How is Uganda unique? What makes the country special?

Uganda’s geographical location is very strategic and very unique – it is at the heart of the African continent within the East African region and lies astride the equator.  This land-linked position gives Uganda a commanding base for regional tourism.  The altitude is high and the temperature is superb: 23°C all the year round, offering perfect weather conditions for tourists. Uganda is the source of the Nile, the longest river in Africa that flows northwards. In addition, the most extensive fresh water bodies in the region lie within Uganda.  They include Lake Victoria, the largest lake in Africa as well as lakes Edward, George, Kyoga, Wamala, Mutanda, Bisina, Opeta and Bunyonyi, the third deepest lake in the world. Uganda has the most impressive mountains in Africa.  Foremost among these is the Rwenzori Mountain, commonly known as the mountains of the moon where King Solomon’s Mines are still hidden.

Uganda is exceptionally endowed with wildlife diversity. The country has more than 53 per cent of the remaining endangered mountain gorillas and tourists can find the famous “Big Five” (lion, elephant, leopard, buffalo, plus gorilla and chimps) as well as zebras, giraffes, hippopotamus, and more. Uganda is a bird’s paradise with over 11 per cent of the world’s recorded species of birds and 140 recorded species of butterflies. The highest concentration of birds in all of Africa is in Uganda.

Uganda has unique attractions and tourism offerings that are unmatched anywhere in the world, including Namugongo Martyrs shrine for faith-based tourism. Its people are also extremely friendly and well educated, and it is the most politically and economically stable country in the region. Sir Winston Churchill termed Uganda “The Pearl of Africa” because of its unmatched natural endowment. There are many more things I could say. Visit Uganda and experience the country’s unique attractions and tourism offerings.

What are some of the main challenges that you are planning to tackle while you are minister of tourism?

There are three challenges that stand out. The first one is the global perception of the African continent. Most people, particularly in Europe, still perceive Africa as if it were one country. If Ebola breaks out in West Africa, potential visitors to Uganda cancel their bookings as if Ebola was in Uganda. West Africa is nearer to Europe than it is to Uganda.

The second one, which is also global, is climate change. Global warming has changed the environment in which our natural assets, the animals, live. For example, there are now new invasive species of grass in the national parks that are unpalatable to animals. The animals are forced to leave the National Parks searching for palatable grass on farmlands.  This leads to human-wildlife conflict because of the impact of climate change. This requires global action. 

Domestically, the challenge is also linked to economic transformation. Presently 68 per cent of Uganda’s households depend on subsistence farming. If the economy of Uganda remains heavily subsistence and the population continue to depend on land for its livelihood, it’s very difficult for Uganda to maintain 10 percent of its land size devoted to conservation.  We need to transform the economy: to go into industry, hotels, transport, engineering, teaching, medicine. That is why the vision of the country here is to transform Uganda’s economy from being predominately peasant to becoming a modern and prosperous economy. By so doing, we can conserve 10 per cent of land size without any difficulty as protected area for wildlife.

How do you view the UK as an incoming source of tourists and have the numbers been growing? Is it a market of interest to you?

In 2016, we received over 40,000 tourists from the UK and we expect this number to increase. Tourism is an important sector for Uganda’s economy, contributing nearly 10 per cent of GDP. It is the number one and top foreign exchange earner – nearly 23 per cent of foreign exchange comes from tourism.  The sector also provides employment. For every 11 jobs, one is related to tourism. If we can generate 100,000 additional leisure tourist arrivals in the country that would add one per cent to our GDP, and persuading every tourist to spend one additional night in Uganda would add another one per cent to GDP. That’s how important tourism is to the economic transformation of this country. Uganda offers unbeaten track. So we welcome the British. We have a common history as members of the Commonwealth and the British act as reference points for others to visit Uganda. We speak the same language.

Are the British also important as partners for investment in the tourism industry?

As Britain exits from the European Union, It is envisaged that it will need to establish stronger relationships with other countries other than European states, and Uganda welcomes this opportunity. I’m sure the Commonwealth meetings scheduled for April, 2018 in the UK has come at a very opportune time, when Britain is looking out for new relationships. Uganda stands ready for new engagement with UK.

You mentioned that one out of 11 people are employed in the tourism industry. How do you think Ugandans view tourism? Is it something they want to do?

I think the view of Ugandans is changing. Previously they didn’t take tourism seriously. But now tourism is one of the most dynamic sectors of the economy, shaping the future of the economy. A tourist arriving Entebbe is charged a visa fee – that’s an income; travelling from the airport to the hotel – that is an income for the driver; hotel accommodation, – that’s an income; consuming food – that’s an income to all the farmers that produce potatoes, onions, tomatoes and the restaurants… The tourist is becoming a key and very important person.  

A lot of infrastructure development has been done – hotels, lodges, tour operators offer an increasing variety of programmes. The aviation industry and road transport have also significantly improved. Uganda is now serviced with direct flights on many international airlines. Wherever there is a national park, tourism infrastructure has been developed for tourists to be able to easily reach these destinations. Furthermore, Uganda has introduced online visa application so that visitors can arrange for a visa in advance. 

If you were to summarise what is happening today in terms of tourism in Uganda, how would you describe it?

I see increasing numbers of tourist arrivals and increasing timespans of their stays in the country. Uganda is now being rated as the best destination to visit in Africa.  The River Nile is one of the seven wonders in Africa; Kidepo Valley National Park is ranked among Africa’s ten best national parks in; and the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is Africa’s number one birding site to visit.

 We have hired three international public relations firms to promote and market Uganda abroad. These are Kamageo in the UK, KPRN for German speaking countries and PHG in the United States and Canada. And we’re looking at China and India. Tourism is getting centre stage in our economic development agenda because of its contribution to economic transformation.

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The world is changing in terms of its perception towards Africa. There is a reawakening as a result of technological advances – more than ever, people have more access to information about destinations they want to visit. How is this playing out in Uganda?

Clearly, part of the problem we faced in the past was a lack of knowledge, borders, political lines and barriers. Today the platforms for us have increased tremendously and that will clearly make our natural endowments more known to a bigger audience and so our attraction to potential tourists for Uganda will increase. There’s no doubt about it. Maintaining peace, stability and progress of the country is yielding dividends.  We now have to develop tourism products so that when tourists arrive in the country they are engaged. By marketing, and showcasing Uganda’s God-given natural endowments, its history, its culture and hospitality of its people, I am confident that tourism will be a major force in propelling the country to middle-income status by 2020.

I can only say to the rest of the world that Uganda is “the Pearl of Africa”, named so by Winston Churchill because of its unmatched natural beauty. Uganda is a country gifted by nature. Uganda has maintained stability, peace and security and is a safe travel destination.  We also have a leadership in the country that is focused on economic transformation, on making Uganda a middle-income, modern and prosperous country. This is a country one would want to visit.