Author: Olga I. Ishimwe

Meet Chef Rutayisire whose culinary ingenuity transcends international borders

Kigali Marriott Hotel is not just another fine-dining Hotel; you can count on taking a culinary tour of most parts of the world, from the Pacific Coast to the very depths of Africa with each of your 4-course meal representing unique tastes, creativity, safety and an enriched dining experience especially at Soko Restaurant. A sous-chef at the Hotel, Innocent Rutayisire says each dish at the hotel is seasoned with unique ingredients, garnished to fit the very culture from which it is derived.

Chef Rutayisire’s nurturing and execution of culinary finesse has been far from conventional. Started his journey in Hospitality when he went to Nairobi, Kenya to hone his skills in the industry, by learning from the most accomplished chefs from around the World. Rutayisire is a success. His knack for creating delectable dishes is widely recognized by his peers.

IGIHE caught up with him, and he is now taking us through the journey of his passion for culinary practices and aspirations.

{{When did you first start cooking and how did you get at Kigali Marriott Hotel?
}}

I am a chef by profession. I started this profession in 1998 from a Kenyan College, where I did a two-year diploma course in culinary arts. From there, I came to Rwanda in 2000, where I became a chef in the Senior Officers’ Mess. Later I joined the Intercontinental Hotel- now the Serena Hotel Kigali, as the Sous-Chef, where I worked for three years. From there, I joined the UN offices in Khartoum, Sudan as a Catering Manager for a period of one year. I came back and re-joined Serena Hotel, then later joined King Faisal Hospital as a Catering Manager. Given a scholarship by the government of Rwanda went to Singapore for training in Hospitality Sciences where I returned as a deputy Chef in the Workforce Development Authority (WDA).

A few years later, I became the Group Executive Chef at Bourbon Coffee, where I opened two restaurants. To upgrade my skills, I enrolled at former Rwanda Tourism University College, current University of Tourism, Technology and Business Studies [UTB], teaching at the college on completion of my studies. In 2008, with a scholarship by the Chinese embassy, I went for further studies in Beijing for a course in Catering Food Service Development. Later on, Marriott International recruited me in 2016 as a Sous-chef and here we are!

During my time here at the hotel, I have had the opportunity to train under experienced chefs and get the chance to work with them on many events and signature dishes, which inspires me. Being part of this renowned international brand has been very important for my career.

{{You have been all over the World, and in a few decades, became one of the best chefs in the country. What is the secret to your success?
}}

The key to success is the attitude. Cooking is a blend of science and art, and there are techniques and skills that need to be learned; but without the right attitude, a chef cannot get anywhere. In addition, a chef must always be willing to try something new, creativity and authenticity in the work we do is very important. Attention to detail is also a big part of the art. A missing garnish, or a dish left for a minute too long, can all ruin an otherwise perfect meal. The goal at Kigali Marriott Hotel is offering guests unforgettable meals and special moments to remember with pleasure.

{{How would you describe your style of cooking?
}}

I would describe my style of cooking as a mix of traditional and modern elements to make a simple and high-quality meal that people will appreciate. A merge of African and Intercontinental. I use local ingredients, and then use them to transform their products into modern stylish dishes.

{{What is a signature dish you are particularly proud of?
}}

Chicken with Peanut Sauce and Matoke. I love playing with ingredients, transforming recipes and this is by far my proudest dish, which you are welcome to try at Soko Restaurant. It takes only 15 minutes and does not require many ingredients. You can take the chicken with a side dish of Matoke or Ugali depending on your preference. The dish reminds me of my local cuisine and I am proud to keep the local streak in my dishes.

{{Does your wife share your love for cuisine? Do you work together?
}}

Oh! {(He gives a chuckle of delight)}. Now, that you mention it, my wife worked with me when I worked at Serena Hotel, not as a chef, but in the Housekeeping department. She cooks at home often, and her culinary talent and her way of welcoming people would charm you too. Of course, I am happy to eat her great food, too, but I get a special joy out of making her smile with my food. {(He lets out another round of throaty chuckles)}. I love her Ugali served with peanut sauce. Earth-shatteringly delicious!

