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Rwanda’s bold move: New tourism levy to fuel growth and sustainability
In a move to strengthen its tourism sector and attract further investment, Rwanda has introduced a 3% tourism levy on hotel accommodations. The initiative, approved by the Cabinet this week, is designed to generate revenue for infrastructure development, conservation efforts, and hospitality sector enhancements. Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Yusuf Murangwa, clarified that the levy—charged at 3% of a hotel’s room rate—aligns with international tourism tax models. “This is a standard practice globally. For instance, if a tourist books a $100 room, they will pay a $3 tourism levy,” he explained. With the number of hotel rooms in Rwanda increasing from 17,078 in 2020 to 21,232 in 2024, and a projected target of 35,000 rooms in five years, the levy is expected to support continued growth. The country welcomed 1.4 million visitors in 2023, a number forecasted to double by 2029. Jean Guy Afrika, CEO of the Rwanda Development Board, emphasized the levy’s role in achieving the country’s ambitious tourism revenue goal of $1.1 billion by 2029. “This policy aligns with our broader strategy of making Rwanda a high-end, sustainable tourism destination,” he noted. Rwanda’s tourism ambitions extend beyond leisure, with a focus on Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE). The country hosted 77 major events in 2024, bringing in over 10,000 delegates in the fourth quarter alone. With MICE industry revenue expected to surge from $95 million in 2023 to $224 million by 2029, the levy will support infrastructure improvements and event hosting capacity. By investing in conservation, green bonds, public-private partnerships, and new tourism products, Rwanda is positioning itself as a premier global destination, balancing growth with sustainability.
Euroairlines Group signs agreement with RwandAir
The African airline RwandAir has signed an agreement with Euroairlines Group to improve the distribution of its more than 30 domestic and international routes. They will benefit from the network of travel agencies, OTAs, aggregators and consolidators in more than 60 countries that the Spanish company will make available to them through its IATA Q4-291 plate. The Rwandan company, based in Kigali, offers regular flights to 22 countries across Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, after 22 years of existence. RwandAir was born in December 2002 as a national airline under the name of Rwandair Express with a concession to provide airport ground services as an ancillary activity. In December 2009, the current RwandAir began operations with Kigali International Airport as its hub. Since then, it has been providing commercial and passenger services and has a fleet of 14 aircraft, including three Airbus aircraft with more than 250 seats, seven Boeing aircraft with more than 120 seats and four Bombardier aircraft with a capacity of more than 60 people. According to Euroairlines CEO, Antonio López-Lázaro, the agreement will intensify and consolidate the already significant growth experienced by the African airline in recent years. "For us, southern Africa is an area with a lot of potential, which is why it is strategic to have such an established partner in the region as RwandAir", says López-Lázaro. "Between the two companies, we can bring great value to each other to drive our growth, and our presence in more than 50 markets supports our distribution network”, adds. Euroairlines (www.euroairlines.es) was born in Spain in 2000 as a commercial air transport operator. Today it is an aeronautical group that also offers distribution services to other airlines through its IATA Q4-291 plate with the support of leading travel agencies and GDS in more than 60 markets. Euroairlines is headquartered in Madrid (Spain) and has offices in New York, Miami, Cancun, Mexico City, Buenos Aires, Bogota, Lima, Sao Paulo and Santiago de Chile, as well as other European capitals. In addition, the Euroairlines Group provides commercial, BPO and consulting services.
