone
Number*
1.5.8. E-mail Address*
2. Application Rationale
Why do you consider that the village should be awarded as a Best Tourism
Village?
2.1. Please explain in what ways the village fills in the objectives of the
initiative – to promote tourism as a driver of sustainable tourism in all its
aspects – economic, social and environmental.
For the purpose of this section, please upload a presentation
(PowerPoint, Google Slides or similar) with a maximum of 10 slides.*
File
Upload
2.2. Please complete the two Application Rationale sections outlined
below. Note that all questions are mandatory. Please do not exceed the
maximum length for each question. We suggest the use of the ‘Word
Count’ function to ensure that limits are not exceeded. *
See
below

4. Application Rationale: Motivation Statement
1. What is the village’s vision on the contribution of tourism for rural
development? Explain how the village sees the role of tourism as a driver for
sustainable rural development (300 words maximum).
The village intends to ensure touristic attractions, skills and well-maintained uniqueness for
boosting tourism led to sustainable rural development. In fact, Burera Youth Community as youth
organization founded in 2018 has managed to host over 1200 foreigners and domestic tourists
contributing to the revenues in the village. We intend to be recognized globally to the level of
UNESCO. Evidently, the beneficiaries are located in different areas around Burera destination,
basically Butaro village inhabited by 800 people where BYC is headquartered. However, the
activities extend to the rest of destinations with approximately two thousand people. The Burera
District is inhabited by 336,455 people (2012 census). Tourism has transformed community’s
livelihoods throughout Rwanda, and, in the process, has become a driver of rural sustainable
development. Specifically, the Government of Rwanda (GoR) has increasingly invested in
sustainable and community-related projects, which can be seen from the increase in allocation of
total annual tourism revenues in community projects from 5% to 10% in 2017 (RDB, 2017).
The investments the GoR has made in the Burera District and the benefits to Butaro village are
self-explanatory. Taking into account The Roots of Nyabingi heritage centre we operate; so far
has hosted 3 cultural events, more than 50 sellers that sold good and products to tourists at each
event, over 50 people have been trained in different vocations, and 30 talented dancers and singers
have come together to perform and benefit directly from tourism. Thus, tourism is a pillar of
sustainable development in Butaro village, which is becoming globally known for its distinctive
natural and cultural heritage. This includes but is not limited to 4 important historical hills (Mabuye
Meru, Rwingona, Bucyaba and Butaro), Rugezi marshland, the Twin lakes of Burera and
Ruhondo, unique tree species (e.g., Ficus and erythrina), and The Roots of Nyabingi Heritage
Centre.

5. 2. What are the village’s goals in advancing tourism as a driver for rural
development? Explain which are the main goals of your tourism strategy and how
these contribute to drive rural development (300 words maximum).
The following are the main goals of our village.
(1) Community engagement in domestic tourism: We have engaged the community around our
attractions and tourism activities such as guiding and storytelling. We have 6 story tellers and
seven households where we host tourists for home stays and community experiences. Since many
of the products are offered in the community by the community, the community takes
responsibility to continuously improve the tourism offerings based on the feedback we receive
from visitors. This speaks to the level of trust and skillsets within the community. This illustrates
how we have been able to engage the entire. (2) Discover and validate touristic attractions:
Since we need to improve tourism to the level of international market readiness in developing rural
areas, we discovered several new products and approaches to selling community tourism such as
historical evidence based stories, drama and games Discovering and developing new programs
such as the “under focus shadow program”, and maintaining and improving the existing sites
ensures that we maintain the attractiveness of the tourism offerings in all ways. Consequently, this
contributes to rural development since it helps us to maintain a high profile of the area and the
product. (3) Strengthening marketing strategy through social networks: Through the use of
social media marketing, we intend to make our village visible worldwide, so that our story is
recognized in all corners of the world. This is complemented by working with international
partners in America, for example, dealing with cultural exchange project. Thus, we are
incrementally raising the visibility of our activities and consequently anticipate bringing in more
clients. Finally, we also support our local guides, capacity building, integration and partnering with
associated villages and institutions to boost tourism in our village and the surrounding rural areas.

