{"id":2000119439,"date":"2026-07-16T16:25:14","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T14:25:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/?p=2000119439"},"modified":"2026-07-17T08:31:15","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T06:31:15","slug":"kigali-joins-bestcities-global-alliance-of-leading-convention-destinations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/kigali-joins-bestcities-global-alliance-of-leading-convention-destinations\/","title":{"rendered":"Kigali joins BestCities Global Alliance of leading convention destinations"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The alliance said Kigali earned its place through its growing reputation as a destination for global conferences, backed by modern infrastructure, sustainability efforts and a strong track record of hosting international events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“As one of Africa’s fastest-growing meeting destinations, Kigali is a natural fit for BestCities,” said Julia Swanson, Board Chair of BestCities Global Alliance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The city exemplifies the qualities that define today’s leading convention destinations, including strong knowledge and innovation sectors, a commitment to sustainability, and an understanding of how business events can drive social and economic impact.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kigali is connected to more than 160 destinations through RwandAir and other international airlines, while visa-on-arrival for all nationalities makes travel easier for delegates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The city also offers major conference facilities, including the 5,000-seat Kigali Convention Centre and the 10,000-capacity BK Arena, alongside more than 10,000 hotel rooms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The city has remained Africa’s second-ranked destination in the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) rankings for six consecutive years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2025, Rwanda hosted more than 25 international association meetings, including the 13th International AIDS Society Conference and the 4th Global NCD Alliance Forum. Kigali is also set to host the ICCA Congress in 2027 and the World Nephrology Congress in 2029.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Janet Karemera, Chief Executive Officer of the Rwanda Convention Bureau, said joining the alliance reflects Kigali’s ambition to expand its global presence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We are delighted to join the BestCities Global Alliance,” she said. “Through this platform, we aim to further enhance our visibility, exchange expertise, and continue elevating Kigali as a competitive destination for global business events.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
BestCities has welcomed Kigali, Rwanda as its newest member of Global Alliance. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kigali has joined the BestCities Global Alliance as its 14th member, a global network of leading convention destinations, in a move expected to strengthen Rwanda’s position in the international meetings and events industry.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2000119443,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[151,69],"byline":[160],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-2000119439","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-40","tag-editors-choice","tag-homehighlights","byline-theophile-niyitegeka"],"bylines":[{"id":160,"name":"Th\u00e9ophile Niyitegeka","slug":"theophile-niyitegeka","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":3}],"contributors":[{"id":160,"name":"Th\u00e9ophile Niyitegeka","slug":"theophile-niyitegeka","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":3}],"featured_image":{"id":2000119443,"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/07\/gdsutuaw0aa4bbi.jpg","alt":"","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":2484,"height":1440,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/07\/gdsutuaw0aa4bbi.jpg","width":2484,"height":1440},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/07\/gdsutuaw0aa4bbi.jpg","width":2484,"height":1440},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/07\/gdsutuaw0aa4bbi.jpg","width":2484,"height":1440},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/07\/gdsutuaw0aa4bbi.jpg","width":2484,"height":1440},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/07\/gdsutuaw0aa4bbi.jpg","width":2484,"height":1440}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000119439","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2000119439"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000119439\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2000119441,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000119439\/revisions\/2000119441"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000119443"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2000119439"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2000119439"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2000119439"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=2000119439"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=2000119439"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}