Today at the Emirates Stadium in London, Visit Rwanda, Arsenal’s Official Tourism Partner and Sleeve Sponsor, gave fans the opportunity to learn about gorilla conservation and the country’s unique ecotourism offerings. During the event, fans had the opportunity to try their luck at scoring goals and winning VIP tickets to match, a signed Arsenal 2019/20 First Team jersey and a standard jersey.

As fans enjoyed trying to score goals and taking selfies with a Visit Rwanda gorilla mascot, they also learned about Rwanda’s own ‘#GorillaGoals’ including plans to expand their habitat and ongoing efforts to protect the iconic species. Thanks to these efforts, mountain gorillas are the only great ape species increasing in number anywhere in the world.

In addition to learning about gorilla conservation, such as the annual Kwita Izina Naming Ceremony, fans also participated in the competition to win a range of exciting prizes from Visit Rwanda. Two of the fans who took part in the competition said: “It’s amazing to see what Rwanda is doing” and “I think the gorillas are incredible and it looked like David Luiz had a wicked time.”

Visit Rwanda’s ‘#GorillaGoals’ event in London comes after the recent visit by David Luiz – the first Arsenal first team player to visit Rwanda since the partnership’s launch last season. David’s visit followed in the footsteps of Arsenal legends Alex Scott, Tony Adams and Lauren who previously participated in the country’s Kwita Izina Gorilla naming ceremony and saw the gorillas in Volcanoes National Park.

“Rwanda has diverse and unique tourism experiences – from trekking to see the mountain gorillas and going on safari to observe the Big Five in their natural habitat to exploring crystal clear lakes by kayak and spotting hundreds of bird species in ancient forests. We are pleased to share the beauty of our country with Arsenal fans and invite them to visit Rwanda for their next holiday. We’re also thrilled that our Visit Rwanda gorilla mascot met Gunnersaurus – a new iconic duo!” said Belise Kariza, Chief Tourism Officer, Rwanda Development Board.

The Visit Rwanda partnership with Arsenal continues to raise awareness about Rwanda as a country that promotes ecotourism, welcomes investment and prioritizes conservation.

Media Resources

• View and download photos of the Visit Rwanda #GorillaGoals event here: https://flickr.com/photos/visitrwanda/albums.
• Learn more about mountain gorillas in the Volcanoes National Park at https://www.visitrwanda.com/destinations/volcanoes-national-park/.
• You can learn more about the partnership at https://www.visitrwanda.com/arsenal/.