6. 3. Highlight two initiatives that you think will make a critical contribution to
your objectives stated above. Creative and innovative approaches will be
especially valued (300 words maximum).
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4. What are the village’s expectations on the impact from the designation as a
Best Tourism Village by UNWTO? Explain the main reasons behind the decision
to submit the application to the Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO and the expected
mid and long-term (3-5 years) impact of the designation for the development of
the village through tourism (300 words maximum).
First and foremost, it would be our pleasure having our village selected among the best
tourism village by UNWTO. It would be valuable for us since the platform of UNWTO
as best tourism village is highly marketable. Therefore, we anticipate being recognized
all over the world as an exemplary model for inclusive community tourism development.
This will boost our visibility and will result in increased visitation, resulting in increased
socio-economic benefits for residents and the sustainable development of the community.
For instance, the world will know what we are doing to rescue endangered wildlife
species, fight climate change, monitor biodiversity and implement other community-
driven programs, along with our related achievements. Moreover, since we committed to
tourism, our village needs constructive feedback, guidance and mentorship for us to
continue to progress. Thus, being a UNWTO best tourism village would create positive
ripple effects that would benefit the community as a whole and all of its residents. In
addition, we hope the recognition will make it easier to secure financial support to
implement different prioritised projects. Furthermore, since UNWTO hosts a number of
experts in tourism development, we hope this as an opportunity for us to benefit from
their knowledge and know-how and various proven approaches, trainings and facilities.

7. In closing, having our village recognised as a best tourism village by UNWTO will enable
us to achieve our marketing, community engagement and capacity building goals, and
then help us in improving existing product and developing new products.
5. What are the main contributions that the village could make to the Best
Tourism Villages Network, if selected? (300 words maximum).
We are able to share our learnings and experiences in community engagement and in using
community tourism to foster shared socio-economic and environmental benefits. Since
our village has a unique history, we can also share our experience in the unique way we
deliver pilgrimage tourism and engage visitors in our culture and heritage. This includes,
for example delivering the belief related history of the famous legend of Nyabingi, a
female virgin, freedom fighter who led Ndorwa queendom since 15s. Moreover, we have
an approach in tailoring the way of performing guiding depending to the type of product.
In mountainous areas, there are some innovative experiences that should be interesting
for other villages in mountainous areas. In addition, our village is passionate about
tourism, therefore, through this initiative we will be proud to share how our organisation
is structured and what drives our deep commitment to the community. Generally, our
traditional and local techniques in improving tourism, associated with intense and
innovative project as well as product development, will be among the best contribution
to serve in the best tourism villages Network.
6. How does tourism contribute to the advancement of the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) in the village? Explain how the village sees the role
of tourism as a driver for sustainable rural development in the context of the SDGs
– which SDGs are more important and how you act to advance them (300 words

8. maximum).
Denoting to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), tourism in our village
contributes to different goals at the same time such as job creation, promotion of local
products, environmental conservation, cultural heritage presentation, and sustainable
consumption and production patterns. Specific goals include SDG 8.9, 12, and others: (1)
No poverty: This is one of the best implications of tourism, since the tourism in our
village tends to solve some issues related to financial capacities through revenues.
Community members in the village are well engaged due to the expected benefits
including revenues delivered. As the consequences of this, people in the village involved
in tourism that have fodder, paid school fees, health insurance and other facilities, which
was made possible from the tourism activities they offer. Moreover, through the tourism
related activities that are available, we support inclusion and gender equality. Both
males and females are equally included in the programmes we offer. Moreover, the more
cooperative we are, the more successful we are as a community in delivering tourism
offerings, the more of a sustainable community we become. In addition, the revenue
from tourism helps us to improve our environment, protect endangered species Grey
crowned cranes and Graueri swamp warbler and therefore improve our resilience due to
our climate-related actions. For this case, we cannot focus on tourism without
considering environmental conservation since they complement each other. Finally, all of
our collective work at a community level creates decent jobs and the economic growth
of the village.

