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UGANDA’s CEOS AGREE TO PROMOTE DOMESTIC TOURISM THROUGH INCENTIVE TRAVEL

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The Uganda Tourism Association is the umbrella association that brings together all tourism associations in Uganda. The current associations include the Association of Uganda Tour Operators, Uganda Safari Guides Association, Uganda hotel owners Association, The Uganda Association of travel agents , and Uganda community Tourism Association.

UTA SET TO IMPROVE TOURISM SECTOR PERFORMANCE

As the public sector increases funding to the tourism sector, the private side of tourism seems to finally be getting their house in order. This morning, for the first time, the tourism sector players met to cement a new approach to business under the umbrella body of Uganda Tourism Association.

UTA LEADERSHIP 2022-2023

Vice president, mr. herbert byaruhanga, mrs. eugenie windt nsubuga, mr. peter mwanja, mrs. monalisa aman, our partners.

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How the Tourism Sector in Uganda Can Recover and Thrive

The COVID-19 Business Hub spoke with Richard Kawere, the Chief Executive Officer of the Uganda Tourism Association, to learn how the tourism sector in Uganda can recover from the pandemic and thrive in the future. In partnership with Stanbic Bank of Uganda, ConsumerCentriX is responsible for creating content for the COVID-19 Business Info Hub.

Ernest:  Can you please introduce yourself and describe your role at Uganda Tourism Association and tell us; what does the association do for the tourism sector?

Richard Kawere: My name is Richard Kawere, the Chief Executive Officer and technical coordinator of the Uganda Tourism Association. Uganda Tourism Association is the umbrella body of tourism private sector in Uganda.  In my role as the chief executive officer, I ensure that the association meets its mandate. This involves coordinating the private sector, in terms of advocacy, capacity building, product development, marketing and harmonized quality assurance standards.

We have approximately eight-member associations, including the Association of Guide Tour Operators, the Hotel Owners Association, and The Travel Agents Association. The General Managers Association, the Uganda Safari Guide Association, the National Cultural Crafts Association and the Tourism Trade show.

We remain focused on ensuring that we have a sustainable tourism industry in Uganda. To achieve this vision, we intervene between the government and the private sector for a favorable business environment for tourism enterprises in Uganda.

Ernest Wasake: Could you please tell us how the tourism sector has been affected by COVID?

Richard Kawere: The tourism sector has been the worst hit industry. If we are to narrow it down from the global perspective to the Ugandan perspective, the tourism industry was hit, actually before COVID entered Uganda. Because when COVID-19 hit the globe, cancelations started coming in as early as January and February. And those cancelations meant loss of business. As a result, businesses started going down as early as January and February.

By the time they announced a lockdown, tourism industry had already suffered substantial business loss. Each subsector of the tourism industry was hit differently. In terms of outbound tourism, the travel agents industry, suffered about 97 percent business loss with the announcement of airport closures. In terms of inbound tourism, our study ( The Impact of Covid-19 on the tourism sector, Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, July 2020) revealed that tour operators suffered about 80 percent business loss (around 30.4 Million US dollars – 0.11 trillion shillings) in inbound tourism between the months of February and July. Meanwhile, the accommodation sector lost about 1.19 trillion shillings by July as a result of 48,966 room cancelations. On average, the study that we conducted puts the industry at a loss of about 92 percent of businesses and because there was no activity, there were temporary layoffs and about 80 percent of the workforce was fully laid off.

Ernest Wasake: What needs to be done to help the tourism sector recover and thrive?

Richard Kawere:  It requires a number of mixed strategies for our industry.  All businesses lost revenue and continue to pay operating costs, meaning that all tourism businesses have run out of, what I would call, operational cash flow, and some of them are tentatively even closed.  For the survival of the industry, we are looking at two dimensions: One dimension is survival in the form of grants and the other dimension is the recovery through soft loans. A mixture of those two is very important.

Marketing is also essential. As the globe settles down because now there’s this glimpse of a vaccine, it is all those countries that have been in touch with their clientele that will be on the travel lists. A good amount of money needs to be spent on constant marketing and promotion of Uganda as a destination. Because once there is some level of confidence for travelers to move, they will go to those destinations that have been properly marketed.

