France’s Top Soccer Team Signs Deal to Market Rwanda Gorillas

(Bloomberg) -- Top French soccer team Paris Saint-Germain signed a sponsorship deal with Rwanda to boost tourism in the East African nation.

The “Visit Rwanda” branding will be displayed at the Parc des Princes Stadium, on the sleeve of the PSG women’s team and on the back of training kits, the Rwanda Development Board said in an emailed statement.

The three-year pact, similar to one signed with English Premier League side Arsenal last year, will promote tourism and products from the country and see PSG players taking part in coaching sessions in Rwanda.

“With this partnership, we will deepen our engagement with fans in Africa,” said Marc Armstrong, chief partnership officer at PSG. The team has won France’s top soccer league for six of the past seven seasons and is leading the title race this year.

Rwanda’s tourism is the nation’s biggest foreign-exchange earner and to increase revenue, the government is pushing conferencing and high-end mountain gorilla trekking safaris, the licenses for which alone cost $1,500 per person.

Employment by Rwanda’s tourism sector jumped 58% in the past two years and the nation registered $2 billion in investment in 2018, according to the agency. It’s seeking to double revenue from visitors to $800 million in 2024 from a target of $405 million this year.

To contact the reporter on this story: Saul Butera in Kigali at sbutera2@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: David Malingha at dmalingha@bloomberg.net, Helen Nyambura, Gordon Bell

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