Rwanda received 1.4 million tourists last year, almost triple of the number of visitors in 2021, with the growth partially due to improved connectivity to the country as RwandAir doubles its fleet.

Rwanda has seen its international tourist numbers grow almost three times in two years thanks to the efforts of the government in tourism promotion and a better connectivity to the country offered by RwandAir.

According to Rwandan Prime Minister Edouard Ngirente doubling the fleet for RwandAir, combined with government’s tourism promotion measures, led to 1.4 million tourists visiting Rwanda in 2023, almost three times the 521,000 visitors the country had in 2021.

“RwandAir resumed flights after Covid-19 pandemic and opened new routes to different destinations including Paris, London, Doha, and others. RwandAir also launched services to transport cargo. This played a big role in increasing visitors coming to Rwanda, after Covid-19 pandemic, from 521,000 in 2021 to 1.4 million tourists as of September last year. This was a drastic increase within 18 months,” Ngirente said.

“Government will continue to invest in RwandAir to improve its operations and increase its capacity,” he added.

The national carrier of the central African country expects to further double its fleet to 25 aircraft over the next five years to better connect underserved markets in Africa and boost the continent’s reach to global destinations, including the Middle East.

Ngirente said that with the aim to boost the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) sector, Rwanda hosted big international events such as the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2022, FIFA Congress, Women Deliver Conference, and others.

“In partnership with the private sector, the government will continue to increase infrastructure to boost tourism and facilitate hosting of Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) events in the efficient way you [President Kagame] have requested of us,” he added.

According to Frank Murangwa, Director of Destination Marketing at Rwanda Convention Bureau, in 2023, Rwanda generated a record USD 91 million from 157 summits and events that attracted over 67,000 delegates.

The growth not only underscores the sector’s post-pandemic recovery but also positions it as a pivotal force propelling Rwanda towards sustained economic development.

The sector contributed USD 64 million to the economy in 2022 and Rwanda generated USD 247 million from tourism in the first half of 2023, a growth of 56 pc compared to USD 158 million in the same period in 2022.