The “Coalition of the Willing” yesterday announced in Kigali that joint marketing initiatives to promote tourism will mark their future cooperation. Like seen at the just concluded ITB, where Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya exhibited from one common stand, the same will now take place at the forthcoming INDABA in Durban, South Africa, and a similar deal has already been struck by the three for the November 2014 edition of the World Travel Market in London. The cooperation will also push the recently launched single tourist visa which will allow foreign visitors to purchase one Visa and then travel unrestricted across the three countries while on safari, according to a report received from Kigali where the CEO of the Rwanda Development Board, Ambassador Valentine Rugwabiza – who also holds a seat in the cabinet – alongside the High Commissioners of Uganda and Kenya made the announcement yesterday.
From usually well informed sources in Kigali it was further learned that key national tourism and conservation events, like Kwita Izina in Rwanda, this year due to be held on June 21, Uganda’s Martyr’s Day which has gained global recognition in recent years as part of a growing religious pilgrimage tourism segment and Kenya’s Magical Kenya Show will also be promoted together to widen the reach and further impress upon the market that the three countries have indeed moved closely together to promote tourist visits to the region and not just one country.
The cooperation was boosted by the fact that the three bagged the first, third and fifth spot as “Best African Exhibitors” at the recently ended ITB 2014 in Berlin, Germany, giving not just a confidence boost but also bringing the three countries back into the global spotlight and, hopefully, stimulating demand.
While the three tourism marketing organizations, KTB, UTB and RDB, will continue to promote their countries at selected venues, it is obvious that with the improved connectivity by air among the three, with Kenya Airways, RwandAir and Air Uganda offering multiple daily connections between Mombasa, Nairobi, Entebbe and Kigali, add on tours will now be within easier reach for tourist visitors using the single Visa when coming to East Africa.
WHAT TO TAKE AWAY FROM THIS ARTICLE:
- From usually well informed sources in Kigali it was further learned that key national tourism and conservation events, like Kwita Izina in Rwanda, this year due to be held on June 21, Uganda's Martyr's Day which has gained global recognition in recent years as part of a growing religious pilgrimage tourism segment and Kenya's Magical Kenya Show will also be promoted together to widen the reach and further impress upon the market that the three countries have indeed moved closely together to promote tourist visits to the region and not just one country.
- The cooperation will also push the recently launched single tourist visa which will allow foreign visitors to purchase one Visa and then travel unrestricted across the three countries while on safari, according to a report received from Kigali where the CEO of the Rwanda Development Board, Ambassador Valentine Rugwabiza – who also holds a seat in the cabinet – alongside the High Commissioners of Uganda and Kenya made the announcement yesterday.
- While the three tourism marketing organizations, KTB, UTB and RDB, will continue to promote their countries at selected venues, it is obvious that with the improved connectivity by air among the three, with Kenya Airways, RwandAir and Air Uganda offering multiple daily connections between Mombasa, Nairobi, Entebbe and Kigali, add on tours will now be within easier reach for tourist visitors using the single Visa when coming to East Africa.
