Rwanda as a Tourism Destination: Comparative Perspective on Security and Risk Narratives in Media and Institutional Communication

Abstract

Perceptions of security and risk influence how the image of a tourism destination is constructed, especially in contexts marked by conflict, instability, or geopolitical tensions. Rwanda provides a compelling case for examining this influence: While it is internationally recognized for its safety, tourism development, and economic progress, it remains closely associated with narratives of regional insecurity in the Great Lakes Region. This thesis, therefore, investigates the following research question: “How do security and risk narratives in international media and institutional communication construct the image of Rwanda as a tourism destination?” Drawing on securitization theory and the concepts of securitization narratives and risk perception, the study analyzes how international media, official tourism communications by Rwanda Development Board (RDB) and Visit Rwanda, and travel advisories frame safety, security, stability, and risk, and how these frames shape Rwanda’s image as a tourist destination. A qualitative design was employed, using thematic and narrative analyses of international media coverage and official tourism communications, supplemented by travel advisories and a semi-structured interview with a Rwandan tourism operator. The findings reveal that Rwanda’s tourism image is shaped by the dynamic interplay of multiple, often competing, narratives. International media commonly depict Rwanda as a stable, modern, and rapidly developing destination, yet frequently associate it with ongoing regional conflicts and insecurity, particularly in its neighboring areas. In contrast, RDB communications foreground themes of safety, stability, resilience, and national development, while largely downplaying or omitting references to regional risk. Travel advisories occupy an intermediate position, acknowledging Rwanda as generally safe while emphasizing caution because of regional instability. Collectively, these narratives produce a complex and continually negotiated tourism image, marked by tension between reassurance and uncertainty. This study, therefore, contributes to research on tourism, destination image, and securitization by showing that security in tourism is not merely an objective reality; it is continuously constructed, challenged, and negotiated through communicative and narrative processes.