TBM Staff - Mumbai Rwanda Development Board (RDB) in collaboration with the High Commission of Rwanda to India and RwandAir participated at OTM 2023 which took place at the Jio World Convention Centre, in Mumbai last week.
Besides the authorities, the Rwandan team comprisedInternational Travel Agency, G-Step Tours, New Dawn Associates, Chamber of Tourism, RwandAir and Simba Voyage.
The Rwanda team at OTM 2023 showcased their best products in the travel and tour industry, and look forward to tapping into the outbound travel market of India as a whole and of Mumbai Metropolis in particular.
Since RwandAir set its footprint in India with a direct flight Mumbai-Kigali-Mumbai serving both cities thrice weekly, Indian travellers to Africa and Rwanda in particular have found a business-friendly flight and use it increasingly. The availability of the direct flight is complemented by the ease of immigration services for Indian passport holders, as members of the Commonwealth, they can fly to Rwanda and get a 30-day free visa on arrival.
During OTM, the Rwanda Development Board and the High Commission of Rwanda in India hosted a ‘Visit Rwanda Networking Evening’ for a select group of Tour operators and potential investors at Hotel Sahara Star. This was the first major initiative after 3 years of the global pandemic and the message was clear that Rwanda is yet an unexplored land for many opportunities such as Wildlife tourism, Film Tourism, Weddings, Meetings & Incentives, etc.
On behalf of the High Commissioner of Rwanda to India Jacqueline Mukangira, Emile Mwepesi (Second counsellor) expressed his gratitude and thanked the audience for their participation and extended an invite to visit Rwanda and see the beauty of the country of a thousand hills. He added, “We are happy to be here in Mumbai and showcase Visit Rwanda to one of the key outbound travel markets in the world. The Indian travellers are among the top three nationalities in the world to Visit Rwanda.The representative of the Rwanda Development Board, Linda Mutesi, gave a detailed presentation and highlighted the various opportunities for tour operators to promote Rwanda as a destination amongst their clients and assured them of maximum support from the authorities. She also emphasized the infrastructure in the hospitality sector. She invited the Indians to visit Rwanda and explore the green and luxurious tour sites and the rich wild life of Rwanda.
Further, Christian Gatete, Country Manager RwandAir India highlighted that the airline has started operations with 3 weekly flights from Mumbai to Kigali (the Capital city of Rwanda).
The was followed by a B2B session with the participating DMC’s, RwandAir in India and the delegation from RDB. The event concluded with an interactive dinner which gave an opportunity for the participants and the delegation to build new healthy business relations.
On the last day of OTM, Visit Rwanda was awarded the “Most Upcoming Destination Award” by the organisers Fairfest Media Ltd. Rwanda and India enjoy excellent bilateral relations with trade and business projected to grow stronger. The 3-day OTM participation and the Networking evening was organized by Inspiration Unlimited.