9. Application Rationale: Commitment and Future Actions
1. Identify and analyse threats and challenges to the sustainability of tourism
development in the village (300 words maximum).
In identification of threats and challenges to the sustainability of tourism development in
the village, financial capacity, marketing strategies, Limited awareness that led to low
engagement by community comes to be the case.
Due to the pandemic, many people in our village tourism industry are being affected by
limited financial capacity to strengthen the products and improve some of the service
offerings. There are different attractions that need to be further developed through new
branding, maintenance, relocation and other improvements. However, the village cannot
currently afford to address those challenges and consequently this leads to limitations on
sustainable tourism development in the village. Secondly, the village has may innovations
and services that need to be appropriately marketed and communicated to attract more
visitors. However, our ability to implement our marketing strategies is limited due to the
limited access to the technological tools and means. We realized this during lockdown,
where more people were enclosed in their homes, yet need to be informed about what is
going on regarding tourism. Thirdly, the perceptions of the community about tourism are
being impacted. This is a challenge to the overall sustainability of tourism since the
community needs to be aware of market fluctuations and the government’s plans for the
recovery of the tourism sector. Awareness rising is needed to boost their engagement to

10. maximize the positive outcomes during this challenging time.
2. What are the policies, strategies and actions that will be taken in the next five
years and how will they respond to the threats identified? (300 words maximum).
There is a policy of boosting revenue from tourism to further address the issue of financial
capacity. This will be attained by enhancing product development policy and maintaining
community engagement and awareness through the MFBD approach. Enhancing tourism
product development will require data collection and the provision of support to help
innovate and improve existing products based on the changes that have occurred during
the pandemic. This will be attained using the data and information that we already have,
collecting additional data as needed, and providing direct support to community
enterprises in need and to entrepreneurs that want to get involved in tourism. Moreover,
in the context of awareness raising, MFBD will be applied to ensure that all families have
their voices heard as it relates to sustainable tourism within the community. Based on the
success we have had to date, it anticipated that this approach will enhance better
management of the issues that are currently affecting families and lead to the proposal of
and engagement in possible solutions. We believe the focus on the family being the best
hosts and the policies and programs outlined in our application will adequately respond
to the mentioned threats.
3. How will these contribute to the conservation of the cultural and natural assets
and to the three dimensions – economic, social and environmental – of sustainable
tourism? (300 words maximum).
The mentioned policies, product, and programming and our approach to sustainable
community tourism will continue to contribute to the conservation of our natural and
cultural heritage assets by design. For instance, the village has numerous ficus trees with
detailed stories related to these trees in past years. Preserving and sharing these stories
facilitates the conservation of natural heritage assets such as these. Moreover, when the
community is aware of the benefits and opportunities associated with tourism and related
sectors, they understand their role and how they engage and invest in sustainable forms
of tourism that celebrate our culture and the ecosystems we depend upon. The emphasis

11. we place on maintaining community engagement through an inclusive approach and
raising the quality and marketability of our tourism offerings will lead to economic
growth in the context of attractive sites, products and services which in turn will support
social sustainability. Moreover, for the entire approach to be successful, we must maintain
strong environmental management and protection.
4. How are multi-stakeholders, including local communities, involved to support
these actions? (300 words maximum).
As noted, all of our activities fit into the context of multi-stakeholder engagement since
our collective success and almost all of our activities are dependent upon collaboration.
The local community residents are the primary beneficiaries of all of our activities. In
fact, since all of our work either takes place or stems from the heritage centre, community
members can see the direct benefits they receive through their involvement in dance
troops and other cultural activities. This approach reinforces how all tourism activities
are designed to improve the community and resident’s livelihoods. Those who are not
able to work, specifically the oldest, benefit from solving some of the social security
issues through community work namely “Umuganda” whereby we build toilets, donate
hygiene tools, and so forth.
Local and international partners and stakeholders are interested based on our shared
mission. This occurs because they understand how our work directly improves livelihood
in the community. Local leaders at various levels such as Burera District administrative
staffs, the local government and private companies support our activities in either
provision of the means, approval to perform, influential participations in various events,
provide recommendation or financial supports in our operations., We work closely with
related institutions, conservation related NGOs and tour companies. Of those include
University of Global health Equity, University of Tourism and Business (UTB), Wilson
tour and so forth. Moreover, we partner with KUKATONON as previously mentioned.

