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Rwanda earns US$161.8 million from travel services in the second quarter of 2026

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A mountain gorilla in the bamboo forest of Volcanoes National Park Tourism
A mountain gorilla in the bamboo forest of Volcanoes National Park

Air visitors spent US$135.4 million; holiday travel brought US$57.6 million, nearly four-fifths of it linked to gorilla trekking, and North Americans spent the most.

Rwanda's exports of travel services were US$161.8 million in the second quarter of 2026, up from US$151.4 million in the first quarter, according to the Travel Expenditure Survey for the first half of 2026 published by the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR).

Non-residents arriving by air spent US$135.4 million in the second quarter. Holiday travel accounted for US$57.6 million of that spending, and gorilla-related revenue made up 79.4% of the holiday segment. Visitors from North America spent the most, US$40.2 million.

Travel imports, meaning spending abroad by Rwandan residents, were US$98.1 million in the first quarter and US$99.7 million in the second. Residents travelling abroad by air spent US$76.2 million in the second quarter, with business the main purpose at US$32.8 million.

For 2025, the Rwanda Development Board reported tourism revenue of US$685 million and 1.49 million visitor arrivals.

For tourism investors, the survey confirms the weight of gorilla trekking and North American visitors in Rwanda's leisure market. The Tourism and MICE sector guide on this site covers hotel and tour licensing.

Sources