Additionally, Businesses need to be supported in the area of capacity building (both online and in person training), so they can design strategies to respond to such catastrophes like this one in the future. The psychological impact on business owners and employees is quite high. So making sure employees are counseled and also empowered through capacity building so that there is hope still ringing in the minds of these employees and the business enterprises. Most importantly is the adoption of technology as the new way for most of the business processes in the tourism industry. So first survive, then recover and then develop resilient mechanisms for future catastrophes.

Ernest Wasake: What would you say the future looks like in terms of if you were to sort of glance into what the future looks like, if the right things were put in place? What does the future look like for tourism?

Richard Kawere: Wherever there is a challenge, there’s always an opportunity. We have a very strong belief that this industry will bounce back strongly. Especially because people have been confined in [home] areas, we believe there is going to be a very strong push for people to move out and shake off the stress. That positive belief indicates that there will be an increased demand for the tourism services, both locally and internationally for both inbound and outbound.

It is also important that we have a secure and safe environment and a secure political environment. That gives confidence to our clients to arrive in one or two years since the vaccine is getting some little headway, maybe in about one year we may start [the journey of recovery] all over. The future of the industry is bright. What we need to do is to get our strategies right now. If we get our strategies right, then we would be able to compete favorably with other destinations.

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A peek into Uganda’s tourism marketing strategic plan

Tuesday, August 27th, 2019

Uganda is a gifted country, with variety to showcase to a tourist so much that if half of its tourism potential were to be realised, its contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) would immensely catapult economic development over and above its currently leading sectors.

Trade Mark East Africa (TMEA) Country Director, Moses Sabiiti, observes that tourism is increasingly becoming a key source of livelihood and pride.

TMEA is regional company that supports growth of trade of different aspects, both in the region and beyond. At the local level, there are different associations that contribute to the growth of the tourism sector in Uganda.

Though spread at different times, there is a strategy and plan that each of the associations is implementing to galvanise the pluses in the sector and also deal with bottlenecks. Some are capitalising on the gains already achieved.

The single tourism visa “Implementation of the single tourism visa has seen 4, 447 tourists applying for the single tourist visa in 2016. There has been development of four tourism products for marketing including Namugongo Shrine son et lumiere, Uganda National Museum Indigenous dinner, Uganda Rwenzori Cultural Trail and Interpretation Capacity Building for Birding.”

If implemented, Sabiiti anticipates that these are estimated to bring in about 275, 000 visitors in five years, and thereby strengthening competitiveness of Uganda as a tourist destination.

Richard Kawere, the technical director of Uganda Tourism Association (UTA) observes that world over, the countries that are doing well in international tourism, are doing well in domestic tourism first. To that end, he recommends that efforts to harness domestic tourism ought to be boosted.

UTA is an umbrella association that brings together all tourism associations in Uganda. “And here, we are talking about Ugandans and our neighbouring friends in the East Africa region. We must understand them and find out what products they like and be able to package that and sell it to them,” Kawere argues.

Domestic tourism packages Uganda, like the neighbouring countries have undertaken efforts to boost domestic tourism. Uganda is running a flagship domestic tourism campaign called Tulambure (let’s travel).

Kenya is running a more successful one at a national level, called Twende Kenya where locals are encouraged to visit different tourism destinations with discounted rates for accommodation as a key element in travel.

Family and group travel plans are promoted among masses. Uganda Tourism Board (UTB), organisers of Tulambure, can pick a leaf from Kenya Tourism Board (UTB) on the promotional campaigns and general organisational strategy that draws in key sector players in the tourism industry.

UTB is the government’s agency in charge of marketing and promotion of destination Uganda to locals and the world. At the moment, UTB is undergoing a metamorphosis of sorts where much of its top leadership has been restructured in anticipation of attracting new and competitive members.

Building on past successes Hon Daudi Migereko, Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development is the chairman, board of directors at UTB. He says that the board has targets and looks forward to stepping up arrivals from 1.3 million to four million visitors to Uganda per year as a precursor to also increasing tourism’s contribution to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) from 10 per cent to 15 per cent by 2020.

“To support these initiatives, several interventions are being pursued in regard to human resource capacity development, infrastructural capacity development, tourism facilities improvement/development, marketing and publicising Uganda as a preferred tourists’ destination,” Migereko explains.

