Speaking at the unveiling of the roadmap for activities aligning with preparations of the annual baby gorilla naming ceremony known as ‘Kwita Izina’; the Chief Tourism Officer at RDB, Ariella Kageruka has said that the increase in conferences hosted in Rwanda goes hand in hand with higher number of participants.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has shaken tourism where revenues dropped by more than 70%. However, current figures give us optimism for recovery. Last year’s revenues increased by 25% compared to the previous year from us$131 million to US$164 million,” she stated.

Kageruka explained that Rwanda continued to host several events and conferences including Basketball Africa League (BAL), the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) and Ironman competition held recently in Rubavu.

“These aforementioned events and others attracted a large number of participants and generated millions to national economy. Particularly, CHOGM generated US$17 million to our economy,” she said.

The meeting which took place between 20th and 26th June 2022, brought together over 4000 participants.

The Chief Tourism Officer at RDB, Ariella Kageruka has said that the increase in conferences hosted in Rwanda goes hand in hand with higher number of participants.

Some participants of the press conference to unveil the roadmap of activities aligning with Kwita Izina ceremony.