Tourism gets a boost

 

By Jude Katende
In 1964 after independence, Uganda was a popular tourist destination in East Africa. However, when Idi Amin came to power, he made it a no-go area.

Restoring Uganda to its former glory was made possible with improved infrastructure, security and aggressive advertising.

James Bahinguza, the general manager of Uganda Tourism Board (UTB), says tourism has become the second highest source of foreign exchange after remittances by Ugandans abroad. And the tourists’ numbers have risen from 54,672 in 1990 to 467,728 in 2005.

Tourists quad bike riding at Bujagali Falls.

Quad bike riding is one of Uganda’s latest attractions

The main attractions at independence were game viewing, mountaineering and spot fishing. Today, they include nature walks, quad bike riding and religious tourism. For instance, Namugongo Martyrs Shrine is a beehive activity in early June for religious tourism.

However, tourism is not for foreigners only, we too can enjoy our hotels, inns, motels, white water rafting, bird watching, mountain climbing, game parks, the Kasubi tombs, forests, gorilla tracking and beaches among others, which we tend to think are reserved for foreigners.

Places like Ngamba Island in Lake Victoria, Uganda’s newest sanctuary for chimpanzees, are a must visit. Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, a World Heritage site, is a magnificent green swathe of rainforest.

“We have to increase exploitation of current attractions. Some, such as the Rwenzori and Elgon mountains are underused, while others like gorillas are overstretched. More attractions are needed,” Bahinguza said.

He adds that the prospects for tourism are good provided Uganda’s image is improved. “Poverty is the biggest challenge. We do not have enough funds to tap into tourism. Poaching and human settlers in our parks weaken our product.

“A tourism levy, which is to be introduced soon, will raise money for wider promotion and training. “The Government must invest more in this sector. With the Common Wealth summit (CHOGM) on, the tourism board is targeting 600,000 foreign arrivals in 2006.

“In 2007, as a result of CHOGM, we shall see higher growth than the usual 20% per annum,” said Bahinguza.