The trade fair which resumed this year is taking place from 11th to 15th January 2022 in Utrecht City.

Rwanda is represented by different institutions including Rwanda Development Board (RDB) and RwandAir as well as tour operators namely; Mist Rwanda Safaris, Kingfisher Journeys, Judith Safaris and Silverbird Tours.

The first day of the exhibition was dedicated for Business to Business interactions where travel professionals came together for networking, inspiration and information on the latest trends and developments in travel and to do business as well.

From Thursday 11th to 15th January, participants including Rwandan companies will have opportunities to bring their brand to limelight.

Vakantiebeurs is an annual travel event in the Netherlands that serves as a platform bringing together locals, travel providers, travel professionals, destinations and consumers all under one roof.

Rwanda is among 94 countries participating this year. Over 100,000 visitors and 12,000 professional travelers are expected to participate in the trade fair which brought together more than 1000 exhibitors.

On the first day of the exhibition, IGIHE spoke with Rwanda’s Ambassador to the Netherlands, Olivier Nduhungirehe who shed light on the significance of Rwanda’s participation.

"Rwanda started attending the fair in 2011. It is important for the country to showcase tourism offerings in this internationally known trade fair which brought together representatives from 94 countries this year.

“Rwanda as a country that is promoting itself as a touristic destination is attending this trade fair to promote our attractions. We have several attractions including volcanoes, gorillas, Nyungwe National Park with its primates, Akagera National Park and many more. We have seen in the past years how revenues have been increasing steadily except the Covid-19 period where we experienced a drop,” he said.

“This is an opportunity for Rwanda to continue showcasing our tourism. We are here with the Rwanda Development Board which is in charge of tourism and a number of tour operators working in the touristic sector to explain what we offer so that they can visit Rwanda,” added Nduhungirehe.

Philbert Ndandali, Emerging Tourism Analyst and Tourism Promotion at RDB who attended the exhibition told IGIHE that it is a good platform to create linkages between tour operators and lure tourists into Rwanda.

He disclosed that the trade fair will help the country to enhance speedy recovery of the tourism sector in the post Covid-19 period.

Rwanda's Ambassador to the Netherlands, Olivier Nduhungirehe said that the country has many tourism offerings to showcase at the trade fair.

Rwanda is among participants of the trade fair.

Participants of the trade fair in a group photo with Amb. Olivier Nduhungirehe.

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