12. Through this partnership, we conduct a summer youth program via ICE breaker project.
This is where we perform dialogue, discussions, and entertainment both reflecting culture
and healing. We also host tourism students and provide them with hands-on career
experience through internships.
5. What actions would you like to seek funding and/or mobilize resources for at the
local, national and/or international level and how? (300 words maximum).
We would like to search for funding on different actions that we have prioritised but
cannot finance due to the downturn in tourism. Of these prioritised activities the
following are essentials: Renovating our top tourism attractions to ensure they are market
ready for international travellers seeking authentic ecotourism and community-based
tourism experiences. This includes improving The Roots of Nyabingi Heritage Centre and
surrounding environment. In addition, there is need for additional visitor facilities,
including a coffee shop, expanded museum exhibits, huts, and a library, as well as outdoor
landscaping and infrastructure around the lakes. For the best way of conserving
biodiversity, we are looking for grant to elaborate the conservation project to keep
rescuing mentioned endangered species, monitoring the Rugezi marshland and boost
efficiently the incentives in community conservation and tourism. Moreover, we are
looking for fund to implement the MFBD project. The start-up funding that is required
with cover trainings, field work, workshops, and awareness raising within the community
about tourism.
6. How will the village monitor the progress of these actions? (300 words maximum).
The community will be engaged to discuss and priories the metrics to be measured. This
will include data on the status of the two projects and the related allocation of financial
and human resources per the approved project budgets. Importantly, community member

13. involvement will be closely tracked inclusive of tasks and duties performed per
individual. To ensure transparency, this will be updated and shared with community
members on a weekly basis through project completion, and monthly meetings will be
held to discuss the status of the projects and identify challenges inhibiting progress and
solutions to them. In addition, we will track the results of our digital marketing efforts,
the number of jobs being created through community tourism enterprises, the number of
suppliers and producers in the community providing supplies to these enterprises, and the
amount of hectares that the community is protecting for conservation purposes.
3. Areas of Evaluation
3.1.1. Please provide a description of the existing recognized cultural (tangible and
intangible) and natural resources. * (300 words maximum).
Our village is the home for The Roots of Nyabingi Heritage Center. This is a center for
promoting the cultural heritage of the region, with an emphasis on stories of the former
Ndorwa Kingdom in ancient Rwanda. It comprises a museum and associated cultural
activities such as king games, kunyabanwa, and so forth. The heritage center features
many natural assets. There are trees of the ficus species which were planted near the
homes of our traditional ancestors. These ficus trees are said to be planted by Nyabingi.
Talking to the trees, there are places having trees which expressed particular history and
reserved for tourism. We have huts of different former Ndorwa Queendom’s priests which
were used during the ritual events. Moreover, we have places which have great and unique
history of former Ndorwa Kingdom such as: Rwingona (mountain which has rock of
historical significance on the top of the mountain) and Mabuye meru. This is where the
ancient Rwandana used to perform ikibumbuze events and harvest day “Umuganura”. The
region is home to the Rugezi-Burera-Ruhondo marshland, which is a Ramsar site that has
interesting stories of ancient Rwanda who had history taken as exceptional in Rwandan
history. Through the Roots of Nyabingi Heritage Center, we have a very unique culture
of traditional ikinimba dance. This dance style is special and known to be particular for
actual Northern Province, Rwanda. We have water bodies (lakes and rivers) that used in
boating experience, kayaking and outdoor activities. These are places that are inhabited

14. by a number of numbers of aquatic species. For example, we have Rugezi marshland,
reserved area, home for 194 bird species, more than 200 plant species with two
endangered birds graueri swamp warbler and Grey crowned cranes.
3.2.1. Please describe the main policies, measures and initiatives relevant to showcase
how the village is committed to the promotion and conservation of its cultural
resources which make it unique and authentic. * (300 words maximum).
There are a lot of initiatives that showcase how our village is committed to promotion
and conservation of culture resources. For instance, after establishing The Roots of
Nyabingi Heritage Center, we intended to design different itineraries for visitors to easily
access our community and region. This is an anchor attraction that has influenced the
development of other community tourism activities, products and enterprises. We created
dancing and singing troops with 30 permanent members and around 20 part time workers,
primarily focusing on the preservation of culture. We also managed to collect all the
necessary artifacts (e.g., tools and equipment) that were used in ancient Rwanda which
are featured in our museum exhibits (99% of the ancient equipment were securely
collected and preserved). These exhibits enable us to pass on the history, heritage, and
culture of ancient Rwanda. Since we were working directly with youth, we managed to
initiate two annual championships to help foster youth gatherings: (1) Rugezi
conservation cup attended by more than 1000 people (both players and fans); (2) a Twin
lake cycling tour, attended by more than 500 people (both cyclists and fans). We use these
events to disseminate information related to culture and environmental conservation. We
have also hosted more than 800 students on excursions to visit attractions within the
community and our region, and we have hosted 10 interns and more than 200 trainees.
The focus is on providing tourism, conservation or history related courses. Finally, we
established a foreign cultural exchange partnership with students from the USA through
collaboration between Burera Youth Community and KUKATONON. With this 15 Burera
Youth were engaged in weekly sessions with the America students in discussions about
culture.
3.3.1. Please describe the main policies, measures and initiatives relevant to showcase
how the village is committed to promote economic sustainability supporting business

