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Uganda Tourism Sector Unveils New Tourist Products

By December 9, 2016Uganda

uganda-martyrs-shrine-namugongoAbout 3 different government agencies working with other private tourism agencies have come together to unveil about four of Uganda’s new amazing tourism products that have not been fully exploited. They expect to spend about Shs.231 billion in the struggle to boost Uganda’s tourism potential. UTB, The Uganda Tourism Board and the Uganda Tourism Association working together with Trade Mark East Africa did reveal the country’s new products on the market and these include the famous Namugongo Shrine Faith Based Tourism sites, the Uganda National Museum Indigenous Dinner, there is also the Uganda Rwenzori Cultural Trail as well as the Interpretation Capacity Building for a bird watching adventures.

This amount of money needed will be raised through partnering with community members and different tourism companies from within and the neighboring countries like Kenya and Rwanda who are fellow members of the East African community. Organizations like UTB and UTA as well as TMEA are contributing the largest sum of money compared to any other contributors. UTA’s technical coordinator, Mr. Richard Kawere said that this money will help in the construction of some accommodation facilities, set up cultural museums and also market the different new products that were identified. He added that the amount mentioned is only estimated figure they hope to use to market the products but they will be issuing the final figure they will need after the consultation meetings.

Meanwhile, TMEA’s senior programmer Mr. Wanjiku Kimamo and his organization contributed about shs. 1.1 billion to support the project. UTB’s chief executive officer, Mr. Stephen Asiimwe said when he was talking to the tourism fraternity that these newly identified products and many more others will surely improve Uganda’s tourism potential and they intend to ensure sustainability by building national tourist apex associations, engaging both the private and the public sector in tourism dialogue so they know how valuable the tourism sector is to the nation. The introduction of these unique products and increased awareness will in the short run work on the competitiveness problem and marketability of our tourism products will also become easy.

The partnership with the East African community is intended to improve our trade prosperity both in East Africa and beyond. Mr. Kimamo mentioned that Uganda is looking at improving the status of the tourism business and the quality of exports. This is why all the different East African governments need to consider the tourism industry as their number one priority sectors as it plays a huge role in job creation, enterprises and there by improve their lives through increasing the incomes. This has a great impact on the economy of the nation.

According to Mr. Asiimwe, these new products introduced are expected to increase tourism earnings every year from $1.4b which is about Shs4.9 trillion to at least $2b within the next two years because these products will most likely attract over 100,000 potential tourists every year and these will be spending about $250 which is about  Shs900,000 per a night.

It is very important that every stakeholder from the tourism sector focuses on how many nights his clients are spending as well as how much money they get to spend during their stay in the country.  This will help in determine whether there is an improvement or not in the economy because the more days they stay, the more money they get to spend. “We need to ensure stiff competitiveness as a tourists’ destination”, he added.

On the same note, the UTA president, Mr. Bonifence Byamukama mentioned that the 2015 study showed that there are so many tourists that bringing money and then again go back with it simply because they have not seen anything else other than watching the animals and birds in the park that is worth spending their money on.  The new products are expected to serve as those extra activities that guests need to engage in and spend the money rather than taking it back to the home countries.

For more on tourism in Uganda, visit adventureugandasafari.com

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