{{What are your plans for the future?
}}

I dream of having my own little place in my old days, where I will be able to train Rwanda’s Top Chefs. I have opened many hotels & restaurants such as the Intercontinental, Bourbon Coffee, and part of the pre-opening team here at Kigali Marriott Hotel and many more. I have enough experience for my future ventures. My own restaurant? You should definitely be ready for it!

With an all-day dining Buffet, palatable Weekend Brunch, as well as a range of Theme nights, which feature Asian, Indian and African foods, Kigali Marriott’s Soko Restaurant offers guests an opportunity to enjoy good food and a lively atmosphere.

Coming up soon at the restaurant is an exciting concept, in addition to the International items offered daily on the Soko a la carte menu, guests get the opportunity to experience monthly themed menus based on different international cuisines. {Hint: You might have the chance to relish the best of Mexican food sooner than you thought!
}

May 15, 2019
Indulge in an Extended, Soothing Women’s Day Treat at Saray Spa

This week-long treat has been on-going since March 7th till March 15th, as a way to celebrate womanhood and their achievements without regard to divisions, whether national, ethnic, linguistic, or cultural.

Saray in Arabic means a palace or castle, which is what inspired the name. Staying true to its remarkable services, Saray Spa Kigali is often described as absolute heaven. Located not too far from the Capital’s Centre, the facility offers health and beauty healing treatments inspired by various techniques.

The month of March which celebrates women; comes with an inspiring tip from the head of Saray Spa Kigali.

“I encourage all women to take time to treat themselves, reflect on the promising and bright future that lays ahead. Time spent getting a massage is also referred to as health gained, which is why Saray Spa avails fascinating offers for our guests”, she gushed.

Women Guests searching for some extra rest and relaxation can spend some well-earned downtime inside the hotel’s spa, which has several facilities dedicated to fitness and recuperation.

Recently, the facility introduced the authentic Balinese Massage, a special therapy technique including skin rolling, kneading and stroking and pressure-point stimulation combined with essential oils.

This unique type of massage was introduced at Saray Spa mainly for a more rejuvenating and exciting experience for their customer.

The Saray spa offers many types of massage treatments, which are given by professional masseurs, and contains a fitness Centre with a wide range of state-of-the-art gym equipment. The Spa is open to both walk-in clients and hotel guests. One word from us? Expect nothing short of a soothing experience and quality service from a spa nestled within a five-star hotel!

March 13, 2019
Songstress Musoni releases Outstanding Musical Bliss ‘Die with Me’

Growing up, Nicole Musoni listened to Celine Dion, Erykah Badu, Lara Fabian, Jill Scott and more. None of this might sound like a recipe for Electro-soul, but Musoni surprises in ‘Die with me’, applying her feather-light vocal delivery to undulating accompaniment changing swiftly between soothing, crushingly heavy and pleasantly elegant. In one word; a paragon of songwriting about a tale of taking a gamble in life, dropping everything in pursuit of something greater and fulfilling, as she told {[Nylon->https://nylon.com/nicole-musoni-premiere].}

Produced by International renown Louis Kevin Celestin known by his stage name Kaytranada, a talented Haitian-Canadian producer who has worked with outstanding names in the music Industry such as Craig David on the song “Got It Good”, Azealia Banks, “Along the Coast” (2016), Alicia Keys, “Sweet F’in Love” (2017) and of recently, Ty Dolla $ign and Shay Lia. The Producer is also known for his ebullient remixes that made him quite a reputation in the industry. In 2015, he opened for two nights of Madonna’s Rebel Heart Tour.

With such a producer, it is of no wonder that the Single is pure musical bliss.

Nicole Musoni participated in different contests, such as the “Sécondaire en Spectacle”, “Star Académie” in 2009, where her hard-work placed her among the 50 finalists. She once was a back-up singer for talented Corneille. Taken under the wing of her teacher Jennifer Mead, she worked on her craft and grew as an artist, both vocally and performance-wise, and this, for 4 years. With her talent and vocals, Nicole is set to break out as a promising new music artist.

