{Kigali will be cashing in on a number of high-level conferences scheduled for the end of the year through mid-2014.}
This, government officials and industry players say, is the result of a long-term strategy to combat the seasonality problem through developing conference tourism.
Among key events are this month’s Transform Africa conference, with 1,500 delegates from all over the world, the recently concluded Uganda-Rwanda Business and Agri-Business Forum, the East Africa Business Summit due next year and the African Development Bank (AfDB) general assembly. The two-week AfDB assembly in Kigali in May is expected to bring in about 4,000 delegates.
The government hopes conference tourism, which is free from the seasonality problem, will help it to achieve its big plans for the sector.
Tourism has been on an upward trend, having fetched $251 million last year and is expected to net $352 million next year. Its projection for 2017 is $860 million.
Officials say investments made to improve customer service and increase room numbers makes them satisfied that Rwanda will be ready to host these conferences.
Statistics indicate some $300 million in investment was pumped into the hospitality industry last year with much of it going into hotel business, which explains a jump in the number of rooms from 4,825 in 2009 to 6,800 in 2012.
The hospitality industry is also set to receive a major boost early next year when the 244-room Marriot Hotel opens its doors.
The Marriot will be the first hotel in East, Central and Southern Africa shall break the monopoly of Serena Hotels in the five-star segment in Rwanda.
“There is enough market for everybody,” said Solomon Adede, the chief executive officer of New Century Development Ltd. “Kigali can be made a preferred destination by making cost of accommodation affordable and available.”
{{The East African}}
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