The country is targeting to attract more investors in tourism and related businesses to venture its business opportunities. To help meet that goal, the Rwanda Chamber of Tourism has organized an exhibition and a business forum to be staged in Kigali from November 26 to December 3 under the banner of “ Rwanda Tourism Week 2022 .” The Africa Tourism Business Forum has been designed and organized to take part during the week.
Rwanda Tourism Week (RTW 2022) is an annual event that brings together all tourism and hospitality ecosystem value chain players seeking to recognize, inspire, and promote ease of doing business across domestic, regional, and continental markets.
The second edition of Rwanda Tourism Week will be staged under the theme “Adopting Innovative Approaches to Boost Intra-Africa travel as a drive for Tourism Business Recovery.” A Gala Dinner and Tourism Excellence Awards will be extended to the event participants.
Reports from Rwanda’s capital of Kigali said that Rwanda Tourism Week is an annual event that seeks to recognize and inspire hospitality and tourism players to strive toward promoting domestic, regional, and continental tourism excellence in customer experience.
Building on the success of the first of the RTW held last year, the event provides a great opportunity to work towards a mindset shift, both among traders and consumers, to ensure that there is a seamless flow within domestic, regional, and continental tourism activities. The official message from event organizers stated:
“As the global tourism sector recovers from COVID-19, the Rwanda Chamber of Tourism in collaboration with key partners from the public and private sector and development stakeholders is organizing the RTW-2022.”
RTW is also aiming at adopting strategies and establishing platforms to share pragmatic global experiences that align with rethinking the tourism industry through product diversification. It also seeks to create innovation and strong partnerships that opens the Africa markets for tourism business to a sustainable bounce-back.
The RTW 2022 theme focuses on rebuilding tourism after 2 years of challenging times that severely hit the sector by setting a vision and long-term goals that will strengthen the tourism industry.
“We are spotlighting how tourism can increasingly contribute to economies, inclusively foster sustainability and innovations, and reconnecting Africans to each other and the rest of the world,” organizers said through the message.
RTW also targets to promote domestic, intra-regional, and continental tourism businesses with objectives to promote inclusive tourism business focusing on youth and women’s full participation.
It also sets to showcase innovation and technology to stimulate tourism trade benefits across Africa, also establishing and enhancing public and private sector collaboration among key travel trade stakeholders.
Other areas of RTW targets are the increased awareness of tourism products and attractions in various regions across Africa, once again, for increased domestic, regional, and continental trade linkages.
A platform to share various investment opportunities and build key networks with stakeholders, new established markets for tourism and hospitality value chain suppliers across Africa and beyond will be available for participants.
Other key areas set for discussion are based at an increased awareness and adoption of innovation and technology with best practices that promotes tourism businesses.
Increased awareness of conservation and sustainable tourism best practices, job creation which plays a vital role in developing the tourism sector resulting in income earning opportunities, and employment and access to a larger market are other topics for discussion.
There will be continental and international connections among buyers interested in the African market with trade agreements to be signed between public and private sectors to speed up the implementation of continental tourism business competitiveness.
This event will be a platform for public and private sectors to address specific bottle necks in Africa and free continental areas along with public and private sector dialogue focusing on conservation with best practices for sustainable tourism businesses. It will also feature networking opportunities within the local and regional business communities.