January 6, 2019
Rwf36 million awarded to winners in ArtRwanda-Ubuhanzi competition

ArtRwanda-Ubuhanzi nationwide talent search competition was held for the first time this year with the aim of developing creative talents. It is a project organized by the Ministry of Sports and Culture, the Ministry for Youth and implemented by Imbuto Foundation.

The competition started in August 2018 looking for talented youths around the country’s four provinces and the City of Kigali and it saw 2400 young men and women participating with 587 were selected at the Preselection.

70 were selected for the final and trained as they were tipped on how they can improve their projects through their talents.

This year’s Edition ended with a flourish on December 15 with all the finalists given occasion to showcase their talents.

The panel of judges was made of experienced and well-known people in the creative industry including Jacques Muligande [Mighty Popo], Jones Kennedy Mazimpaka, Masamba Intore, and Pascal Busheja.

Talented youths competed in six categories including art, songs and dances, theatre and comedy, photography, fashion and literature.

Those who competed in the theatre category started playing the theatre entitled “Ubuzima si Ubuzima” [Life is not Life] showing consequences of poor family planning.

Most of the messages in plays showcased were about problems facing the Rwandan society mostly unplanned pregnancies.

Competitors in photography and cinematography presented their artworks explaining the messages behind them.

The category of music and dances also had many competitors with amazing talents.

Besides showing their different talents, finalists in the same category sat together and studied profitable projects that can also help create jobs for the youths. Three groups were to be awarded for the best projects.

Maximillien Muhawenimana emerged as the winner in the Plastic Arts Category with Jean Pierre Shyaka coming up as the winner in the music category while Jacqueline Mukamurigo won in the fashion category.

In theatre, Annuarite Uwumukiza was the winner while Jean Chretien Munezero won in the cinematography & Photography category with Carine Maniraguha winning in the literature category.

Each of the winners was handed a cheque of Rwf1,000,000 to help him/her nurture their talent.

In projects, the best project that won was of the Fashion Category who named it “Rwanda Fashion Art Centre’’. It will teach tailoring among youth and start a small cloth making factory in a bid to increase products Made-In-Rwanda.

The second is of the cinematography which is called ‘Reba Visual Limited’ which will deal with trade in the industry.

The third Best Project was from the literature category who pitched a project to start writing books to be used in the curriculum for nursery education.

Each group was awarded a Rwf10 million to help them start the project.

The Minister of Sports and Culture, Espérance Nyirasafari assured the winners and those who were not awarded of the support they would always have in nurturing talents.

“Some say they don’t have where to operate from. We are ready to offer places for developing businesses get able to showcase their activities with Ministries and stakeholders we worked together,” Minister Nyirasafari said.

The First Lady and Chairperson of Imbuto Foundation, Jeannette Kagame thanked all who participated in the project and assured them of her help, reminding them that their talents will get them decent lives if they use them well & professionally.

“It is true you have special talents which we want to expand and play a remarkable role in your individual development and that of the country in general. I assure you will not lack motivators, those who will listen to you, and support you but it requires you also to work hard and cherish your talent. You are the ones who will make us love your profession more,” she said.

ArtRwanda-Ubuhanzi will be held on a yearly basis and it is expected to raise the number of jobs created in line with the government’s strategy to see 10,000 jobs created in the creative industry every year.

December 16, 2018
Onomo Hotel officially opens in Kigali

The ceremony to officially launch operations of Onomo Hotel Kigali brought together different people who work in hospitality, hotels and tourism sector in Rwanda with different members of the private sector, diplomats and local authorities.

The $20 million Hotel is a three-star hotel painted with Rwandan traditional articles, baskets and other artifacts made in cow dung mixed with dust beautifully colored.

The hotel has three meeting rooms with capacity to receive up to 200 people, a Business Centre, a restaurant and a bar open 24/7 in addition to an outdoor swimming pool and fitness room.

The hotel has fast 3G LTE internet which enables clients to keep connected to the world once at the hotel.

