# “Visit Rwanda”: Tourism’s biggest marketing drive

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/visit-rwanda-tourisms-biggest-marketing-drive/
- Published: 2026-11-13T03:30:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-13T04:22:08+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/visit-rwanda-tourism-biggest-marketing-drive/
- Topics: Culture, Travel

## Key points

- Rwanda uses major sports sponsorships to promote tourism.
- The campaign raises questions about public spending priorities.
- Tourism revenue reached $685 million in 2025.

## Summary

Rwanda has built a high-profile tourism campaign around the “Visit Rwanda” brand, using sponsorships with major sports teams and plans to host Formula One. The drive aims to reshape the country’s image and attract visitors, but its scale has prompted questions about spending priorities in a country where more than a quarter of people live below the poverty line.

The campaign began with an Arsenal shirt deal in 2018, reported at £10 million a year, and has since involved clubs including PSG, Bayern Munich, Atlético Madrid and Aston Villa. The article estimates Aston Villa’s deal at nearly £20 million annually, while a planned F1 venue could cost about $270 million to build, with further annual hosting and maintenance costs; a nearby airport is projected to cost $2.6 billion. Rwanda’s development board says sponsorship is funded by tourism revenue, and UK officials have said British aid is not being used for the campaign; tourism revenue reached $685 million in 2025, as visitor numbers rose to 1.49 million.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.