Country has already hosted 201 events this year, exceeding the 169 conferences in 2017.
The number of guests coming to Rwanda for Meetings Incentives Conferences Events (MICE) this year has already exceeded that of 2017, as the country continues to cement its place as a tourist destination.
The numbers obtained from Rwanda Convention Bureau show that at the beginning of December, the country had already hosted up to 30,000 international delegates, surpassing the 28,000 hosted in 2017.
Although the revenues generated this year have not yet been computed, expectations are that the figure will exceed last year’s, which stood at $42 million.
Since last year, government has mounted targeted promotional campaigns, selling the country as a tourist and MICE destination, with the climax being the Visit Rwanda sleeve deal signed with top premiership English club Arsenal FC, which efforts analysts say have increased Rwanda’s visibility internationally hence attracting more tourists.
Riding on the available world-class conference amenities in the country such as the Kigali Convention Centre, modern infrastructure, high-end hotels, and a secure environment, the numbers show that Rwanda has earned the confidence of conference organisers.
“There have been more efforts to market the country as a MICE destination. Now we are seeing these efforts paying off. The outlook for next year is also promising,” said Frank Murangwa, the Director of Destination Marketing at Rwanda Convention Bureau.
Conferences hosted this year included the extraordinary AU Summit that was attended by 1,600 delegates, the Next Einstein Forum attended by 900 delegates, the international conference on family planning which attracted 3,806 people, the Transform Africa Summit brought 1,500 delegates and the Youth Connect 1,000 people.
In 2017, tourism generated $438 million, with visitors from the East African Community generating the highest revenue across all categories at 25 per cent, Europe 22 per cent while the rest of Africa 21 per cent, according to the latest RDB report.
Over the last decade, MICE revenue grew by 180 per cent while the delegates visiting Rwanda jumped from 15,000 to 28,300 in the same period.
Tourism is the country’s largest forex earner and has generated over 90,000 jobs so far. The country’s goal is to double tourism receipts to $800 million by 2024.
In 2017, business travellers brought in the highest share of overall tourism revenue, at 33 per cent, followed by visits, at 29 per cent and holiday-makers at 27 per cent.