Rwanda to host tourism conference

A two-day international conference that will gather various scholars of travel and tourism industry will be hosted by Rwanda tomorrow, the event organisers at the Rwanda Tourism University in Kigali have revealed.

Sunday, June 02, 2013
Tourists in Nyungwe Forest.

A two-day international conference that will gather various scholars of travel and tourism industry will be hosted by Rwanda tomorrow, the event organisers at the Rwanda Tourism University in Kigali have revealed.

The conference, which will be held under the theme: "African tourism in global society”, will attract more than 130 international scholars and experts from all over the world to improve on social and economic challenges facing the hospitality industry.

The Rector of Rwanda Tourism University, Callixte Kabera, said the university will serve as a host under the auspices of the Ministry of Education to make tourism as a vital tool to improve socio economic services by focusing on untapped areas in tourism.

"This will be the opportunity for Rwanda to be mapped and become a hub of international conferences. Lecturers from different institutions will have a chance to exchange views and expertise in designing new strategies to improve tourism,” he said.

According to Karel Werdler, a Senior lecturer at Hogeschool Holland in the Netherlands, Rwanda has been known for its hospitality.

"There are still some areas in tourism that need to be exploited to generate income like Bird watching, mountain gorilla viewing, and Business Travel as well as Cultural values,” Werdler said.