15. development, entrepreneurship, value chain integration, investment and the positive
impact of tourism in the local economy.* (300 words maximum).
Economically, the community tourism initiatives have not only boosted the tourism sector in the
village but also in the Burera District. The revenue from domestics and foreigner visitors directly
and indirectly benefits local suppliers and producers inside and outside of the village. Moreover,
the revenue sharing through the activities/visits of The Roots of Nyabingi heritage Center Museum
helps in boosting the economy of the community. The village is thrilled to improve economic
sustainability by capacity building through vocational trainings through the under-ficus shadow
program. The program has a value of 1270000 RwF and comprises classes for tailors and designers
of baskets in partnership with Partners in Health, the health organization that fund and support
many vulnerable, students, patients and other community in need for their environment. We
managed to win a youth connect award at provincial level through the Ministry of Youth. We were
awarded 2000000 RwF due to the innovations that we shared via the competition and the resultant
change that we brought to the community. Moreover, we get recognized on Labor Day 2019 by
the Ministry of Labor due to the significance that we have to the youth, our community and visitors.
This prize of 1000000 RwF improved our community tourism operations.
3.4.1. Please describe the main policies, measures and initiatives relevant to showcase
how the village is committed to promote social inclusion and equality by catalysing
and spreading the benefits of tourism* (300 words maximum)
The successful implementation of community tourism has boosted the community’s perception of
the benefits of tourism and improved cooperation and communication among community
members. For instance, via The Roots of Nyabingi heritage center, we offer tourists service of
community experience and home stays. This enable community members to be recognized socially
and share their skills and knowledge. Three community cooperatives have been created.
Basically; 10 members of a food coop offer vegetables, fruits and flowers and have fought
malnutrition during lockdown. This coop benefits around 2000 people comprising local
community members who are unable to afford a nutritious diet, 5 schools around the region and a

16. military camp. Secondly, we initiated birdwatching club, of 17 initial members with aim of
improving community’s awareness on conservation and bird sciences. Thirdly, Rugezi football
team with 23 members that evolved for awareness raising on Rugezi marshland. Furthermore, 62
people obtained jobs in different aspects of tourism. This includes 30 members of a traditional
troop of dancers and singers, 5 environmental managers, 7 employees of the ICT center and around
20 support staff who manage, implement and monitor the activities of the heritage center. In the
context of gender balance is always followed, where at least 30% of participants are females. For
instance, in our birdwatching club, we have 9 males and 8 females, in the enrolled ICT trainees,
we have 8 girls and 7 boys. For all activities within the organization, both males and females share
common responsibilities as well as opportunities. Moreover, the village incorporates the inclusion
of 6 vulnerable elderly people through the delivery of historical stories of former Ndorwa Kingdom
and their associations.
3.5.1. Please describe the main policies, measures and initiatives relevant to showcase
how the village is committed to environmental sustainability through the promotion
and/or dissemination of policies, measures and initiatives that advance the
preservation and conservation of its natural resources and minimize the impact of
tourism development on the environment. * (300 words maximum).
The Rugezi marshland, which is among the recognized cultural resources, is home for
194 bird species, more than 200 plant species with two endangered birds the graueri
swamp warbler and Grey crowned crane (RAMSAR, 2016). Rugezi, a Ramsar site, was
designated in 2005, with an area of 67,35 km2
By Rwanda’s economic crisis in 2003-
2004, the Rugezi wetland had dried up due to human activities and climate change
(REMA, 2011). Integrated watershed management and wetland rehabilitation were
required. The Government responded with stronger agricultural and watershed
management measures including building erosion control structures; planting a bamboo
and grass belt around the Rugezi Wetlands and trees on surrounding hillsides; distributing
improved cookstoves; and promoting environmentally sound farming practices and
additional income-generating activities such as beekeeping.

