Africa-Press – Rwanda. English Premier League club Arsenal have mutually agreed to conclude their partnership with Visit Rwanda by June 2026.
The development, which was announced by Rwanda Development Board (RDB) on Wednesday, November 19, marks the end of eight-season collaboration which was first signed in May 2018.
“We are proud of what this partnership has achieved over many years of collaboration. It broke new ground for tourism boards around the world, driving awareness and visitation for Rwandan tourism at a pace traditional campaigns could never match,” said RDB Chief Executive Officer Jean-Guy Afrika.
The partnership not only showcased Rwanda’s natural beauty and accelerated the growth of the country’s tourism industry.
According to RDB, visitor arrivals reached 1.3 million in 2024, while tourism revenues climbed to US $650 million (approximately Rwf 941 billion), a 47 percent increase since the partnership began.
Arsenal CEO Richard Garlick described the past eight years of partnership as a significant journey which stood out as a win for both parties.
“We’ve worked together to raise global awareness of Rwanda’s tourism and conservation efforts and built many new connections with our supporters across Africa,” Garlick said.
“We thank the Rwanda Development Board for their partnership and what we’ve delivered together.”
Arsenal became the first club in Europe’s top five leagues to sign a partnership deal with Visit Rwanda before the likes Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid followed.
The deal saw the “Visit Rwanda” logo appear on the left sleeve of all Arsenal first team, Under-23, and Arsenal Women’s match shirts.
Visit Rwanda also gained global exposure through branding on Arsenal’s match day LED boards, interview backdrops and the club’s Emirate Stadium which attracts more than 250,000 visitors each year.
Under the deal Arsenal coaches would also travel to Rwanda to carry out training sessions with youth players as part of the club’s commitment to supporting talent development in Rwanda.
Besides, a number of Arsenal’s top players, former and current, visited the country for tourism purposes. Among them are Jurrien Timber, Robert Pires, Ray Parlour, David Luiz, Gilberto Silver and Bacary Sagna who named a baby gorilla during Kwita Izina ceremony in September, among others.
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