Located in the Nyarugenge District, close to most of Kigali city’s businesses and a few minutes from its center, ONOMO Hotel Kigali will offer 99 rooms and 10 modern and fully-equipped suites in line with international standards, combining comfort and modernity.
The President of Onomo Hotels, Ruggieri Julien said they chose to extend their operations in Rwanda due to its vision.

“We started our operations from West Africa. To extend our operations, we found that Rwanda is the East African country with fast growing economy and good governance and then found that building a three-star in Rwanda is a good thing,” he said.

The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Michel Sebera said Onomo comes to the Rwandan market to expand Rwanda’s tourism based on conference hosting.
He said: “Rwanda has set up a firm platform to help private business people in expanding their investment. Rwanda supports the economy driven on services and will always help the private investors to provide good services.”

Rwanda projects to yield a $74 million income from the conference hosting tourism this fiscal year up from $42 million yielded in 2017.

Miss France 2000, Sonia Rolland Uwitonze is Onomo Hotel’s brand ambassador and she says it is a privilege and pride for her.

“It is special for me because I have never been employed by any hotel in Rwanda before. I was very impressed by the fact that they used the Imigongo arts on the walls of the hotel and that is why I accepted to be their ambassador. When you look at the hotel from afar, you see Rwandan identity and arts. I am very proud to be the ambassador of hotel that defends the Rwandan local products and partners,” she said.

The Onomo Hotels chains has now 12 hotels on the African Continent with plans to have finished constructing a total 20 hotels by 2022.

The latest hotel belonging to Onomo Hotels was officially opened in Durban on October 7 this year adding to others located in Dakar, Abidjan, Libreville, Bakamo, Lomé, Conakry, Rabat, Cape Town, Sandton, and Johannesburg among other African cities.

The official opening of Onomo Hotel Kigali was graced by fashion models including Moshions House, Inzuki Designs and Art Explosion with talented acrobats from Gatenga Youth Centre.

Official numbers by the Rwanda Development Board indicate that in 2017, Rwanda had 10 488 hotel rooms.

November 9, 2018
Rwanda’s economy expected to keep growing, says IMF

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) staff team led by Emre Alper and Laure Redifer, visited Kigali from September 20 to October 2 to conduct discussions on the tenth and final review of Rwanda’s Policy Support Instrument (PSI) -supported program.

The PSI is an instrument of the IMF designed for countries that do not need balance of payments financial support.

Laure Redifer who led the IMF visiting team said that while Rwanda’s economy grew by 8.6 % in the first half of 2018, there is hope for Rwanda to achieve its projected 7.2 year growth.

“After rising to 6.1 percent in 2017, real GDP growth averaged 8.6 percent in the first half of 2018, consistent with the projected end-year growth rate of 7.2 percent in 2018. Robust growth in 2018 reflects strong industrial activity, notably construction. Inflation remains low, in part reflecting favorable food price developments, and is projected to average around 2.8 percent in 2018,” he said.

Redifer explained that inflation is expected to remain close to the medium-term inflation target because the Central Bank of Rwanda kept the monetary policy stance unchanged in September, maintaining the policy rate at 5.5 percent through 2018.

Redifer said “Rwanda’s external buffers remain strong. The authorities have undertaken policies to improve Rwanda’s competitiveness, diversify production, promote exports, and contain imports.”

“With export growth of 17.9% in the year to August 2018, and import growth of 7.4%, the trade balance has continued to improve,” he said.

Laure Redifer said Rwanda met targets of PSI.

“Implementation of Rwanda’s PSI-supported macroeconomic program has been strong. All quantitative targets for the tenth and last review were met, and structural benchmarks are expected to be completed. The PSI-supported program has been successful in supporting Rwanda’s overarching objective of sustaining inclusive growth and poverty reduction,” Redifer revealed.

Rwanda’s Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Dr. Uzziel Ndagijimana said that according to the economic growth projections Rwanda had in the past five years, Rwanda’s GDP will keep growing.