RwandAir takes off with daily direct flights to Kigali from London
RwandAir has begun its daily direct services between London Heathrow, Terminal 4 and Kigali as the airline grows to meet strong demand from the UK market. The additional direct flights mark a significant increase from the airline’s previous four-time weekly operation. All flights will be operated by the airline’s modern wide-body A330 aircraft, with flight WB711 departing London at 9.20pm and arriving into Kigali at 7:00am the following morning. The returning flights, WB710/712 alternates departure times, with the flight departing Kigali every other day, at 1:45am and 11:25pm, landing daily into Heathrow at 7:00am or 9:50am. Return flights from London to Kigali start from £590.29 in Economy Class and £2,215.29 in Business Class, including all taxes and charges. Customers travelling on the only direct flights between the two cities are offered a choice of flying in one of up to 30 fully lie-flat Business Class seats in a 1-2-1 configuration or their spacious Economy Class with up to 244 seats in a 2-4-2 configuration. Yvonne Makolo, RwandAir CEO, said: “we have seen impressive growth in our north-south traffic, especially with our London Heathrow route. We are incredibly proud that our long-held plan for daily flights are finally underway” “London has always been a special city for RwandAir, as our first European destination, following our inaugural flight to Gatwick in 2017. “These direct daily flights are a testament to the growing demand from customers both in the UK and Africa, and we look forward to welcoming more visitors to our beautiful land of a thousand hills.” Visitors from the UK have visa free access to Rwanda and can expect to experience an extraordinary range of wildlife and green, mountainous landscapes. The airlines’ convenient schedule allows for easy connections through the Kigali hub, onto a wealth of destinations in Africa and the Middle East. Customers flying with RwandAir can enjoy complimentary inflight dining, free drinks and great inflight entertainment on seat back video screens. RwandAir offers a very generous baggage allowance with customers flying in Economy Class able to check-in two bags of 23kg each, while those flying in Business Class can check-in up to three bags of 23kg each.
RwandAir enhances its fleet with a seventh Boeing 737 aircraft
RwandAir is continuing its fleet expansion with the delivery of its seventh Boeing 737 aircraft. The Boeing 737-800, registered 9XR-WY, will be based at the carrier’s Kigali hub and will offer customers a leading experience in the skies. Operating throughout Africa and the Middle East, the aircraft will allow the Rwandan carrier to further expand its regional operations and offer customers unrivalled connectivity and quick transfers through Kigali. Customers will be able to choose from 12 seats in Business Class and 144 seats in Economy Class, giving greater flexibility. The addition of the new aircraft will bring the African airline’s fleet to 14, consisting of three A330s, seven B737 and four regional aircraft. Yvonne Makolo, RwandAir CEO, said: “The introduction of our seventh Boeing aircraft is another major milestone for us, and I would like to thank everyone who has helped make this possible. “We have been expanding our fleet over the past year and look forward to accelerating this growth to offer customers even better service and connectivity across Africa and beyond.” Last November, the Rwandan airline also took delivery of its first dedicated freighter aircraft, a Boeing 737-800SF, as the carrier highlighted the ever-increasing importance of cargo in Rwanda and the aviation industry as a whole. From its hub at the heart of Africa at Kigali International Airport, RwandAir is renowned for its excellent on-time performance, customer service, and safety. RwandAir currently operates to a variety of destinations across East, Central, West and Southern Africa, the Middle East, Europe and Asia.
RwandAir teams up with Basketball Africa League for a third successive year
RwandAir has become the official airline partner of the Basketball Africa League (BAL) through an extension of its highly successful sponsorship of the league for a third successive year. Through the partnership between BAL and the Rwanda Development Board, “Visit Rwanda” has been a Founding and Host Partner of the league since 2021. Fans will be able to fly with the airline to watch the Playoffs and Finals, which will tip off this season on Saturday, May 20 at BK Arena in Kigali, and conclude on Saturday, May 27 when a new champion will be crowned. Yvonne Makolo, RwandAir CEO, said: “We are proud to partner once again with the Basketball Africa League and welcome the league’s fans to Rwanda to witness the exhilaration of this season’s finals. “RwandAir recognizes the profound ability of sports to unite people, and we are thrilled to assume the role of the Official Partner of BAL Season 3.” Fans can follow the event online via the official BAL social media accounts: @TheBal. From its hub at the heart of Africa at Kigali International Airport, RwandAir is renowned for its excellent on-time performance, customer service and safety. Rwanda’s flag carrier continues to accelerate its ambitious growth strategy, and will be adding a direct service to Paris as its 25th destination in June.
