BUJUMBURA, Burundi, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye has called for more private investment in the tourism sector to help the country attain its vision of becoming an emerging economy in 2040.

The appeal was made on Tuesday at the launch of a two-day symposium on promoting Burundi's tourism sector in the commercial capital, Bujumbura.

The symposium brought together stakeholders in tourism, members of the Burundian government, diplomats accredited to Burundi and representatives of the east African country's partners.

"This symposium marks the beginning of what can generate money for the country's economic growth," Ndayishimiye said. "As Burundi's vision is for the country to be emerging in 2040, we should have by that time a consistent source of income that can replenish the state's coffers, and this source is the tourism sector."

He invited the private sector to bring their investments into the tourism sector, adding that tourism is "extremely important" as it enormously contributes to the country's economic growth.

Ndayishimiye said private investors "are very welcome and the government is ready to facilitate their activities in the tourism sector."

He urged Burundian people, especially those living in major towns, to start by promoting hygiene in and around their households in order to bring tourists to come to Burundi.

Olivier Suguru, chairman of the Burundi Federal Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said Burundi's tourism sector faces some challenges, including unskilled hotel agents and tourist sites that are not well-prepared.

He also called for better marketing of Burundian tourism and reforms in the legal framework governing the tourism sector to make it more attractive to private investors.

Suguru said that at least 249 tourist sites have been identified in Burundi, and major sites include beaches of Lake Tanganyika, the world's second-deepest lake with fresh waters and rare fish species, and Gishora drums, which have been listed by UNESCO as part of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity, the Kibira natural forest, the Ruvubu and Rusizi national parks, and the farthest source of the river Nile. Enditem

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