October 3, 2018
Park Inn Hotel by Radisson Kigali : A rich experience

After what had been a very hectic long week, a restorative stay in a quiet place far from work, was called for. The four-star facility cocooned by high walls and located right in the heart of kigali, was a great choice for resting in the calmness and tranquility of Kiyovu.

Park Inn Hotel is simply grand. Seated on the lush green of Kiyovu hill, it is adorned in such a nice, subtle way with furnishings ranging from vintage to purely playful.

Our first impression, arriving after dark on a chilly Friday, was somewhat muted with a generic of polite staff welcoming us on arrival, showing us around to our rooms and advising on the hotel’s best features to luxuriate in; but we do remember peering into a lobby featuring huge chandeliers, designed with a funky offbeat edge that promised a stay full of discovery. And true enough, during our stay, we were constantly coming across clever little details.

We were treated to two standard rooms for our night which were very fancy and spacious, to say the least. The bedroom side of things was elegant and subtle, just like the whole hotel. Alas, the room service was somewhat slow, but John, the room-service attendant made sure to come by and apologize for the slowness, which was very nice of him.

But other than that slight problem, the room was perfect with a super-comfortable bed, a TV with a decent selection of channels.

What about the food, you ask? Well, the food was a fusion of mouth-watering and jaw-dropping displays amid a scenic and sophisticated restaurant. And what is more, the genial waiter who did his possible to make sure that we were served on time, with the food we requested.

Overall, the experience is defined through design that leans on youthful nostalgia, locally-inspired food and drink and a buzzy feel-home sensation.

Indeed, Park Inn by Radisson Kigali is onto something and it shows in their way of working.

Albeit very brief, our journey in the Hotel was one of the most insightful trips we’ve ever had and wonder what we learnt? ‘You are only as old as you feel’. There is absolutely no reason why you would travel four hours to Gisenyi for a restorative stay while you can enjoy this affordable little piece of luxury.

September 12, 2018
Talent hunting and polishing through ‘ArtRwanda-Ubuhanzi’ responds to employment challenges

ArtRwanda- Ubuhanzi’s Road Trips will kick off in Midland Motel, Kayonza, 8th and 9th September, according to organizers.

IGIHE had a one-on-one with Geraldine Umutesi, the Deputy Director General of Imbuto Foundation, who gave an insight into the development of ArtRwanda-Ubuhanzi and what the public should expect from the project.

{{Extracts;
}}

{{IGIHE: What is ArtRwanda-Ubuhanzi and what do we need to know about the project?
}}

{{Umutesi:}} ArtRwanda – Ubuhanzi was conceptualized by Imbuto Foundation and the Rwandan Ministry of Youth in an effort to support Rwandan Youth’s artistic development and future career aspirations.

Since this programme involved the creative arts industry, we also partnered with the Ministry of Culture and Sports and the Rwanda Academy of Language and Culture.
This programme also supports the government’s priorities in creating jobs through the promotion of social entrepreneurship among the young people in that industry.
This is a chance for the Youth to showcase their talents and aspirations in the Industry.

{{How will participants register?
}}

Participants will register on audition days, on spot, depending on where they are located. We will commence our auditions in Kayonza, on 08-09 September, and then continue to Rubavu and Musanze, on 15-16 September, then to Rusizi and Huye on 22-23 September. Kigali will be our last destination, on 29-30 September.

{{What are the criteria for participating in the road trip selection?
}}

Every Rwandan, aged between 18 to 35 can join. The participant will also need to show something that identifies you (such as an Identification card). He/she will also be required to bring their works or demonstrate, on spot, their talents.

Their work needs to be quite original, and ready for auditions. That’s all. But since our judges seek to choose the best contestants with the most outstanding talents, participants need to come ready to defend their projects and its social Entrepreneurial side.

Also, we are only looking for budding talents, those who never had the opportunity for their talents to be spotted and nurtured.

{{How will Art-Rwanda-Ubuhanzi be implemented?
}}

There are 6 categories under the creative Arts industry. Contestants will be selected to participate in a pre-selection phase, where a team of judges will verify the authenticity of their work. In that phase, they will look out to only those who have outstanding talents; you might be a renowned artist in Kayonza, but yet, in Musanze, there’s one who might be better than you.