17. Through its conservation initiative, Burera Youth Community has supported conservation efforts
within Rugezi marshland and its buffer zone. This includes monitoring the flora and fauna and
their protections against anthropogenic activities and creating botanical garden in 3 hectares in the
northern buffer zone of Rugezi marshland. This effectively regenerated the degraded region due
to anthropogenic pressure.
To help ensure community conservation, we host weekly talks and awareness rising for
environmental conservation in surrounding schools and community. To raise the understanding of
nature, we created 5 birdwatching clubs in schools near Rugezi marshland. We also initiated the
Twin lakes cycling tour and Rugezi conservation championship, where the sector teams adjacent
to Rugezi marshland meet and play football for the purpose of awareness raising regarding
conservation of endangered species and their declining habitat. Environmental conservation is not
limited to Rugezi marshland, but to the conservation of the twin lakes (Burera and Ruhondo) and
their surrounding valleys and lakeshores. Last but not least, we conserve historical trees and
established two seed nurseries for restoring some of those species.
3.6.1. Please provide a description of the village’s market potential and tourism.
Describe the main policies, measures and initiatives relevant to showcase how the
village is committed to the enhancement of the tourism value chain and the
competitiveness of the destination in areas related to market access, marketing and
promotion, innovation, product development and quality. (300 words maximum).
We have covered the village’s market potential and tourism offerings in other sectors of this
application, as well as the ways in which the community is involved in product development,
innovation and improvement and community tourism is benefitting residents across the tourism
value chain in the village and surrounding region. The heritage centre, community tourism
offerings, coops and attractiveness of Rugezi marshland all increase our competitiveness and
attract domestic and international visitors interested in community tourism, cultural tourism,
avitourism, outdoor recreation. In addition, the village is home to Butaro hospital, an international
hospital for cancer treatment. It hosts patients from around the world. Many of the patients engage

18. in tourism activities offered within the community. Moreover, the University of Global Health
Equity (UGHE) is located in our region. This is an international university that hosts domestic and
foreign students, lecturers and other academic staff who patron the Roots of Nyabingi Heritage
Center and community tourism enterprises and coops. Working closely with the community
engagement department of UGHE and other local schools boosted the market for the community
products that are available.
3.7.1. Please describe the main policies, measures and initiatives relevant to showcase
how the village is committed to make tourism a strategic pillar for rural development
and how the village promotes a governance model based on public-private
partnerships, cooperation with other government levels and the engagement of the
community in tourism planning and development. * (300 words maximum)
Actually, referring to the importance, benefits and outcomes of tourism related activities,
the village is committed to make tourism a strategic pillar for rural development. This is
obvious since our village has strong partnerships and organisational structure that
provides value to both the private and public sectors including local government. We have
managed to engage both national and local government in supporting community tourism
development in our village and region. This increases cooperation to collaboratively
ensure the successful marketability and service delivery to the clients. For example, the
Rwanda Development Board lists our village and region as one of the best destinations
to be visited in Rwanda. The Roots of Nyabingi Heritage Center is also on the list of the
best areas to be visited by the attendees of the Commonwealth Heads of Government
Meeting. This is due to the fact that the community is actively involved in tourism and
many residents render services through The Roots of Nyabingi Heritage Center.
3.8.1. Please provide a description of the village’s infrastructure and how it
facilitates access and communications that improve the wellbeing of rural
communities, business development as well as the visitor experience * (300 words

19. maximum).
The village has the basic infrastructures that enable tourism to take place in adequate
ways. For instance, the village has transport infrastructure to facilitate connectivity from
different areas. The location has main two roads heading to the urban hubs of Kigali and
Musanze respectively. Moreover, considering that this is a rural area, it has basic roads
and transport infrastructure that enable visitation to the key attractions. Moreover, it is
the place where the ICT network connectivity is established. This facilitates
communication to both local and international partners and potential visitors via online
marketing of the available services and attractions. This was facilitated by the permit
Burera Youth Community recently received to manage the youth center of the district.
This enabled us to improve our digital footprint, increase market connectivity and enable
online payments, bookings and negotiations. Lastly, the recently released master plan of
Burera District announced that the new headquarters will be built in our village.
3.9.1. Please provide a description of the village’s health, safety and security systems
to safeguard residents and tourists * (300 words maximum).
Our village is following the national protocol for COVID-19. In addition, the village and
our centre are located near the Butaro health center and Butaro hospital. Therefore, this
helps us to ensure visitors feel safe and know that they are always within relatively close
proximity to professional health care. Moreover, the village is safe, and there is little to
no crime. Many guides and others offering tourism services have had first-aid training
and have access to first aid kits. Additionally, the village is close to the security section
of the Rwandan army. This increases the security of the village. In case of an emergency,
we have security protocols, in place, and a responsive police force. This helps the village,
community and tourists to enjoy more since they feel comfortable due to those factors.

