2023-11-09 23:16:19
In Rwanda, Kigali hosted the World Travel and Tourism Summit from November 1 to 3. Among the conference discussions, that of the promotion of tourism through sport. And this is the strategy adopted for several years by Rwanda which has a series of partnerships with the major European football clubs.
At daybreak, the young players from Bayern Munich’s new academy in Kigali are already on their training ground. Two and a half months following the signing of a partnership between the German club and “Visit Rwanda”, coach Bernhard Hirmer is already showing his ambitions: “ Our main goal is to build a strong team for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations. Hopefully, we can make the top four and participate in the World Cup. This is our mission. »
After Arsenal and PSG, Bayern Munich is Rwanda’s third partnership. Contracts with confidential amounts, with different agreements for each club: visibility on jerseys, panels or player content on social networks. Objective: attract new visitors, Juliet Slot, commercial director of Arsenal, explained at the World Travel and Tourism Summit: “ Before we started, very few Arsenal fans really knew regarding the possibilities of coming on holiday to Rwanda. But now, 75% of them say they know that Rwanda is a country that offers great travel opportunities. »
Read alsoRwanda hosts World Travel and Tourism Summit, a first in Africa
In 2022, Rwanda welcomed more than a million visitors and according to authorities, tourism generated nearly $445 million in revenue. If the return on investment of sports partnerships is difficult to quantify and their relevance doubted by certain opponents, the strategy is defended by Michaella Rugwizangoga, responsible for tourism at the Rwanda Development Board. “ Working with sports clubs is the positioning we have chosen as a country. The proportion of investment that goes into these partnerships is minimal compared to the revenue the country reaps through tourism. Today, tourism represents 10% of our GDP. But without marketing, we don’t have tourism and without tourism, we don’t have the income that is reinvested. »
For several years, Rwanda has also invested in infrastructure to attract sporting events from the continent, such as the project to expand the Amahoro stadium to 45,000 seats, estimated at $165 million.
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