John Gara, CEO of the Rwanda Development Board said: “We are pleased to become a member of ICTP. Rwanda has enormous tourism potential and attractive destinations that are relatively unknown. The ICTP platform is an opportunity for the Rwanda Development Board to showcase these tremendous tourism pleasures and conservation initiatives to the world through the joint marketing and media programs of member countries.”

ICTP President Geoffrey Lipman said: “It’s a great honor to have Rwanda join our dynamic group of quality travel destinations committed to green growth, because they are already widely recognized as a global tourism champion. Africa is increasingly a serious player on the world tourism stage with its magnificent scenery, unique wildlife, and fascinating cultures. We are looking forward to working with Rwanda to make sure they stay high on the list of most sought-after destinations.”

Juergen T. Steinmetz, ICTP Chairman, said: “We’re very pleased to welcome Rwanda to our list of founding members, and our first member from East Africa. The Rwanda Development Board has shown true leadership in its work. I have been following the development of tourism in Rwanda over the years, and I’m impressed with the activities, involvements, and contributions the destination has been making. Rwanda has been conducting itself as a responsible member of the global tourism industry, and is a very special destination with a great future.”

The International Council of Tourism Partners is a global alliance of responsible destination cooperation and marketing in tourism. The Seychelles, La Reunion, Johannesburg, and Zimbabwe are among the founding members in Africa.

Mr. Steinmetz added: “When ICTP has their official launch ceremony during the World Travel Market (WTM) in London next month, we expect to have a global list of founding destination members that will be joining us. Grenada took the lead in the Caribbean just a couple of weeks ago, and our network now spans as far as Saipan in the Pacific Ocean. Anyone joining us before the World Travel Market on November 8 will be considered a founding member of our global alliance.”

ICTP recently attended The Leisure Travel Show in Moscow, TTG Intercontri in Rimini, Routes in Berlin, and is currently represented in Singapore at ITB.

City.Mobi

Also in Rwanda today, City.Mobi is celebrating the success of its new guide to Kigali.

City.Mobi offers the most comprehensive mobile travel guides available, with over 800 cities in 200 countries listed. Each is developed by the City.Mobi team to combine into a single global travel directory.

However, each city retains its own mobile identity via a dedicated domain. Already on offer are Brussels.Mobi, Paris.Mobi, Sanfrancisco.Mobi and Sydney.Mobi.

Kigali.mobi is the latest in this illustrious line up, offering click to call functionality – which means no scribbling down telephone numbers.

Most entries are also linked to websites where users can quickly access more detailed information if needed.

Other key features include information on accommodation, restaurants, attractions, entertainment, nightlife, shopping, and transport.

City.Mobi guides include user reviews and traveller utilities such as a translation guide, currency converter, news and local weather guide.