Wildlife authority to improve tourist care

Feb 01, 2007

THE desire to see more tourists come to the country is pushing the Uganda Wildlife Authority to provide better customer care.

By Gerald Tenywa

THE desire to see more tourists come to the country is pushing the Uganda Wildlife Authority to provide better customer care.

Andrew Kasirye, who chairs the authority’s board of trustees, said: “We want to make visitors’ experiences memorable so that we improve our image as a tourism destination. This is important since we have competitors.”
He added: “We have been concetrating on vices like poaching but we are now shifting to good customer care and hospitality.’’

This comes after complaints that tourists were getting hostile reception across the country.

Kasirye commended a tourist guide, James Okware, who opted to run when assaulted by a tourist in Bwindi impenetrable national park recently. He said hitting back would have dented the image of the park.

He warned the employees that their services would be terminated if they failed to meet the set standards.

Kasirye was speaking at Apoka camp in Kidepo Valley National Park during an annual retreat for wardens recently.

tourism is the top foreign exchange earner, with gorilla tourism contributing about 70 percent revenue to the wildlife authority.

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