Revolutionizing sports tourism in Africa

Africa - a land of milk and honey, blessed with diverse cultures and brimming with nature’s greatest gifts waiting to be explored.

It’s safe to say that tourism is a cornerstone for the economic growth of African countries, accounting for roughly 13% of revenue generated per year. As of January 2022, The UN World Tourism Barometer shows a 51% year-over-year increase in international tourist arrivals to Africa.

(source: unwto.org)

The tourism industry is constantly reinventing itself to retain and enhance its appeal to travelers worldwide, and while it has had success, there's so much untapped potential. A small country in East Africa has found success exploring a type of tourism that hasn't been widely adopted on the continent, and other countries will do well to follow suit.

Rwanda is the 9th most visited country in Africa averaging 1,634,000 visitors annually and in recent years has found ways to diversify its tourism efforts by heavily investing in sports.

How you may ask? The answer is pretty simple.

Infrastructure.

So far, the Rwanda government through the Rwanda Development Board geared to spending over $500 million in building world-class sports infrastructures in less than 10 years - $104 million for a 10,000-seat basketball arena, $16 million for a golf course inaugurated in 2021 in Kigali, $1.3 million cricket stadium and $165 million budgeted for the ongoing construction of the National Stadium, which is expected to expand from 25,000 to 45,000 seats by 2024.

(source: Africanews.com).

Kigali Arena

Gahanga Cricket Stadium

L-R Kigali Arena, Gahanga International Cricket Stadium.

In return, they secured partnerships with Arsenal FC in 2018 and Paris Saint-German FC in 2019 both of which generated over $160 million in media value and $445 million in tourism revenues last year.

This is simply the tip of the iceberg for the country, which continues to gain hosting rights for international tournaments and events.

Since 2019, Rwanda has hosted both men's and women's FIVB world tours, as well as two seasons of the Basketball Africa league, Tour de Rwanda, Ironman 70.3 Triathlon, and FIBA Afrobasket, to name a few.

Al-Ahly, 2023 Basketball Africa League Champions

The country is also expected to host the next edition of BAL, ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier, Afrobasket Women 2023, 2025 World Road Cycling Championship, and FIFA General Assembly, among other global sports.

Rwanda has positioned itself as Africa’s sports hub as they aim to make $800 million from sports tourism in 2023 and meticulously, has created a segway for economic growth other African countries should emulate.

In an interview with New Times Rwanda, Prime Minister Edouard Ngirente alluded to the fact that there’s a (tourism) niche market in sports, and as a government, they will continue investing in infrastructure to take advantage of the market.