KIGALI, July 15 — Rwanda on Tuesday announced an official tourism partnership with English Premier League club Aston Villa to promote Rwanda as a destination for tourism, trade, investment, and sport, the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) said in a statement.
According to the statement, Visit Rwanda will become the club’s Official Front-of-Shirt Partner, Exclusive Official Tourism Partner, and Official Coffee Provider. Under the agreement, Visit Rwanda will gain year-round global exposure through the playing shirts of Aston Villa’s men’s, women’s, and academy teams across all competitions, including the FA Premier League and European competitions, the RDB said. “This sponsorship is a powerful expression of Rwanda’s ambition to engage global audiences through one of the world’s most influential platforms and position our country as a destination to visit, invest, and do business,” Janet Karemera, chief executive officer of the Rwanda Convention Bureau, is quoted as saying in the statement. The partnership comes as Rwanda continues to strengthen its tourism industry and broader economic growth. The RDB said that tourism and conference activities generated a record 685 million U.S. dollars in 2025, supported by 1.49 million visitors. By 2029, Rwanda aims to double private investment to 4.6 billion dollars and increase annual tourism revenues to 1.1 billion dollars, according to the statement.
Xinhua
