The German Football Club Bayern Munich announced a five-year tourism development and promotion partnership with Rwanda, the land of a thousand hills on Sunday 27th August 2023. This was done during FC Bayern’s first game of the season and the club will work hand in hand with Rwanda’s Ministry of Sports to also set up a football academy with an aim of developing the football in the country.
In addition to what was agreed upon, the German club will display Visit Rwanda branding on every matchday LED boards at the club’s stadium – Allianz Arena that seats over 75,000 spectators and a number of activities shall be organized by the club to promote the tourism industry of Rwanda.
About Rwanda
Officially the Republic of Rwanda, Rwanda is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa connect. At a few degrees south of the equator, the country is bordered by different countries like Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo. With a total area of 26,338 square kilometers, the country is known for its unique landscapes that earned it the name ‘’Land of thousand hills’’. It is known for its quality and organized governance and a commitment of the citizens to sustainability and development.
Rwanda encompasses a number of tourist attractions in its four national parks, cities, historical and cultural centers and many others. Among these include the endangered mountain gorillas that can be encountered in only four destinations on the whole African continent – Virunga Park of Congo, Bwindi Forest and Mgahinga gorilla Park of Uganda.
Rwanda’s mountain gorillas reside in the Volcanoes National Park of Rwanda it is the most popular destination visited by tourists going on Rwanda safaris.
Other attractions are chimps in Nyungwe forest national park, the big five on the African continent (lion, elephants, rhinos, leopards and buffalos) in Akagera national park, and also a city tour in the beautiful Kigali, the capital of the country. In this excursion, you will visit the Kigali memorial site, a place for the remembrance of the victims that lost their lives in the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.
Apart from tourism, Rwanda also recognizes sports as pillar in the social transformation and development of the country. During this development, the country doesn’t differentiate in gender, age or even physical capacity. The most popular sport in Rwanda is football which is played in all country corners and others sports are; basketball, cycling, and volleyball.
About FC Bayern
Simply known as Bayern, FC Bayern is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. The team s best known for its professional men’s football team, which plays in the Bundesliga, the top tier of the German football league system. According to history and current updates, Bayern is the most successful club in German football history, having won a record of 33 German championships where the 11 are consecutively won since 2013, 20 national cups plus a number of European honors. Internationally, FC Bayern has won the Champions League 6 times, as well as the FIFA Club World Cup and the World Cup 2 times each, among others. Founded on 27 February 1900, FC Bayern now has around 300,000 members and over 150 million followers on social networks. Also, the country has a women’s soccer team and basketball that are among the top teams both internationally and nationally. The offices of the club are located in different international cities including New York, Shanghai and Bangkok. Its headquarters are located on Sabener Strasse in Munich and its home games are played in Allianz Arena which seats 75,000 spectators.
Different reactions of people about the FC Bayern and Rwanda agree partnership.
FC Bayern Chief Executive Officer, Jan Christian Dreesen, said: ‘’I am very pleased with this collaboration agreed upon until the summer of 2028. FC Bayern can become active on the African continent and gather important experiences. This new platinum partnership is aligned with long-term goals. We will surely promote ’Visit Rwanda’ and help it grow in sports with projects for youth football. These are challenging and responsible tasks. Africa is a continent of opportunities for FC Bayern, this is the next step in internationalization.’’
FC Bayern Executive Board Member Marketing, Andreas Jung, said: ‘’I am looking forward to this new, very exciting collaboration. We will support and help the Rwandan Ministry of Sports in developing youth programs, including our FC Bayern Youth Cup. We want to spread ‘Visit Rwanda’ as a tourism destination, and we also welcome the new partner to our business network.’’
Rwanda Minister of Sports, Aorore Mimosa Munyangaju, said: ‘’We are thrilled to partner with FC Bayern to support the development of youth football for both boys and girls of Rwanda. We look forward to setting up the FC Bayern Academy where we expect the Bayern coaches to share knowledge of the game with local coaches and players. The potential is there Rwandans to excel in football and this partnership provides a great platform for Rwanda to strive for excellence in sports.’’
CEO of Rwanda Development Board, Clare Akamanzi, said: ‘’The Rwanda Development Board is pleased to welcome yet another strategic partner in FC Bayern Munich. It’s been five outstanding years since the Government of Rwanda announced the Visit Rwanda campaign and adding FC Bayern as another additional partner allows us to reach out to its millions of fans across the globe and tell them to visit Rwanda. Germany is among Rwanda’s top five tourism source markets and we aim to use this partnership to attract more tourists to Rwanda, showcase investment and business opportunities and encourage all to stay in Rwanda.”
Before this partnership, the Republic of Germany has already been in good terms with Rwanda with its other organizations like Rhineland – Palatinate has maintained its partnership for 40 years, The Goethe Institute and Friedrich Ebert Foundation have offices in Kigali, a German Desk in Kigali is intended to support investments, and many others.