Rwanda Becomes first ever Arsenal’s Tourism Partner

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The top-flight English Premier League football club will have all their teams wear ‘Visit Rwanda’ on the sleeves.

Vinal Venkatesham, Arsenal’s Chief Commercial Officer said the deal will bring Rwanda into people’s minds in a new and dynamic way.

“This is a moving partnership which will see us support Rwanda’s ambition to build their tourism industry,” Venkatesham said adding that “Rwanda has been transformed in the past few years.”

This three-year partnership will see the new brand ‘Visit Rwanda’ logo appear on the left sleeve of all first team, under-23 and Arsenal Women’s matches from the new season starting this August 2018.

As part of this arrangement, Arsenal team players right from men’s, women’s teams and club coaches will visit Rwanda and host coaching camps to support the development of the young talent and the game in general for boys and girls in the country.

The contract will highlight the country’s tourism attractions such as the National Parks, which are attracting record number of visitors due to rising numbers of wildlife including black rhino, lions, zebra, colourful birds, chimpanzees and the famous mountain gorillas, as well as the investment opportunities in the country.

Last year (2017) Rwanda received 1.3 million visitors and in the same year tourism generated 90,000 jobs and remains Rwanda’s top employer and largest foreign exchange earner as well.

The Visit Rwanda promotion is not only about tourism. It showcases the Country as an investment destination as well.

Rwanda ranks third as the easiest country to do business in Africa by the World Bank and has been awarded for its leadership in tourism and competitiveness by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) and the World Economic Forum respectively.

The country is famous for the incredible and unique mountain gorilla trekking, an experience that attracts most visitors to Volcanoes National Park in Northern Rwanda. The country also offers an array of adventure activities that include water sports, boat safaris, cycling, canopy walk, hiking, bird watching among other touristic attractions.

The CEO of Rwanda Development Board, Clare Akamanzi said, ‘the country was looking forward to welcoming more tourists and investors’

“We’re excited to be partnering with Arsenal club and showcasing the vibrancy and beauty of our country.  Rwanda is a country pulsing with energy, creativity and innovation,” she said.

Akamanzi explained why Rwanda is ideal for investment.

“We [Rwanda] are among the fastest growing economies in Africa.  Investors in our country are able to register their businesses in only six hours and get ready to enjoy the huge opportunities accrued from the free trade agreements that we’ve signed with over 50 countries.

“Visit Rwanda” brand will gain global exposure through appearing on Arsenal’s match day LED boards, post match interview backdrops and the club’s stadium tour which attracts more than 250,000 visitors each year.  The brand will also avail the opportunity to engage Arsenal supporters and fans around the world via the club’s social media channels.

Arsenal’s Chief Commercial Officer, Venkatesham pointed out the level of the exposure Rwanda gets from the contract.

“Research show that Arsenal shirt is seen 35 million times a day around the world and we are one of the most viewed teams around the world. We look forward to working with the Visit Rwanda team to further establish the country as a tourist destination,” Venkatesham said.

The partnership project is also being supported by National Geographic who will endorse Rwanda as an significant tourist destination in the world.

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