Edwin Musoni
11 November 2009
Kigali — Rwanda was the only African country to be awarded with one of the five awards at the ongoing World Travel Market (WTM) Exhibition in London.
Rwanda scooped the Best Stand Personnel award beating 600 selected exhibitors.
The staff at the Rwanda booth has been described by WTM as very friendly, vibrant and culturally authentic
The annual WTM event attracts nearly 50,000 exhibitors and over 2,500 travel media from over 190 countries; this year's exhibition that kicked off on Monday is expected to end tomorrow.
Speaking to The New Times, Rwanda's Ambassador to the UK, Claver Gatete, said that Rwanda showcased its investment opportunities and tourism potential during the exhibition.
"Rwanda was awarded with 'Most Effective Stand Personnel' for good personnel, excellent customer service and doing business at the stand," said Gatete.
"We are happy that Rwanda's progress in tourism and development in general has been recognized by the WTM with such a prestigious award of best personnel. As the only African recipient of a WTM award Rwanda has made our country and Africa proud," he added.
Gatete added that part of the considerations made by the judges to give Rwanda the award was for its user-friendly stand with easy access.
He noted that; "It was an opportunity to show case our general economic performance and the tourism potentials. We showcased that Rwanda has a lot to offer in the tourism sector that would become an engine to our economic growth and assist in boosting tourism in the East African Community."
A statement from the Rwanda Tourism Board attributes Rwanda's excellent performance to good customer service and professionalism.
It also quotes Deputy CEO of the Rwanda Development Board- Tourism and Conservation, Rosette Rugamba saying, "This is a tremendous achievement for the country coming six years after Rwanda was re-launched at the same expo."
She adds that visitors to the Rwandan stand had the opportunity to learn about the new experiences, including a new canopy walk in Nyungwe forest.
Rwanda has emerged best exhibitor in the African category three times continuously during the annual Berlin exhibition.
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