Miss Rwanda Tourism inaugural event set for countdown to Grand Finale

RWANDA LAUNCHES PREPARATIONS FOR INAUGURAL MISS TOURISM EVENT

Rwanda’s first ever Miss Tourism contest will go underway on May 10th, when the 15 finalists, selected from Rwanda’s university and tourism colleges, will be revealed and introduced to the public at the Hotel Mille des Collines in Kigali by the event organizers. The Eureka Group, formed by www.newdawnassociates.com, www.eagle-ride.com and www.victoria-international.com, in conjunction with the Rwanda Development Board’s Tourism and Conservation Department and national airline RwandAir will on that date formally launch the activities, which will culminate in a Grand Gala Final on June 01st held at the Kigali Serena Conference Centre.

The participants will from 14th May undergo training in the shape of a ‘boot camp’ to prepare them for the final sessions, where tourism knowledge and skills will feature high on the agenda and the score sheet of the judges.

Alongside the event have the organizers invited over 40 tour operators and travel agents from across Eastern Africa, as well as a small group of selected media houses, eTurboNews as a global industry leader included, to cover the event and participate in a familiarization tour of Rwanda’s key attractions.

On the visiting schedule will be the ‘Enchanted Forest, aka Nyungwe Forest National Park’, the shores of Lake Kivu with a visit to Kibuye and then along the route of the Congo Nile Trail to Gisenyi. Not to be missed is a rendezvous with the gentle giants of the Virunga mountains, the gorillas before returning to Kigali for the grand final when Rwanda’s first ever Miss Tourism will be crowned. In line with the event’s objectives will the winner, as a key prize, be given a full scholarship for a Master Degree programme in tourism, which will earn the winning lady not just a crown but knowledge for a future career in the tourism industry.

Tourism is one of Rwanda’s key economic activities and has in recent years grown in leaps and bounds, regularly recording double digit growth figures and is expected to earn the country over 300 million US Dollars this year. A deliberate government policy of environmental protection, forest restoration and proactive marketing across the globe, alongside product diversification and innovations, has made Rwanda one of East Africa’s most sought after destinations. MICE tourism is being promoted using existing facilities like the Kigali Serena Hotel and Conference Centre, the upcoming Kigali Marriott Hotel and Conference Centre and will receive a further boost when next year the country’s new international convention centre will open. RwandAir, the national carrier, too is playing a critical role in promoting the country and has in recent years aggressively expanded both network and fleet, positioning itself as a key player in African aviation. Watch this space for more information on the event, close up and personal reports from the country’s key attractions before covering the Grand Finale of Miss Tourism Rwanda 2013.

Visit www.misstourismrwanda.com for additional information or check out www.rwandatourism.com and www.rwandair.com.