And Speaking Of... The People of Rwanda

I just returned from a soul-stirring and professionally stimulating experience in Rwanda. I was honored to join a small group of industry leaders led by Virtuoso Travel 's Chief Executive Officer, Matthew Upchurch , for four days to Volcano National Park before attending the World Travel & Tourism Council Global Summit in the capital city of Kigali.

I want to be transparent as this was not a trip I expected to take in 2023. However, I firmly believe that universal sources conspired in my favor to travel to Rwanda and dive deep into this beautiful country and high-impact industry event.

I have countless stories and topics to share from my trip – including a feature on the most charming, small boutique property called The Retreat by Heaven Rwanda , founded by Alissa Ruxin .

I will continue to talk about my time in Rwanda in future LinkedIn articles, but for this week, I am inspired to talk about the people of Rwanda. By my observations, they are largely driven by their radical forgiveness over the last 29 years since living through the unthinkable genocide.

Ahead of this trip, I watched the movie Hotel Rwanda, and listened to?We Wish To Inform You That Tomorrow You Will Be Killed With Your Families?on Audible by Philip Gourevitch. I felt I was relatively informed on the atrocities of the past, and how the world did nothing for the people of Rwanda.

On my first day, I visited the Genocide Memorial in Kigali. I spent a few hours poring over every stop on the audio tour while listening and re-listening to the symbolic stories of the beautiful gardens and final resting place for thousands of Rwandans. It was sobering, haunting, emotional, and deeply impactful. I stayed a bit longer in the beautiful café with my guide, who also shared his story of escape and resilience during that horrific time. I was numb after my visit but grateful for this experience.?

The next day, I joined my group, and we hit the ground running by participating in Umuganda.

Umuganda is a national holiday on the last Saturday of every month. This is a community service day whereby Rwandans participate in community projects and host meetings in their respective neighborhoods to come together to talk about issues and challenges they are facing to find common solutions. For our involvement in Umuganda, we planted trees in Kigali.

Think about the concept for a moment: Once a month, the people of Rwanda stop their own lives to come together within their respective communities to break proverbial bread to form and deepen bonds with one another.

Can you imagine if this was implemented globally? I firmly believe that so many challenges could be solved if we took the time to connect with our communities more often. This concept truly blew me away, and the vibe of the city of Kigali was buzzing with Rwandans coming together to work for their communities and support one another.

How does a deeply divided country rebound from the depths of an unthinkable tragedy so quickly?

This was a question I asked myself so many times as I met the friendliest and most generous people throughout the country.

While Rwanda is still very poor and has a long way to go on the road to economic prosperity, the spirit of the Rwandans I met was full of joy and hope, with a light in their eyes that, to me, symbolized the future and what is possible.??

Rwanda has come such a long way from the unimaginable in a relatively short period. And even more inspiring is to consider the instability of the neighboring countries and the fact that Rwanda is landlocked, which also presents various challenges.

Rwanda is committed to change and growth. In fact, did you know that women make up most of the country's Government positions? The advancement of women in their culture over the last 30 years is remarkable. I loved seeing women in various positions during our visits. One story that struck me deeply was how women took to the streets to protest the removal of the current President because they were so grateful for their rights and opportunities that they would rather keep the current President in power than face any setbacks with a new leader.

The spirit of Rwanda is one of forgiveness, hope, and a zest for future development. Tourism is a major economic driver of the country and is quite literally transforming it on so many levels. The stories and spirit of Rwandans so profoundly touched me. Although you typically decide to visit for the majestic mountain Gorillas, your heart will be forever touched by the spirit of the people.?

If you have visited Rwanda or are inspired to embark on this soul-stirring experience, please drop me a comment below. I encourage you to work with a Gifted Travel Network advisor for your journey to Rwanda, and they will work with a preferred partner such as Wilderness to bring this experience to life.