Rwandan capital Kigali has been announced as host city for the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) Global Summit this year, the first time the event will be held in Africa.

The summit will run from November 1-2, drawing over 2 000 participants from around the world. Rwanda, as the home of the International Gorilla Conservation Programme, will showcase the power of sustainable tourism to protect biodiversity and create thriving communities.

“Rwanda has really blown me away. It's the most beautiful country and exceeded all my expectations,” WTTC President and CEO Julia Simpson said.

“We are going to be bringing 200 CEOs from around the world to hopefully invest in and visit this beautiful country. And we are expecting, over the next 10 years, travel and tourism to grow at double the rate of the general economy in Rwanda, bringing about 500 000 jobs.”