Business
New hotels and infrastructure raise Kigali’s game in Rwanda
Training Center
The limited availability of skills also poses challenges for the service sector and as a result, the Kigali Marriott has set up a training center for its staff. It is hosting some 30 employees attached to its brands in the Middle East. The hotel had been slated to host the 49th annual meeting of the African Development Bank group and the 40th meeting of the African Development Fund in Kigali in May, but the opening has now been delayed until December 2014.
Demand for hotel space has surged in recent years with an increasing number of tourists, expatriates and businesses seeking regional expansion. However, the number of hotel rooms available, currently estimated at 6,500 rooms, is insufficient to meet rising demand.
“Improved availability of accommodation and connectivity means that Rwanda can attract more conferences it is not attracting at the moment. Kigali can be made a preferred destination by making accommodation affordable and available,” argues Solomon Adede, deputy CEO of New Century Development, which owns the Kigali Marriott.
Furthermore, Rwanda is also counting on the aggressive expansion of its national carrier RwandAir to boost its ability to host conferences. At the moment, the airline is purchasing more aircraft and launching new routes and more direct flights to the country. This is in addition to the launch of more directs flights to Kigali by airlines including Turkish Airlines and Qatar Airlines in 2013 and 2012, respectively.
As of now, Brussels Airlines had been the only international airline operating direct flights from Europe to Kigali before KLM started its flights in 2010.
Source: The Africa Report