Targeted marketing strategy The Association of Uganda Tour Operators (AUTO) shares similar objectives, documented in the national tourism sector development plan 2015/16-2019/20 which identifies five critical areas of interventions for unlocking the potential of tourism development.

“These areas are marketing and promotion human resource development, product development, natural and cultural resource conservation, and tourism management and regulation,” the AUTO strategic plan 2016-2020 states, in part.

AUTO is Uganda’s leading tourism trade association, representing the interests of the country’s professional tour operators.

From a marketing point of view, and more specific terms, Kawere says that events, marine tourism and generally fun activities are a good point to start. Packaging such events is what UTB needs to look at, and give thought on how to encourage Ugandans to travel.

“That even with a small budget, one is able to travel. Most Ugandans travel for burials, kwanjula (introduction ceremonies) and wedding ceremonies but they can be encouraged to visit areas on top of a wedding,” UTA’s director suggests.

He adds that for this to be realised, there is need for a harmonised and coherent marketing strategy. “There is need to understand what the market needs to consume. What do the local people actually enjoy? There are efforts to put the strategy in place to guide the domestic marketing.”

Migereko says that part of the strategy, is for UTB to pay a lot of attention to and take advantage of the emerging tourism products such as meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events (MICE), faith based tourism, birding as additions to the other traditional products.

“In our strategy, running from 2018 to 2022, we will continue supporting the tourism sector. Key interventions include, implementation and marketing of the four products develops (feasibility studies and fundraising), empowering women in the tourism value chain by linking communities to tourism products and improving the handicrafts sector, and enhancing the institutional sustainability of tourism association,” Sabiiti affirms.

Strength in numbers Pearl Hoareau, chairperson of The Uganda Association of Travel Agents (TUGATA) that runs under UTA umbrella, is grateful to TMEA for funding towards formulation of the association’s five-year (2016- 20121) Strategic Plan that was achieved through consultative workshops.

She adds that to survive in the industry and be able to offer value to the tourism sector, the travel agent has had to evolve, to also offer more to the sector’s clientele.

“If we are to survive, we must look to new avenues to support our businesses and become innovative on how we serve our clients. TUGATA shall therefore, as per recommendations in the Strategic Plan, embark on training our members to gain the necessary skills to ensure competitiveness and compliance,” Hoareau explains.

In its five-year strategy, the Uganda Hotel Owners Association (UHOA), which brings together 450 hotels operating in different parts of Uganda, Jean Byamugisha, its Executive Director, says it is looking at streamlining the growth and organisation of the sector.

She explains that the hotel sector is providing a solution to the unemployment challenge through providing jobs to youths, particularly in the age bracket of 15 and 30 years. “77 per cent of our staff are aged between 18-30years while 58 per cent of our entire workforce are women,” she adds.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of UTB, Stephen Asiimwe, observes that 1, 281 hotels were registered during the year and 25 hotels were classified.

Favourite destination for Africans “Uganda’s tourism sector is on consistent upward growth. According to UBOS (Uganda Bureau of Standards) statistical abstract (2016), Uganda received 1.32 million tourist arrivals. The number of arrivals through the gazetted border posts increased by 4.1 per cent between 2015 and 2016,” Asiimwe explains.

He observes that in 2016, most tourist arrivals in the country were from the African continent, accounting for 79.2 per cent, followed by Europe at 8.3 per cent, Asia at 5.5 per cent and America at 5.4 per cent.

“Tourists from the neighbouring countries including Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo, accounted for 64 per cent of all visitor, or tourism arrivals.

“These promising tourism statistics were attributed to various factors and aspects and there is no doubt UTB had an amazing contribution basing on the intensity of activities and initiatives done in 2016/2017. The financial year was busy for UTB as an organisation recorded a number of milestones and achievements in both at domestic level, regional and international level,” UTB’s CEO further explains.

“That does not take away the fact that we need to create marketing campaigns and high levels of awareness to Uganda of the very many attractive things within their reach that they can be able to see,” Kawere observes.

He commends the efforts to have a strategic plan which was consultatively done, to promote Uganda and hopes that it can consistently be followed with measurable outputs.

