Rwanda has risen in this year’s rankings produced by the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), establishing the country as the second most popular destination for association conferences and meetings in Africa.
This marks a significant achievement for Rwanda and its capital city, Kigali, which maintained its 2nd place ranking for the fourth consecutive year.
The announcement of the ICCA 2023 rankings released on May 13th, is a testament to Rwanda’s growing prominence as a preferred destination for international meetings and events.
ICCA is the global community for the international association and meetings industry. The rankings are based on the annual number of association meetings hosted in a country, each with at least 50 participants and rotating destination.
For the Rwanda Convention Bureau, this achievement holds special significance as it coincides with the bureau’s 10th year in operation.
Commenting on the rankings, the Chief Executive Officer of Rwanda Convention Bureau, Janet Karemera said: “This recognition is a great vote of confidence for us as it demonstrates Rwanda’s growing appeal as a MICE destination and highlights our commitment to excellence in hosting international events. With the support and efforts of stakeholders in both the public and private sector, we were able to record 65,000 delegates in 2023, up from +35,000 in 2022. Tourism is one of the country’s largest foreign exchange earner and MICE is playing an important role in its growth, bringing in 15 % of all tourism revenue. MICE tourism contributed over $USD 95 million in 2023 marking a 48% increase compared to previous year. We are happy that Kigali retained 2nd place and that Rwanda was able to climb the ranking ladder. We are working incredibly hard on attaining an even better position through hosting even more association meetings”.
Rwanda has successfully hosted several high-profile conferences, including the 73rd IFA Congress , World Tourism & Travel Council Summit 2023, Women Deliver 2023, International Congress on Conservation Biology (ICCB), World Climate Research Program and many more.