For the first time, Rwanda will host the World Travel Awards with the Africa Gala Ceremony slated on October 10 2017.

The event will be held on the fringes of the Africa Hotel Investment Forum (AHIF) and AviaDev Africa, which will be held in Rwanda.

According to a media release, the World Travel Awards President and Founder, Graham Cooke said it will be an honour for them to visit Rwanda’s capital Kigali, commending it to be one of the most attractive African capitals.

He added that Rwanda’s central location on the continent also makes it an ideal base for exploration.

"The heart of Africa, Rwanda has become rightfully known for its spectacular scenery – think thundering waterfalls, towering mountains and virgin rainforests – and rare wildlife. This is a fantastic opportunity for Rwanda to claim its rightful place as Africa’s rising star,” he added.

A leading hotel investment conference AHIF connects business leaders with the international and local markets, drives investment into tourism projects, infrastructure and hotel development across Africa.

It is attended by the highest calibre international hotel investors of any conference in Africa.

Meanwhile, AviaDev Africa is a unique event bringing together airports, airlines, governments, industry suppliers and tourism authorities to determine the future air connectivity and infrastructure development of Africa.

The event provides an opportunity for the aviation and hotel development communities to share intelligence on their future plans, catalysing tourism development on the continent.

Jonathan Worsley, Chairman at Bench Events said "I’m delighted that the World Travel Awards has chosen to hold its Africa ceremony on the main stage at AHIF.

The combination of AHIF for hotel investment, AviaDev for aviation route planning and the WTA for excellence in travel, all happening at the same time and in the same place, is bound to focus more attention on the importance of a successful travel and hospitality industry to the economic future of Africa – and that has to be a good thing.”

World Travel Awards was established in 1993 to acknowledge, reward and celebrate excellence across all sectors of the tourism industry.

Today, the World Travel Awards brand is recognised globally as the ultimate hallmark of quality, with winners setting the benchmark to which all others aspire.

Each year, World Travel Awards cover the globe with a series of regional gala ceremonies staged to recognise and celebrate individual and collective success within each key geographical region.

World Travel Awards Gala Ceremonies are widely regarded as the best networking opportunities in the travel industry, attended by government and industry leaders, luminaries and international print and broadcast media.

RwandAir, the national carrier, and Radisson Blu Hotel & Convention Centre have been nominated for this 24th edition of the World Travel Awards in four and five different categories, respectively as indicated by Belise Kariza, the RDB chief tourism officer.

The voting is happening online and it closes on August 21.

To vote, you can visit https://www.worldtravelawards.com/nominees/2017/africa.