Following the successful first three years of working together, French football side Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Visit Rwanda have renewed their partnership through to 2025.
The agreement will see Visit Rwanda continue its partnership with the French league champions with the goal of showcasing Rwanda as a top tourism and investment destination in Africa.
Since 2009 the strong ties between Paris Saint-Germain and Visit Rwanda have been brought to life through some outstanding initiatives in a whole host of areas.
Rwanda has become a global tourism hotspot. It is home to the majestic mountain gorillas in the Volcanoes National Park and Big 5 in Akagera National Park.
In 2022, Rwanda welcomed more than a million visitors from abroad and brought in almost half a billion dollars in tourism revenues, a figure it is looking to take up to 800 million dollars by 2025.
The creative element of the partnership between Rwanda and the French club was symbolized through a special evening of events during the Paris Saint-Germain – Olympique Lyonnais match on 2 April.
The “Rwanda Heritage Game” brought Rwandan artists Christopher Muneza and Weya Viatora to the SO/Bar for an outstanding pre-match performance attended by former PSG legend Luis Fernandez.
Michaella Rugwizangoga, RDB’s Chief Tourism Officer, is reported to have said “There is more to the partnership between Visit Rwanda and Paris Saint-Germain than just promoting Rwanda as a destination. It aims to create synergies in culture, fashion, the arts, and football development, which is very important to us. Paris Saint-Germain provides us with an amazing platform to present the very best of Rwanda to millions of fans around the world. We are delighted to be able to continue our partnership and to do even more things together.”
Cynthia Marcou, Sponsorship Director Paris Saint-Germain, added “In working with Visit Rwanda, Paris Saint-Germain has taken sponsorship to the next level in terms of standards and synergy. Together we have developed extremely creative activations in which our players and ambassadors regularly take part. Such events enhance the image of Rwanda, a forward-looking country, and raise the profile of Rwandan tourism, allowing it to position itself as a global leader.”
A number of PSG players such as Sergio Ramos, Keylor Navas, Julian Draxler and Thilo Kehrer and legendary former players of the calibre of Youri Djorkaeff, Rai, Ludovic Giuly and Juan Pablo Sorin have visited Rwanda to see what the country has to offer visitors.
Since the beginning of the partnership, Visit Rwanda has enjoyed a highly visible presence at the Parc des Princes on matchdays, with its logo also appearing on the men’s team’s training and warm-up kits.
Rouge et Bleu fans have also been savouring the finest tea and coffee Rwanda has to offer, served exclusively at the stadium.
The PSG Academy Rwanda opened its doors in the city of Huye in 2020, offering 100 percetnt-PSG training sessions to more than 100 children, some of them beneficiaries of the club’s Foundation.
Last year, the academy won the PSG Academy World Cup in the boys’ U-13 category where Rwanda was taking part in the annual competition for the first time.