“Marketing is a continuous engagement and efforts to remind the client what is available and good for them. To UTB, this is a beginning of a journey of engagement of all sectors and needs support. If we think we can leave marketing of the country to UTB, we are lying to ourselves. It is a collective effort. It should be leading but with supporting blocks of the marketing of the destination,” Kawere further argues.

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• Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
• Kibale Forest National Park
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• Lake Mburo National Park
• Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
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• Rwenzori Mountains National Park
• Semuliki National Park
• Lake Bunyonyi
• Lake Victoria
• UNESCO Heritage Sites
• Gorilla Trekking
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• Chimpanzee Tracking

Community Tourism

• Gorilla Habituation Experience
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• About Uganda
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Community tourism is a sustainable form of tourism that allows visitors to closely connect with the local communities visited. It aims at strengthening the relationships between the host country and the visitors, fostering opportunities for the local people wishing to engage more in the tourism industry.

Most Safaris in Uganda have mostly been offering wildlife experiences, white water rafting and views of the beautiful sceneries. Probably all tourists in Uganda have majorly come for gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park, but there is much more that Uganda can offer other than wildlife.

With the increasing number of tourists perceiving Uganda as a unique and thrilling tourism destination, there is no better time for community tourism to blossom other than now. A form of tourism that supports community development in partnership with tourists.

Community tourism in Uganda includes tours, performances, workshops, dining, accommodation and homestays presented by the local people. And a percentage of the income from tourists in these communities is often put into community funds.

The Uganda Community Tourism Association (UCOTA) frontiers the development of community based tourism in Uganda. It helps local communities to better their lives through selling handcrafts, traditional performances, provision of accommodation and tour guiding.

UCOTA in conjunction with the tour operators of Uganda work tirelessly to promote community based tourism. So every time travelers buy UCOTA product, they are building lives of the people in the hosting local communities.

Community tours in Uganda offer visitors a unique and authentic experience of Ugandan lifestyle. Feed on the local food, play with the kids, meet the villagers on community walks guided by experts who have for long lived here, if not the whole of their lives. Also directly engage in village projects like school or clinic construction by working with the construction team or you can even donate to the project.

Uganda community safaris present thrilling experiences to the travelers as well as enabling the generated revenue from tourism to remain in the rural and poor communities. Village projects operate small enterprises like craft making, music, dance and drama managed by local people hence creating job opportunities in the regions.

For community ecotourism is a particular feature of community based tourism and most of the activities are natural resource based, benefiting both environmental conservation and local communities. It encourages both cross cultural understanding between the host and visitor as well as environmental protection.

Uganda’s major community tourism destination is Bwindi impenetrable national park. A cultural walk gives visitors a taste of the Ugandan lifestyle. Meet the local people and see the way of life through their eyes. Visit the traditional healer as well as Dr. Scott’s clinic. A taste of the local food and a homestay is a guarantee except to those that don’t want to.

Other community tours in Uganda go to the Ankole Cultural Center surrounding Lake Mburo National Park, the salt plains and fishing villages in Queen Elizabeth national park, Bigodi wetland outside Kibale national park and many other communities.

Indeed, community trips in Uganda furnish once in lifetime experiences, exploring the African authenticity from its roots than any other safari in Uganda can offer. It’s high time you booked your trip to Uganda and visit a community.

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About COUTA

COUTA is the umbrella association that brings together all tourism associations in Uganda. The current associations include the Association of Uganda Tour Operators, Uganda Safari Guides Association , Uganda hotel owners Association , The Uganda Association of travel agents, and Uganda community Tourism Association . These associations altogether represent tour operators, travel agents, accommodation facilities, tour guides, community-based organizations, and membership is steadily increasing.

COUTA does not get involved with the daily operations of any tourism institution, organization or travel business Association and does not intend to duplicate any services rendered by such organizations, institutions or associations. COUTA provides a unified industry voice to articulate to government and others the industry-wide major issues of national significance.

COUTA assists with strategic intervention when by agreement the industry requires lobbying or advocacy at the highest level on the main issues impacting negatively on tourism growth and development. The confederation strives to engage with captains of industry, political leaders, innovators, development agencies, institutions of higher learning, and individuals who are knowledgeable to be experts in different disciplines, fields of specialization and professions.

