Leading aviation, hospitality and government representatives are coming together for AviaDev Africa, an event dedicated to bringing together investors from both sectors to discuss a strategic approach for travel expansion
Hosted in Rwanda, organisers said this will be the first conference ever that caters to both aviation and hospitality.
The inaugural forum on aviation route planning and development will run in parallel with the Africa Hotel Investment Forum (AHIF), providing government and industry with an opportunity to explore the crucial link between aviation and hotel investment and discuss potential new airline routes in exclusive one-to-one meetings.
The event will include workshops on the rise of aerotropolises in Africa, organised by WiedemannConsultants GmbH. International consultants, InterVISTAS, will also run a route development master class.
Air Djibouti CEO Mario Fulgoni said, “Africa is a little different to Asia, Europe and the States, because the hotels are really not in place. My view is that if you build it they will come. The hotel owners would say if we (aviation) had the services, we’d build the hotels. So we’ve got to get past the chicken-and-egg situation. Build a co-ordinated investment programme so we can develop the two things side-by-side.”
Rwanda Development Board chief tourism officer Belise Kariza said, “We want to showcase Rwanda as a key destination to do business. The AHIF conference is a vital part of that, and the addition of a forum focused on aviation developments, AviaDev, provides an important platform for the aviation and hotel sectors to discuss future development projects and forge new relationships.”
AviaDev Africa will open at the Radisson Blu Hotel and Convention Centre in Kigali on 4 October, joining the main AHIF conference on 5 and 6 October.
