RwandAir is encouraging travellers to extend their journeys through Rwanda with its Kigali stopover programme, offering passengers the opportunity to experience the destination rather than simply transit through the East African hub.
The initiative is designed to support tourism growth by converting connecting passengers into short-stay visitors, while providing travel advisors with an additional selling opportunity for clients travelling across Africa and beyond.
Turning transit passengers into visitors
Marketed under the theme “Don’t Just Transit. Experience Rwanda”, the stopover programme allows travellers passing through Kigali to add time in the destination before continuing to their final destination.
The programme aims to showcase Rwanda’s tourism attractions, culture and hospitality while strengthening Kigali’s position as a regional aviation gateway.
For Australian travel advisors, the stopover option provides a way to enhance itineraries by incorporating Rwanda experiences into broader African journeys.
Supporting destination awareness
Rwanda has continued to grow its profile as a tourism destination, attracting visitors with experiences ranging from gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park to wildlife viewing in Akagera National Park and cultural experiences in Kigali.
By encouraging travellers to spend time in the country during flight connections, RwandAir is seeking to increase destination awareness and create additional tourism opportunities.
Additional selling tool for trade partners
The stopover programme provides travel advisors with another option to add value to air itineraries while introducing clients to one of Africa’s fastest-growing tourism destinations.
As airlines increasingly focus on stopover products to drive visitor spending and destination exposure, Kigali joins a growing list of hub cities promoting short-stay tourism experiences for transit passengers.
