Community Based Tourism Product Innovation and Economic Sustainability for Rural Community Wellbeing, A Case of Tourism Cooperatives in Musanze District Rwanda

In a country where one culture is practically observed with similar community based tourism product, being innovative can result to higher competitive edge. Within the tourism industry most community based tourism entrepreneurs’ try to be innovative targeting economic sustainability driven by external and internal forces like demographic factors, government policies and psychological factors let alone being given the power for innovation. This study investigated different innovations community based innovations community based tourism entrepreneurs use to achieve economic sustainability for rural community wellbeing with the support of community empowerment practices. The study area for community empowerment practices was Kinigi sector in Musanze District, Rwanda that borders Volcanoes National Park. The methodology involved use of descriptive research design anchored on purposive and random sampling, both primary and secondary data were analyzed. The results shows that community empowerment practices stimulates community innovativeness in redesigning the community based tourism products that are not only competitive but also profitable and unique. These CBTE products when consumed by tourists’ and other tourism stakeholders helps rural community generate economic sustainability leading to better community wellbeing. The study therefore, concluded that Kinigi sector, neighboring VNP rural community entrepreneurs’ have competitive community based tourism products and services developed with the support of community empowerment from National Park management, local government and other stakeholders. It is recommended that the government policy makers, park managers and other stakeholders should provide the rural community a platform for collaboration to showcase their products, information access to the major stakeholder that provide the economic income to the community enterprises.