The affected establishments are Century Park Hotel and Residences located in Nyarutarama in Kigali City, Dove Luxury Hotel in Gicumbi District in the Northern Province, Highland Resort Ltd in Rulindo District, and Nengo Eden Park Hotel in Rubavu District in the Western Province.

RDB said the decision follows an assessment carried out to ensure compliance with tourism and hospitality regulations.

Identified deficiencies are related to licensing, hygiene, food safety, security, service quality, operational priocedures and other applicable standards.

The temporary closure is intended to give the hotels time to address the identified shortcomings in their operations. RDB noted that the establishments are not allowed to continue hospitality-related activities until they fully meet the required standards.

According to RDB, the hotels will only be allowed to resume operations after demonstrating compliance and undergoing further inspection by the relevant authorities.

In 2024, Rwanda had 1,460 hotels with a total of 25,330 rooms. This number has steadily increased year after year since 2018.

Data from the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR) shows that in 2018, the country had 669 hotels with 13,802 rooms.

In 2019, the number rose to 836 hotels with 16,113 rooms, followed by 870 hotels in 2020 with 17,078 rooms. In 2021, the figure increased again to 911 hotels with 18,201 rooms.

The growth trend continued in 2022 when hotels reached 1,189, with a significant rise in rooms to 21,232.

However, in 2023, there was a slight drop to 1,175 hotels with 21,217 rooms, before increasing again in 2024 to 1,460 hotels and 25,330 rooms.

The report shows that most hotels are concentrated in Kigali City as well as in districts that frequently attract tourists drawn to Rwanda’s natural and cultural attractions.