Rwanda stand draws in crowds at the Los Angeles Travel and Adventure show

The 13th edition of the Los Angeles-based Travel and Adventure show brought large numbers of people to the stand of Rwanda. The Land of a Thousand Hills is an adventure destination par excellence and with over 40 percent of the country’s visitors originating from the United States, it was an obvious choice for the Rwanda Development Board’s (RDB) Tourism Department to exhibit and market the destination.

Ms. Belise Kariza, Chief Tourism Officer, also in charge of wildlife conservation at RDB, commented on the Rwandan participation when she said, “The USA is Rwanda’s number one source market with 41% of American visitors coming for leisure activities. The USA which ranks 2nd in terms of international spending on tourism according to UNWTO, represents an important pool of potential tourists to tap into as Rwanda grows its tourism offerings, mainly eco-adventure, Meetings and Conventions and cultural tourism.”

With four national parks, besides the scenic shores of Lake Kivu along which the Congo Nile Trail extends for over 220 kilometers, Rwanda is offering adventure seekers a wide range of options, from gorilla and golden monkey tracking to cycling, hiking the Nyungwe Forest National Park, bird watching, and exploring the classic savannah safari in Akagera National Park. Culture is also on offer after several of the former Royal palaces and sites were restored, as is caving, a more recent addition to the menu of options for visitors.

With the LA show now concluded, the Rwandan team is heading to Berlin next to attend ITB 2016 where the country is aiming to recapture the best African Stand award once again.

Rwanda is connected by air from the United States through Brussels Airlines, KLM, Qatar Airways, and by Kenya Airways and a number of other airlines including, of course, national airline, RwandAir, from across Africa.

The Rwanda Development Board is a member of the International Coalition of Tourism Partners (ICTP) .