Rwanda witnesses rise of American tourists by 114 pct, reveals study

Rwanda has experienced the rise of American tourists by 114 percent year-on-year. Apart from Rwanda, other nations that had witnessed substantial growth of American travellers were Egypt, Romania, Uruguay, Puerto Rico, The Maldives and Malta.

Based on the data revealed by Virtuoso, a global travel agency network, Rwanda was among the top 10 countries that have experienced significant increases in year-over-year bookings among American travellers at 114 percent. The globally-acclaimed agency has worked on the findings from an analysis of data from over 1,000 travel agency partners and 20,000 elite travel advisors across Asia-Pacific, Africa, Latin America, North America, the Caribbean, Europe, and the Middle East, as reported by The New Times.

Virtuoso officials have noted that the American tourists are increasingly characterized by aspects like interest in exploring new destinations, seeking fresh adventures, less-explored cuisines, pleasant climate and retreats for relaxation-focused travellers. And the reason behind recording such a huge growth is Rwanda's continuous effort in the development sector, promoting the tourism and most importantly creating a diversity of wildlife in local parks with the addition of lions and rhinoceroses.

On the other hand, Rwanda Development Board is giving all its endeavors in making favorable developments for attracting tourists. The recent opening of Kigali Arena is more example. Rwanda Development Board (RDB) recently forayed into an agreement with French media conglomerate Vivendi to ensure development and occupancy of the Kigali Cultural Village on Rebero Hill in Kicukiro sector. Cyrille Bolloré's (son of Vincent Bolloré, French billionaire businessman and Chairman-CEO of parent group Bolloré) visited Rwanda in January 2018 and was lured by the severe investment opportunities in the tourism sector in Paul Kagame-led East African country. RDB looks forward to diversifying Rwanda's tourism offerings and increase annual receipts to USD 800 million by 2024.

Alternatively, the Amsterdam-based International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) has now ranked Kigali as the second most popular destination in Africa for international meetings and events. Cape Town in South Africa is currently ranked first in Africa.

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