RwandAir codeshares with Turkish Airlines
RwandAir has signed a major new codeshare agreement with Turkish Airlines as it continues to expand its global reach. The new codeshare partnership will offer the African airline’s customers greater travel choices and seamless connection opportunities in both Kigali and Istanbul. RwandAir customers travelling from Africa can now enjoy easy access to Turkish Airlines’ extensive network of over 300 worldwide destinations, giving Africa even greater global connectivity. Those travelling with Turkish Airlines can also benefit from this codeshare agreement, with customers arriving in Kigali now being able to enjoy smooth onward connection across RwandAir’s African network. Yvonne Makolo, RwandAir CEO, said: “We are incredibly excited to have signed this new codeshare agreement with one the world’s largest and leading carriers, Turkish Airlines.“This landmark move will not only allow our customers to access the 124 countries served by Turkish Airlines, but will improve connections for inbound travellers to Africa via our extensive continental network. “RwandAir is always exploring new commercial opportunities to expand its reach into markets which can deliver financial return and benefit our growing customer base.” Currently, Turkish Airlines offers daily flights between RwandAir’s Kigali base and the carrier’s home hub in Istanbul. This agreement follows the African airline’s recently launched codeshares with leading airlines such as Qatar Airways and British Airways. From its hub at the heart of Africa at Kigali International Airport, RwandAir is renowned for its excellent on-time performance, customer service, and safety. RwandAir currently operates to 24 destinations across East, Central, West and Southern Africa, the Middle East, Europe and Asia.
Epic Gorilla trekking in Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi where wildlife, culture, and nature meet.
Augustine Tours, the East African Safari Expert, has launched an overland 13-day Gorilla trekking tour through Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi designed for exploring the wildlife, culture, and nature of the three colorful countries. The 13-day African safari vacation package goes beyond the wildlife but is also a mix of cultural and historical visits giving first-hand insights into the beauty of the region. For those who like climbing mountains, and love wildlife and nature it is such a great experience. Seeing Gorillas in their natural habitat is simply an amazing and fabulous encounter. It is a terrific package of activities and adventures. “Exploring the rich wildlife through trekking and game drives, waterfalls, cultural sites, and local villages is such an unforgettable experience,” says Augustin Ndikuriyo founder of Augustine Tours. “Since its launch early this month, we have received a good number of confirmed bookings for February, March, April, and July. The majority of clients come from the USA, Germany, and the UK. Now that the borders are open, with an option to obtain visas on arrival, our clients are glad that they can book an overland trip through Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi added Augustin” When traveling on this Gorilla trekking tour, you’ll get private 4WD transportation, accommodation in a twin/double room with meals, full tour guide services, gorilla permits, and all required entrance fees. The tour can be run from January to December for solo travelers, small groups, and couples. Children under 15 are not allowed to join the gorilla trekking but they can enjoy the rest of the activities as nature and cultural visits. Augustine Tours is a tour company that offers customized wildlife and cultural experiences around East Africa since 2010. Their local expertise allows them to provide unique and authentic experiences that benefit visitors and local communities. To more about Augustine Tours and what’s included, visit the website, here: www.augustinetours.com For more information or images, please email: info@augustinetours.com
Rwanda no longer requires PCR tests for new foreign arrivals
Rwanda no longer requires PCR tests for new foreign arrivals - Arriving passengers at Kigali International Airport no longer need to take PCR tests while coming and on arrival to Rwanda, they must only present a negative Antigen Rapid Test (RDT) taken 72 hours prior to departure of their first flight to Rwanda. COVID-19 test is not mandatory for accompanied children below 5 years. An additional Antigen Rapid Test will be taken upon arrival at traveler’s expense of $5 USD Also, all travelers arriving in Rwanda must complete the passenger locator form and […] Click here to read: eTurboNews | TravelIndustry News
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