20. 4. Compliance Framework
How did you learn about
the Best Tourism Villages
by UNWTO pilot
initiative?
- UNWTO website
- Social Media
- Direct Communication from UNWTO
- Press
- Event
- Recommendation from colleague or
partner
- Other
- …
Multiple
Choice
Question
Before submitting the application, please make sure you have uploaded all the required
documents in the specified format as listed below:
a) Link or supporting document evidence with population census of the village for
the latest year available reflecting the number of inhabitants (Field 1.3.)
b) Presentation (Field 2.1.)
c) Application Rationale completed (Field 2.2.)

21. 1. I am/We are aware and accept the Statutes of UNWTO1 and the
Global Code of Ethics for Tourism2 *
☐
YES
2. I am/We are aware and accept to comply with the Terms and
Conditions of ‘Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO’ pilot initiative3.
Accordingly, I/we recognize that UNWTO reserves the right to suspend
or exclude a village from ‘Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO’ Label
and/or Upgrade Programme and/or Network at any time in case of
breach of these Terms and Conditions, for not meeting the requirements
for joining the initiative for any other reason duly justified. *
☐
YES
3. I/We understand and accept that the village, once officially a member
of ‘Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO’ Network may mention its
membership as such. It may therefore use after its name the mention
“Member of Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO Network”. Any use of
UNWTO’s signs (name, emblem, flag or acronym) shall be subject to
prior written authorization by UNWTO and in full compliance with the
terms and conditions in accordance with UNWTO Terms of Use4. *
☐
YES
4. By becoming a Member of ‘Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO’
Network, the village accepts to comply with the terms and conditions
established by the UNWTO, in particular on the use of UNWTO signs
and the prohibition to be involved in any activity that could be opposed
to the objectives or principles of the UNWTO or the UN or that could
adversely reflect upon the UNWTO.*
☐
YES
UNDERTAKING
I, hereby, declare that all the information provided above is true and
correct to the best of my knowledge and that I have read, understood
and accepted the Terms and Conditions and agree to all of the terms
therein. Should I fail to adhere to the conditions set out by said Terms
and Conditions, I understand that the UNWTO reserves the right to
dismiss my application.*
☐
YES
DATA PROTECTION
1. By submitting their application, participants acknowledge that
referenced projects are their own originals and/or they own the
☐
1 World Tourism Organization (2016) UNWTO Basic Documents, Volume I ‐ Statutes, Rules of Procedure, Agreements, fifth edition, UNWTO, Madrid.
https://doi.org/10.18111/9789284417513
2 https://webunwto.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/imported_images/37802/gcetbrochureglobalcodeen.pdf
4 A/RES/601(XIX) available at https://www.e-unwto.org/doi/pdf/10.18111/unwtogad.2011.1.q143011gl1856q48

22. necessary right to ownership or property rights thereover. Participants
agree to hold harmless UNWTO from any and all losses, claims,
damages, expenses or liabilities which could arise in relation to
intellectual property rights or personal data of third parties in relation to
the applications submitted. UNWTO shall not claim any property on the
initiatives submitted or any other industrial or intellectual property
contained in their application. Participants do not cede UNWTO
industrial or intellectual property rights arising as a result of their
applications.*
YES
2. By submitting their application, participants expressly grant their
consent to the use of the name or their village and initiatives in connection
with the ‘Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO’ pilot initiative and the
recording and maintenance of related files. Participants may exercise
their rights to access, modify, cancel and oppose the processing of their
personal details by sending an email to besttourismvillages@unwto.org
indicating which right they wish to exercise and attaching a copy of their
passport, national ID card or equivalent documentation.*
☐
YES
☐ I agree*
Name**
Organization *
Position*
Country*
Date*
**The person submitting the application is the responsible for the application at the
UNWTO Member State