The latest Visa Openness Report published by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), named Rwanda as one of the few countries with improved visa policies in the last year. According to available statistics, between 2006 and 2014, the number of visitors more than doubled from around 500 thousand to over 1.2 million and still counting. Perhaps one of the main attribute to the latest ranking was the waiver of nationals of all African countries from applying for a Rwandan visa prior to travel. They get it on arrival at any point of entry. In the current African Nations Championship (CHAN tournament, it went a step further by removing visa requirements for nationals of all participating countries. These are just parts of the pro-active policies that have attracted many visitors and the numbers are bound to edge higher after CHAN. But had been argued earlier, it is what the visitors will find in Rwanda that will entice them for a second visit. Another well thought out strategy is to invest a lot in MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events) by putting in place the necessary infrastructure to turn the country as the conferencing destination of choice. This year, two major events on the MICE calendar mid this year are bound to improve Rwanda’s visibility on the global travel map; the World Economic Forum and the African Union Summit. As usual, no stops will be pulled to make it a memorable experience for the visitors. But what really counts at the end of the day, is the country’s open door policy that is slowly but surely turning the country into a cosmopolitan hotbed that those who taste its hospitality, find it difficult to book their return flights.
