Rwanda is, for the first time, showcasing its attractions and investment opportunities in the tourism and hospitality sector at the Outbound Travel Mart (OTM), which closes today in Indian city of Mumbai. 

The three-day travel trade fair that opened Thursday is the largest in India, attracting 1,000 exhibitors from seventy-five countries. 

Representatives from Rwandan tourism industry, including tour and travel operators and hotels will present Rwanda’s tourism offerings in two cities, Mumbai and Bangalore, according to a statement.

The trade show conducted in a business-to-business format will allow Rwandans to connect with businessmen all over the world and have an engaging conversation about what Rwanda has to offer in the tourism sector, and to attract more visitors from Asia, Rwanda Development Board (RDB) said in a statement.

Belise Kariza, the chief tourism officer at Rwanda Development Board, is quoted as saying in the statement that Rwanda’s participation at India’s leading outbound travel show presents a good opportunity to tap into a fast-growing market of tourists. 

"India is an emerging key source market for Rwanda, with 15 million travelers and $12.3 billion spending globally in foreign destinations annually, excluding transport,” Kariza is quoted as saying in the statement. 

During the Indian travel show, officials say Rwanda will denote itself as a premier business and tourism destination in Africa and create awareness of the country’s diverse range of unique experiences, for both business and leisure travel. 

Mumbai is regarded as the business hub of India, the travel show will be a great occasion for Rwanda to actively promote Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Events, to an audience where majority of outbound trips are for business purposes, according to the statement.

RDB said recorded arrivals from India to Rwanda reveal a 55 per cent increase in business travelers in the five-year period of 2009-2013, from 3,675 to 6, 340 visitors.

"Visitors to the Rwanda stand will be taken on an incredible journey as they discover Rwanda’s breath-taking scenery and landscape, eco-adventure tourism like gorilla tracking, nature walks and birding, the booming hospitality sector and the advent of world-class conferencing venues,” reads the statement. 

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