Rwanda earned $161.5 million from travel services used by foreign visitors between November 2025 and January 2026, the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR) reported Wednesday.
Of the total RWF 236 billion collected, more than RWF 199 billion ($136.7 million) came from tourists arriving by air. Leisure tourism generated $65 million, with visits to Rwanda’s gorillas accounting for 71.4% of that revenue, NISR said.
Visitors from North America spent the most, totaling $40.8 million. Those entering through land borders spent $24.9 million, primarily for visiting friends and family, which generated $11.3 million. Tourists from the East African Community (EAC) spent $19.7 million, the highest in the region.
During the same period, Rwandans spent $95.9 million abroad on travel services, equivalent to RWF 138 billion. Air travel accounted for $64.4 million ($94 billion RWF). The main purpose of these trips was business, which accounted for $22.2 million (RWF 32 billion).
Rwandans traveling within the EAC spent the most, at $53.9 million (RWF 77 billion). Those crossing land borders spent $31.5 million (RWF 47 billion), mostly visiting friends and relatives, which cost $12.4 million (RWF 18 billion).
NISR noted that in 2024, Rwanda’s tourism sector earned $647 million (over RWF 932 billion), contributing 9.8% of the country’s GDP, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council.
The figures highlight Rwanda’s growing reliance on tourism, particularly gorilla trekking and regional travel, as key drivers of both foreign revenue and domestic spending abroad.
