The Rwanda Development Board (RDB), the organization charged with promoting Rwanda’s tourism has announced that this year’s gorilla naming ceremony will be held on September 2, 2016.

The ceremony regarded as Rwanda’s biggest tourism event attracts tourists from all over the world who visit this mountainous country to embrance gorilla tourism. The event is locally known as ‘Kwita Izina’ with an aim of popularizing the conservation of the endangered mountain gorillas. Today Rwanda currently has an estimated gorilla population of about 400 individuals.

As always, this year’s 12th edition of Kwita Izina will be hosted in Kinigi which is situated in Rwanda’s northern district of Musanze under the theme ‘United in driving growth through conservation’.

According to the Rwanda Development Board, a total of 19 baby gorillas are expected to be named during this year’s Kwita Izina, indicating a slight drop in newly born primates from 24 last year.

While addressing a news conference in Kigali on Monday, Belise Kariza the RDB Chief Tourism Officer said the event will help showcase Rwanda’s conservation worldwide.