Rwanda to be Arsenal’s first ever travel partner

The Rwanda Development Board (RDB) announced that the central African country has become the official tourism partner of English Premier League giants Arsenal FC. The agreement is signed for three years. The ‘Visit Rwanda’ logo will be featured on the left sleeve of all first team, under-23 and Arsenal Women’s matches in the new season for these three years.  Rwanda will now hold the distinction of being Arsenal’s first ever tourism partner.

As per reports, Arsenal’s men’s and women’s teams will visit Rwanda and club coaches will host coaching camps to support the development of the game for boys and girls in the country. Rwanda’s tourism prospects will be propelled as ‘Visit Rwanda’ will be highlighted on match day LED boards, interview backdrops and the club’s stadium tour. Rwanda’s tourism industry will be boosted including the famous national parks, which drew a lot many tourists across the world.

“This is an exciting partnership which will see us support Rwanda’s ambition to build their tourism industry. The country has been transformed in recent years. The Arsenal shirt is seen 35 million times a day around the world and we are one of the most viewed teams around the world. We look forward to working with the Visit Rwanda team to further establish the country as a tourist destination,” said Vinai Venkatesham, Arsenal’s Chief Commercial Officer.

“The country was looking forward to welcoming more tourists and investors. We’re thrilled to be partnering with Arsenal and showcasing the vibrancy and beauty of our country. Rwanda is a country pulsing with energy, creativity and innovation. We are the second fastest growing economy in Africa. Investors in Rwanda are able to register their businesses in only six hours and prepare to enjoy the opportunities accrued from the free trade agreements that we’ve signed with over 50 countries,” said Clare Akamanzi, CEO, Rwanda Development Board.

The partnership also has support from National Geographic, who will promote Rwanda as an important tourist destination. As per RDB’s statistics, the country received 1.3 million visitor arrivals in 2017 resulting in creating 90,000 jobs and is Rwanda’s largest foreign exchange earner.