Why this week is pivotal for UTB

By Stephen Asiimwe

Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) is hosting the Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo. This is when all sorts of people, both from in and outside the country, will mingle and talk tourism promotion. It may sound commonplace, but do not be deceived.

This talking shop is very weighty and serious. Tourism is the leading foreign exchange earner for Uganda, bringing in something in excess of $1b annually. Anything to do with making this situation better must be fully supported and exploited.

There is a misplaced notion that just because you have a beautiful country, people will fall over themselves to jet in and admire it. Unfortunately it does not work that way. You have to constantly work at it. This is the main reason why UTB exists. Uganda is not the only beautiful country out there. Actually, it would be surprising to come across anybody who does not think their country is ‘beautiful’.

Granted, Uganda has certain attractions often cited by the widely respected Lonely Planet travel service, as being exceptional, but its UTB’s job to keep the country in the international eye. The imminent visit by Pope Francis will provide the country with positive coverage.

Wherever the Pope goes, the international media follows. His two-day stay will mean some distinct aspects of Uganda’s scenery and culture will be seen online and on millions of television screens around the world. This is great publicity because technically it is free of charge.

Next month, the Barcelona FC Legends are flying in to play an exhibition game with the Uganda Cranes. These are well known players, including Patrick Kluivert, Carles Puyol, Edgar Davids and Luis Garcia. Their names are associated with singular episodes of football genius. Consequently, any link to Uganda can also generate good coverage for the country by raising more awareness abroad. The intended message being what is good enough for Kluivert, must good enough for me, let us go to Uganda!

Tourism promotion means stimulating sales through the dissemination of information. It means trying to encourage actual and potential customers to travel. Perhaps a look at the trendsetter will offer some perspective. France, which is currently the top tourism destination in the world, earned $60b in 2014. Just over 80 million foreign tourists went there.

Tourism accounts for over two million jobs and 7% of the country’s gross domestic product. But the authorities refuse to give in to complacency. A target of 100 million tourists by the end of the decade is being mooted. Earlier this year, the government set up the Tourism Investment Fund to channel money into key areas of the French tourism sector to increase competitiveness. Overseeing all this is the Tourism Promotion Council which is charged with proposing a French tourism strategy up to 2020.

Uganda is not in the same league as France. Nor does it have the same resources. However, we can learn to be just as aggressive. The Expo is one way to keep things moving in the right direction. It is a place for networking, discussing business expansion and marketing prospects as one meets and interacts with exhibitors, buyers and source markets. Potential buyers will also get an opportunity to sample the wealth in the diversity of Uganda’s tourism product. Those in attendance will include travel agents, tour operators, hoteliers, destination managers and other service providers along the tourism value chain. Apart from our neighbours in the East African Community, interest has already been shown by industry players from Iran, South Africa and Botswana.

UTB will be operating three media and hosted buyers familiarisation tours across the country after the Expo to showcase the country’s many attractions. Visits have been arranged to the top attractions — Kidepo Valley, Murchisons Falls, Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, Queen Elizabeth National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, where the Mountain Gorillas reside. Basically, Uganda’s attractions are arranged in 12 clusters composed of Buganda, Ssese, Busoga, Eastern, Lango, Acholi, West Nile, Bunyoro, Greater Ankole, Kigezi and the Rwenzori region.

The Expo is a unique opportunity for the tourism business operators to meet new clients, network, market and discuss business. In its second year, the Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo is an ideal way of raising the profile of destination Uganda both domestically and regionally.

It is crucial that Ugandans appreciate the importance of tourism as an economic factor. Better still, it is just as important that Ugandans do not take our rich biodiversity for granted by neglecting to visit our national parks and other protected areas. We shouldn’t just talk-the-talk, but do much more — walk-the-talk!

The writer is the executive director of Uganda Tourism Board