Rwanda eyes on Conference Tourism

Rwanda targets to raise revenue of USD 74 million through its Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Events and Exhibitions (MICE) tourism strategy this year, Rwanda Convention Bureau said on Tuesday, 31st July 2018.

As part of its diversification strategy of tourism sector, the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) has introduced the MICE tourism policy in 2014. It aims at providing innovative products in the tourism sector, while preserving existing popular tourism sectors like gorilla tourism, eco-tourism, cultural and community-based tourism. The new products will work as complimentary to the existing tourism sectors.

“Last year Rwanda hosted 192 conferences, generating revenue of USD 42 million. We target to raise USD 74 million this year, through MICE,” said Denise Benzinge Omany, Chief Executive of Rwanda Convention Bureau in Kigali, the capital city of Rwanda.

With its commitment to facilitating high end meetings and the amiable government policies, Rwanda has become a leading conference tourism destination. “Rwanda has become a bee hive of conferences,” said Omany.

Kigali Convention Center- Interior (Photo for representation only)

As per the report of International Congress and Convention Association in 2016, Rwanda ranked third in terms of capacity to host international meetings, with South Africa and Morocco in first and second places, respectively.

The small central African country has much to offer for the tourism aficionados,  such as Volcanoes National Park, Akagera and Nyungwe National parks, Museums, Lake Kivu, bird watching, canopy walk, other than the world class convention centers.