Our Mission

To be a vibrant and diverse single tourism private sector umbrella association in Uganda

Uganda Tourism Association exists to provide a forum where private sector member associations can advocate for policies and practices that promote sustainable tourism development in Uganda

Strategic Objectives

• To build the capacity of the Association to mobilize and coordinate the tourism private sector with the public sector.
• To intermediate and reduce major obstacles to tourism development and investment in Uganda.
• To facilitate the development of new tourism products and marketing them together with existing products in the major source markets.
• Promote human resource capacity/skills development in the tourism sector.
• To support and promote harmonized standards and quality control in tourism industry operations in Uganda.

Contact UTA

Give us a call or drop by anytime, we endeavour to answer all enquiries within 24 hours on business days.

(+256) 776 212 155

[email protected].

Uganda Community Tourism Association

Uganda Community Tourism Association (UCOTA) is the official umbrella body that brings together and advocates for the interests of community tourism groups in Uganda to ensure that the local tourist host communities benefit from tourism.

Since its inception, UCOTA’s functions and scope of operations have grown tremendously across the country. To date, the association comprises over 70 member groups country wide, representing 2,121 individuals of whom 63% are women. The groups operate small tourism enterprises ranging from Traditional/ basic accommodation, interpretive guiding services and restaurants to craft shops, music dance and drama performances.

The impact of the community tourism group enterprises to the livelihoods of the locals is already manifesting through a number of community projects supported by the groups by way of responsible tourism such as construction of clinics, schools, provision of safe water and literacy programs.

To spearhead sustainable Community Based Tourism in collaboration with stakeholders in a bid to enhance community benefits, promoting quality standards, ownership and conservation of natural and cultural resources for better livelihoods.

To see Uganda as a vibrant community tourism destination positively contributing to the livelihoods of people in the country.

OUR  ACTIVITIES

Capacity building:  UCOTA trains her members in various fields of tourism development such as business skills, interpretive guiding, bird watching, hospitality, handcrafts, group dynamics, site management, conservation of natural and cultural resources.

Our Marketing is done through the Pearls of Uganda program and other promotion campaigns and initiatives such as creating linkages between UCOTA members and tour operators in order to ensure that UCOTA members’ products and packages are featured into tour operators’ itineraries and tourism promotional activities such as social media campaigns,production and dissemination of brochures.  UCOTA also plays a role in coordinating, encouraging and ensuring that members participate in both local, regional and international tourism fairs, giving them a platform to showcase and sell their products and services.

Advocacy:  As the umbrella body ,  UCOTA has created a platform for members’ voices to be heard at all levels.

Networking:  UCOTA’s broad network brings members, partners and stakeholders together, creating a forum for dialogue and enabling members to create business connectivity amongst themselves and opening up to the vast opportunities and lessons that they can learn from each other.

Conservation:  At UCOTA, we underscore the importance of conservation of natural and cultural resources which communities utilize as tourism resources (attractions) for sustainable livelihood, project sustainability as well as minimizing negative environmental impact.

Resource mobilization:  In a bid to ensure sustainable operations for both the organization and it’s members, UCOTA engages in fundraising activities.

Board of directors

The UCOTA constitution mandates the executive committee with the responsibility for giving strategic direction for the organization, resource mobilization for sustainable operations and ensuring effective management as well as safeguarding and promoting organizational values and helping in membership growth.

Staff members

The strength of UCOTA greatly lies in our warm and hospitable staff team that possesses vast combined, decades of experience in community based tourism. The team has expertise in product development, community mobilization, capacity building, conservation, and community networks. Our staff team is currently composed of six full time staff members as given below;

• Executive Director – Helen Lubowa
• Field Officer – Felex Kamalha
• Field Officer – Paulo Lubega
• Accountant/Administrator – Jennifer Magala
• We always get two volunteer staff every year from East Africa.

Being one of our core activities, UCOTA organizes and conducts trainings for both its members and non-members in a range of activities/ topics basing on the training manual. The common topics of the trainings we conduct include;

• Community enterprise concept development
• Community business plan development
• Community operations planning
• Community interpretive guiding and tour planning
• Community product sales and marketing
• People of Uganda/ ethnicity
• Product development (Tourism and handcraft)

Consultancy

Having been in the field for more than a decade with a multitude of knowledge from our experienced staff, UCOTA offers consultancy programs and services to clients and stakeholders at an affordable and negotiable fee. Our consultancy services are multidimensional but mainly focus on the fields of tourism, project management and community programs among others.

