RWANDA: RwandAir To Commence Kigali To London Flights On 26th May 2017

RwandAir will launch the first non-stop flight from the UK to Rwanda, one of the fastest growing tourism destinations in Africa, on May 26th.

Operating three times a week from London Gatwick to the Rwandan capital Kigali, the service offers easy access for UK passengers.

The flights, on a new Airbus A330-200, will offer travellers Business, Premium Economy and Economy cabins three times a week, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

The flight time is eight hours 40 minutes.

Passengers travelling on the new RwandAir service in Business Class will be able to take advantage of fully-flat beds and convenient overnight flights.

British travellers are among the top five nationalities to visit Rwanda, which welcomed 1.3 million people last year.

They’re attracted by the incredible scenery, the opportunity for a unique experience visiting mountain gorillas and big game safari.

The recent arrival of black rhinos in the country means that Rwanda is now offering one of the best safari experiences in Africa.

Travellers can explore Rwanda’s diverse ecosystems in its three national parks.

Volcanoes National Park, along the Congo border, is famed for its mountain gorillas but also home to the endangered golden monkey.

RwandAir’s new Airbus 330 which will operate the London Gatwick to Kigali service

The chief tourism officer at the Rwanda Development Board, Belise Kariza, commented: “Rwanda has seen a transformation in recent years and is now becoming one of the most sought-after destinations for premium travellers.

With the new non-stop RwandAir flights to Kigali, and the opening of several premium lodges, Rwanda will be making a big impact as a must-visit country.” 


The newly opened Kigali Convention Centre is also driving the transformation of Kigali into a hub for Meetings, Incentive Conferences and Exhibitions.

Rwanda has been named the third best MICE destination in Africa and will also host the World Travel Awards Africa Gala Ceremony in October.

Meanwhile,the latest G650 has taken off from Savannah, Georgia, and headed to the Chinese coastal city of Tianjin to join the fleet of Deer Jet.

This G650 becomes the first private jet of its class registered in mainland China.

Frank Fang, vice president of Deer Jet, said: “We are very honoured to take over the management and operation of the very first G650 registered in China.

“To date, Deer Jet owns three licences to operate a fleet of 90 aircraft worldwide, with two thirds of the jets as managed fleet.

“This new addition demonstrates Deer Jet’s unparalleled 22-years of safety records and operational excellence, in recognition for the company’s global operations capabilities.

“Once again, Deer Jet built a milestone for China’s and the global business aviation industry.

“We created the first private jet company of China, operated the first G450 and G550 in China, and became the first company to operate ultra-long range BBJ and ACJ series in China.

“And most recently, we added to our managed fleet the world’s first BBJ 787.”

The addition of the new G650 marks the start of Deer Jet’s 2017 ambitious plan to further expand its managed fleet.

Already ten more G650/G650ER series are expected to join Deer Jet’s fleet in the near future.

KENYA: Conferencing Tourism

There is no disputing that the soft white sandy beaches lining Kenya’s 536km long Indian Ocean coastline, and our national parks, reserves, conservancies and sanctuaries abundant with flora and fauna, are the main tourism attractions in our country.

Nevertheless, the growth in conference tourism in Kenya indicates the huge potential this segment has in its overall contribution to our tourism sector. The Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (Mice) sector is on a major growth path globally and no doubt Kenya has begun to enjoy the benefits from this market to our economy and in enhancing the country’s brand equity.

The International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), headquartered in The Netherlands, carries out an annual ranking of the performance of Mice tourism globally. In carrying out the ranking, the ICCA considers factors such as the number of conferences organised in destinations, the size of the conferences in terms of the number of delegates participating, duration of the conference, the frequency of the conference and the subject and profile of the conference.

The country and city rankings play a major role in influencing the Mice organisers on which destinations to hold their annual events.

Nairobi, voted Africa’s Leading Meetings and Conference Destination at the 2016 World Travel Awards, has played host to numerous high profile conferences in the last one year that has seen delegates from across the globe flock into the city.

This is a clear indication of the high potential that the meetings and conference market has in contributing toward the growth in our tourism arrivals and revenues.

Most notable of the major meetings and conferences held in Nairobi were the 2015 Global Entrepreneurship Summit held in July 2015, the World Trade Organisation 10th Ministerial Conference in December 2015, and United Nations Conference on Trade and Development in July 2016.

Nairobi will host the 6th Tokyo Investment Conference on Africa Development on August 26 to 28. The largest East Africa tourism fair dubbed Magical Kenya Travel Expo 2016 is scheduled to take place in Nairobi from October 12 to 14. The fair organised by the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) brings together tourism professionals from 35 countries that represent Kenya’s key tourism source markets.

KTB is optimistic that this positive momentum in the conference tourism market will be maintained throughout the year, as our overall tourism figures continue to record an upward trajectory.