Rwandan President Paul Kagame has been touting his country’s credentials as a tourist destination for African visitors as Kigali hosts a major tourism conference.
Talking about making it easier and cheaper to travel within the continent he told delegates to the World Travel and Tourism Council’s Global Summit that Rwanda has “removed visa restrictions for citizens of every African country – as well as many other countries”.
“Let there be no mistake about it: Any African can get on a plane to Rwanda whenever they wish and will not pay a thing to enter our country. We should not lose sight of our own continental market.”
According to the Visit Rwanda website, citizens from AU countries, as well as the Commonwealth and the union of French-speaking nations “can get free visas upon arrival in Rwanda for a visit of 30 days”.
Rwanda has been on a campaign to boost its tourism sector, partnering with football clubs like Arsenal and Bayern Munich to promote the country as a tourist destination.
There has been a gradual move towards lifting restrictions on travel within Africa.
Last Saturday, Kenya’s President William Ruto announced that his country would allow Africans to visit without needing a visa.
If that’s implemented then Kenya would become the fourth African country to introduce the idea – after Seychelles, The Gambia and Benin.
Several African countries have also entered bilateral agreements for visa-free travel, most recently Ghana and South Africa, and Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.