We will select 120 contestants—meaning 20 from each category, who will then proceed to the Boot Camp phase.

{{Will Established artists allowed to participate?
}}

They will not participate but they will contribute as judges, coaches and influencers of this programme. Most of them are among stakeholders involved in this programme, since they also played a great part in raising the Industry.

{{For Rwandans living abroad, are they eligible to participate?
}}

This is only the beginning; we decided to start from the Rwandan Youth based in the country, since you need to showcase and defend your work in front of judges. At first, there was a technology we had come up with, but we decided to first address issues such as unemployment within the Youth in Rwanda.

For now, we can only hope that Rwandans over the world support and help us spread this programme.

{{What would be your message to the youth that will participate in the programme?
}}

In an effort to go hand in hand with targets of the National Strategy of Transformation, we need to find and develop new job opportunities, from within ourselves. This is the best time to foster new opportunities besides from what we are taught in class, or from agriculture, farming and other sectors. We will focus on the Creative Arts Industry and see how it can contribute to Rwanda’s Economic outlook.

{{What are prizes that will be entitled to winners of this project?
}}

I think that no prize is equivalent to being given a platform to showcase your talent, but, winners will receive different prizes packages, among which seed capital will be provided to the top winners, allowing them to start new ventures and permitting them to access certain grants. In addition to the cash prizes, they will be linked to renowned art galleries, ‘ateliers de couture’, relevant institutions to their specific fields, for internships and a 1 year incubation period.

September 7, 2018
Imbuto Foundation spearheads talent search project

Initiated through a partnership between Imbuto Foundation, the Ministry of Youth and the Ministry of Sports and Culture; the “ArtRwanda-Ubuhanzi” project consists of a televised nationwide search for creative youth in different categories including fine arts, dance, music, fashion, acting, drama, photography and literature.

The programme will be a platform for exposure and market for young and talented Rwandans within the creative arts industry, offering them an opportunity to be mentored by industry experts and receive advice on how to transform their talent into sustainable employment opportunities, in an effort to support their artistic development and future career aspirations.

While at the Official launch yesterday at Kigali Cultural Village, the Minister of Youth, Rosemary Mbabazi applauded the initiative which complements the government’s efforts of empowering youth.

“Your presence here means partnership. We take you as people who can contribute to the industry and can be part of the history of those who made this happen.” Mbabazi said

‘‘We believe that by developing and supporting these young talents, we will be highly contributing to the national economic development. Artists can change our life for the better and this project will provide opportunities for the youth in regards to employment. I thank Imbuto Foundation for sowing the right seeds that will transform Rwandan youth.’’ She added

According to the Deputy Director General of Imbuto Foundation, Geraldine Umutesi, Rwandan youth are fully capable. They only need people who can support them.

“The uniqueness of this ArtRwanda-Ubuhanzi is that it provides a vision and an environment where these arts will stay long after our generation’’ Umutesi told the attendees.

Umutesi further stressed that the industry cannot be developed without contribution from the youth and called on them to participate, encourage, and inspire others to participate in the project.

PS John Ntigengwa from the Ministry of Sports and Culture, observed that the project is a partial answer to youth unemployment, which remains a persistent issue around the world.

“This project is an answer to youth employment gap in our country. Let me take this moment to request youth professionals, the private sector, and young creative minds to reconsider their options and give arts a chance.” Ntigengwa noted

According to Statistics, unemployment among Rwandans, especially youth (16-30) is at 21 %, of who 9% completed upper secondary and 6% are graduates of tertiary education.

During the event, Manzi Jackson, a young artist, performed a live display of Acrylic painting on canvas, within 30 minutes. His art which symbolizes the unity an organized youth needs, was sold to the highest bidder on spot at Rwf700 000.

The search for talent will be countrywide, with scheduled road trips slated for 8 – 30 September at 6 sites namely; Kigali, Rubavu, Rusizi, Huye, Nyagatare, Musanze.

