Empowering Local Communities for Sustainable Tourism Ownership and Poverty Reduction in the Kinigi Sector, Musanze District, Rwanda

Despite rural nature-based tourism rapid growth, adjacent communities frequently remain economically marginalised. This study examines how revitalised community empowerment practices enhance local ownership of tourism enterprises and mitigate poverty in the Kinigi Sector, Musanze District, Rwanda. Employing a mixed-methods descriptive research design, primary and secondary data were gathered from a sampled population of 272 local community cooperatives for quantitative data and 13 tourism-cum-conservation stakeholders interviewed for in-depth qualitative data. Multiple regression analyses indicate that targeted capacity building (t = 20.258, p < 0.05); community expertise (specifically tourism awareness and knowledge dissemination) (t = 20.343, p < 0.05); accessible resources (t = 9.115, p < 0.05); and public service provision are statistically significant predictors of successful indigenous enterprise ownership (Beta β = 0.100*, p < 0.05). Furthermore, results demonstrate that structured participation in community-based tourism (CBT) and the expansion of the Tourism Revenue Sharing (TRS) program enable residents to effectively leverage natural and financial assets. This structural shift directly correlates with measurable improvement in local living standards. The study concludes that proactive empowerment stimulates local innovation and inclusivity, shifting residents from passive beneficiaries to active business owners capable of designing competitive, authentic tourism products. This transition reduces dependence on external tokenism and fosters long-term sustainable socio-economic development. Finally, policy recommendations advocate for optimised collaborative platforms integrating local communities with the Rwanda Development Board (RDB), the Private Sector Federation (PSF), and the Musanze District Authority.