 Uganda Community Tourism Association

AUWOTT empowers and unites Ugandan women in tourism & hospitality, where they have significant representation in service and clerical roles.

Empowerment is key for gender equality, meaning that men and women should have the same opportunities and rights. Empowering women is crucial to achieve this, by addressing power imbalances and giving them more autonomy. Tourism can be a tool for economic, educational, and political empowerment, and women’s contribution to community development should be acknowledged. The objectives for women in the tourism industry should allow for great strides.

The Association of Ugandan Women in Tourism Trade aims to foster idea exchange, represent women in tourism in Uganda and promote their interests, train and monitor women in tourism management and marketing, enhance economic growth opportunities, and facilitate global tourism and investment interests.

Some Cool Facts

Numbers speak for themselves.

We lead with wisdom, knowledge and good judgement; making choices and decisions based on truth and honesty. We are true to our word, being examples of women at their best. Everything we do is in alignment with our purpose and vision.

Innovation is also one of our founding values. We always have in mind. Innovation is essential because tourism is an endless quest that constantly requires a higher level of performance. At (AUWOTT) it is vital. Always anting to push back the limits of knowledge means discovering new ways to create products and service that are truly different and surprising. To always stay one-step ahead.

OUR RELATIONSHIP

Everything we do is based on being responsible for the success of our relationships in the industry. Being responsible for our actions and communication, we bring our best to all of our relationships and create a legacy for all women to follow in the tourism industry

Trust is the foundation of our relationship; the culture of who we are, how we are with each other and in the world. We have confidence knowing that we are in this together and trust each other’s intention to live the purpose of the family of women.

RESPECT & MENTORSHIP

We honour the woman who came before us as we mentor those who are coming after us. We respect and value the diversity; the similarities and differences within the family of women and among women and among women, men, families, and communities throughout the world. We acknowledge and respect the time effort and commitment of our members, both past and present, as well as those who bring their support to our mission. The standards we hold are a reflection of the respect e have for our lives and others.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

• To mobiles women in the tourism and hospitality sector to take an active role in the promotion of tourism in Uganda
• To collaborate with tourism related industries like hotels for mutual benefit
• To create a better working environment for women in tourism and hospitality industry
• To institute awards , prizes and gifts for encouraging women in tourism and hospitality industry
• To reward and recognise, women and organisations working in the field of tourism for the betterment of women and children.
• To participate in the formulation of laws, regulations and policies concerning women and children in the industry
• To serve women and children in close cooperation with all sectors of the society;
• To engage in charitable and social service activities of every kind to help the poor, needy, aged, ill, backward and weaker sections of the general public without discrimination of religion , caste , cred or sex
• To train and mentor the upcoming tourism and hospitality practioners to prepare them for the job market and enhance performance through provision of best practices.
• To do all other lawful acts, as are necessary for and/or incidental to the attainment of the aims and objectives of association
• Facilitates and encourages communities among the research community, tourism professionals, and other research, regulatory and educational groups, the communications media and the public by educating public and private agencies on the usefulness of research in cultural tourism and tourism stakeholder’s outcomes assessment.
• Acts as a resource in forming public policy relevant to the tourism economics, and related issues of public concern, such as wine tourism, sustainability, religion tourism and ICT APPLICATIONS IN TURISM and many other issues regarding cultural heritage in a digital world.
• Fosters career growth and the development of omen involved in tourism and outcomes research and application of this research.

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The Association of Uganda Women in Tourism Trade (AUWOTT), a body representing women in the tourism and hospitality sector, has elected and inaugurated its new leadership.

At an Annual General Meeting held at Hotel Africana in Kampala, Jacqueline Kemirembe, the Managing Director of Platinum Tours and Travel, was elected as the new chairperson of AUWOTT while Dorothy Tukamushaba assumed the role of vice-chairperson.

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Aisha Nabwanika, the founder and CEO of Ewaffe Cultural Village, assumed the role of Secretary General, with Gill Kyatuhaire taking charge as the treasurer.

Yogi Birigwa has been appointed as the senior board advisor, Daphine Nahwera and Damalie Lubega elected as board members.

