Rwanda Set to Host 2023 World Travel and Tourism Council Global Summit

The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) has announced Rwanda as the host country for next year’s Global Summit.

The announcement was made at the closing of this year’s summit, which was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from 28 – 30 November.

WTTC’s annual Global Summit is the most influential Travel and Tourism event on the calendar that brings together thousands of industry leaders and experts and key government representatives to continue aligning efforts to support the sector’s growth and move beyond to a safer, more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable future.

Speaking at the closing of this year’s summit, Clare Akamanzi, Chief Executive Officer of the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) said:

“On behalf of the Government of Rwanda, it is our great pleasure and honour to have been selected to host the 2023 WTTC Global Summit in Kigali next year. We are a safe, and progressive country and are open for business and mean business. We are an African destination for sustainable tourism that has both local communities and the traveller at the heart of our strategy. We are excited to welcome you to the World Travel and Tourism council Global summit in Kigali in 2023. We look forward to continuing the impactful work of WTTC when we meet in Rwanda.”

On his part, Arnold Donald, Chair of the World Travel & Tourism Council said:

“It’s only fitting that our host for the WTTC 2023 Global Summit will be a country that has made great advancements in sustainable tourism and is now a true pioneer in the climate agenda. I hope to see everyone there.”

She also added that the government has been working with renowned conservationists to reintroduce and rehabilitate other national parks and diversify the products offered to tourists in the country. According to her, this will help engage tourists in other activities and spend longer in Rwanda.

The CEO also highlighted that as a result of this approach, the country has seen a 21% increase in revenue compared to pre-pandemic earnings and an almost 10-fold increase in people opting for exclusive trekking.