Rwanda last week participated in the annual Vakantiebeurs tourism exhibition, a key annual event in the Netherlands.

Held from January 13 to 18, the latest exhibition in the Benelux – a union of states comprising Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg – took place in Utrecht, the capital and most populous city in the Dutch province of Utrecht.

"The Vakantiebeurs tourism exhibition was a success for the Rwandan tourism industry who kept the stand very active holding meetings to generate new contracts and maintain relations with existing partners in the Netherlands,” said Guillaume Kavaruganda, Minister Counsellor at the Rwandan embassy at The Hague.

Vakantiebeurs is arguably the Netherlands’ biggest and most important tourism exhibition.

The fair attracted more than 125,000 visitors and 1,600 exhibitors from approximately 160 countries, including more than 14,000 travel and media professionals.

The country was represented by Rwanda Development Board (RDB) officials, Embassy officials, as well as two Rwandan tour operators; Access Rwanda Safaris and Amahoro Tours.

At the Rwandan stand, Rwanda’s ambassador to the Netherlands, Jean Pierre Karabaranga and Linda Mutesi, from the Tourism and Conservation department at RDB, were present to interact with the public, meet the media and answer various questions about Rwanda’s tourism sector, according to Kavaruganda.

"At the Rwanda stand, all visitors took a photo which they were later asked to share on facebook. The most liked photos will win a ticket to Rwanda under the sponsorship of the national carrier, RwandAir.”

Rwanda, he added, was also showcased as a diverse destination for adventure, culture, unrivaled beauty, while the focus was put on the promotion of Akagera National Park and Nyungwe National Park as tourist destinations.

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