{{The “ArtRwanda-Ubuhanzi” Project launch in Pictures
}}

August 25, 2018
MICE getting nicer as international hotel brands redefine Rwanda’s hospitality landscape

This is particularly true when one considers that in 2013, Kigali Serena Hotel was the only five-star facility in the hospitality industry. Since then, Rwanda has risen among the leading foreign direct investment (FDI) destinations in the region, and even beyond.

Five years ago, the government of Rwanda set out to establish foundations for the Meetings Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) promotion with the aim of becoming Africa’s newest darling in the sector.

Given the upward trajectory on the macro front, good governance, great policies for doing business and the fact that it is a growing MICE and conference destination, Rwanda quickly became the region’s leading choice of investment for a number of international hotel brands.

In 2016 Rwanda started reaping what it had so tediously sown in the MICE sector.

Radisson Blu launched a new Kigali complex in 2016, a 292-room luxury hotel together with Kigali Convention Center, which was unveiled just in time for the 2016 African Union Summit from which it earned $4.2 million, according to Rwanda Development Board.

The International brand joined a slew of other hotel chains that found in Rwanda, a new travel and conferences hotspot.

Rezidor Hotel Group’s Radisson Blu, a five star complex with 292 rooms and conference facilities that can host more than 5,000 guests opened shop, hosting several international meetings, attracting foreign exchange, boosting national pride and tourism.

Kigali Marriott Hotel which is part of Marriot Hotels International chains followed suit. It is a five-star hotel and the first ground-up Marriott hotel in Sub-Saharan Africa with 254 rooms and suites spread across eight floors with the capacity to accommodate over 650 guests.

Park Inn by Radisson, a four-star hotel by Rezidor Hotel Group located in the cool shades of Kiyovu offers 161 rooms in different types including suites, superior and standard rooms.

Hilton Hotels and Resorts, another Global hotel chain took over Ubumwe Grande Hotel, which is located within the heart of Kigali. The facility that is currently undergoing some changes will be rebranded as DoubleTree by Hilton Kigali City Centre.

Africa’s largest hotel group, the Protea Hospitality Group is set to open a grand hotel in Rusizi District by name of ‘Protea Kivu Marina Resort Hotel’. The group has over 116 hotels in its portfolio, in several parts of the continent such as South-Africa, Zambia, Nigeria, Namibia, Malawi, Uganda and Tanzania.

Another International brand known as Starwood Hotels & Resort, more popular as Sheraton, announced its entry in Rwanda’s hospitality industry with a facility to be built in Gasabo District this year. It will be the fiftieth hotel of the group and will consist of 136 rooms.

Other important international brands with a foot in Rwanda are Golden Tulip, Onomo Hotel, Serena Group of Hotels, Marasa and Swiss International Hotels & Resort, popular in Asia, Europe and America.

All these international hotel brands are establishing in Rwanda with the aim of grabbing a portion of the regional conferencing pie as the country progressively defined itself, making MICE the base of tourism industry.

High-end luxurious facilities such as Fatima Hotel, Bisate Eco Lodge, Singita Kwitonda Lodge, Nyungwe Forest Lodge, CityBlu Epic Hotel are also hitting their marks in the country’s hospitality industry.

{{MICE tourism segment’s impact on Rwanda’s Development
}}

Since the launch of MICE in 2014, Rwanda has hosted tens of thousands of regional and international conference guests among who are many that visit several tourism destinations across the country.

According to Rwanda Development Board (RDB), Rwanda received 1,298,000 visitors in 2016, up from 666 000 visitors in 2010, indicating that the long-term outlook to the country’s MICE tourism segment is now very vibrant. Furthermore, in 2016 alone, the MICE tourism segment contributed to the $404 million Rwanda earned in revenues.

Last year (2017), Rwanda hosted over 169 international meetings, recording 28,308 delegates, hence an indirect support for the service providers such as hotels, lodges, restaurants and Rwanda Air.

The blooming MICE sector is an unmistakable vote of confidence in the reforms Rwanda has been undertaking over the years in its bid to revitalize an economy that almost everybody believed was in limbo after the 1994 genocide against Tutsi.

July 17, 2018