In her inaugural address, Kemirembe emphasized the importance of expanding the association’s membership base to foster inclusivity and representation within the industry.

Sarah Kagingo, Vice Chairperson of the Board of Directors at the Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU), highlighted the significance of the shs812 billion Growth and Economic Opportunities for Women (GrOW) Project to Uganda and Women-owned businesses.

“PSFU through the GROW Project which we co-implement with the Government of the Republic of Uganda, is happy to handhold you to scale your businesses from micro to small, small to medium enterprises, onward to top African brands. Imagine a future as a big tourism business in Africa and exploit the opportunity that GROW provides ,” Kagingo said.

She added that GROW is the biggest World Bank funded project for women in sub-Sahara Africa, a collaboration between government and PSFU for women entrepreneurs.

Kagingo expressed appreciation to Dr. James Mulwana (RIP) and his contemporaries for founding PSFU which she said has grown to represent twelve sectors including tourism, manufacturing and creatives.

“Explore the linkages between tourism and the other sectors and partner to earn from the value,” Kagingo tasked the women in tourism.

She revealed that the PSFU board led by Humphrey Nzeyi is building toward a near future of non-collateralized patient credit.

Stephen Asiimwe, the Executive Director of PSFU, urged the association’s leadership to prioritize enhancing key business processes such as financial management, thereby ensuring the sustainability and success of their enterprises.

The former CEO of Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) urged the Tourism players to consider business diversification.

“Once beaten, twice shy. Learn from the experience of Covid-19 when tourism was interrupted,” Asiimwe said.

On her part, Rebecca Kukundakwe, the GROW Project Gender Specialist, who spoke extensively about the opportunities the project provides, revealed that an innovation grant would soon be unveiled.

The event was attended by a number of tourism players including Herbert Byaruhanga, the President of the Confederation of Uganda Tourism Associations (COUTA) who urged the new board to stick to clear corporate governance.

The PSFU Grow Project later hosted the esteemed ladies in tourism to a sumptuous cocktail.

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About Uganda

Tourism Directory

MINISTRY OF TOURISM, WILDLIFE & ANTIQUITIES

Enhancing Uganda as a Preferred Tourist Destination

The Uganda Tourism Board

Background Uganda Tourist Board (UTB) is a statutory organisation established by the Uganda Tourist Board Statute 1994. The Board's mandate is to promote and popularise Uganda as a viable holiday destination both locally and internationally in order to:

Increase the contribution of tourism earnings and GDP

Improve Uganda's competitiveness as an international tourism destination

Increase Uganda's share of Africa's and World tourism market.

Objectives of the Board In pursuit of the above mandate, the functions of the Board are:

Increase the quality and volume of tourist arrivals and their expenditures.

Improve on the marketing and promotion of Uganda as a tourist destination.

Provide of accurate and timely information services on the country's tourist attractions and facilities.

Strengthen its capacity for tourism planning, research and marketing? How

Improve and diversify in consultation with stakeholders' tourist products.

Enhance and strengthen competitiveness of the private sector in the tourism industry.

Strategy of Tourism marketing development The Successful marketing of  Uganda safaris  in the market place requires an effective partnership between the public and private sector. While UTB may have a lead role in destination marketing and in creating promotional opportunities for the Ugandan industry, the sale of the product to the trade and consumer is almost entirely the responsibility of the private sector tourism service providers. In order to encourage greater partnership with it, the industry in marketing and promotional campaigns, it is important to encourage joint public/private sector promotional opportunities, improve communications and provides more market intelligence and user-friendly research. Based on the varying needs, structures and stage of development of individual markets and the limitations of resources, each market will be approached with a mix of marketing activities best suited to market conditions. For example, in some markets, the campaigns may include both consumer and trade promotional activities such as advertising, publicity, trade and consumer promotions whereas in other markets, the focus may be exclusively on working with the travel trade. Partnership with existing airlines operators in Uganda and market based travel trade, will be encouraged, to maximise impact in the value achieved and level of business generated. In addition, a greater use of new information technology for information and distribution functions will be promoted. In order to maximise the effectiveness of the limited resources - budgets and capable personnel - a consistent approach will require that resources are allocated on the basis of a prioritisation of markets that offer the best potential for tourist earnings.

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