Over 1,000 tourists attend Uganda Tourism Expo

Like most children, I grew up in a neighbourhood that had its bully (Nile Crescent-Jinja). Rutasheka was his name, a dark huge sadist with a beastly fist that derived pleasure from punching me in spots where it hurt the most.

Many a time, he would strike and get away with it as my strength was no match for his. But that was until I rallied two bigger siblings to join me in humbling my nightmare with a taste of his own medicine. The rest as they say became history.

Like me, Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda too came to the realization that they couldn't beat the competition their rivals were putting up (when it came to marketing their destinations).

This was around 2012. For that, they resolved to put their differences aside and unite in a spirited determination to catapult the region into the most visited in Africa. A Joint Tourism Marketing Committee was formed in this regard.

According to Dr. Bettty Addero Radier- Chief Executive Officer of Kenya Tourism Board: One of their priorities was encouraging regional visitors to travel and experience amazing holiday sanctuaries each country is endowed with.

 Babra Adoso, President of Association of Uganda Tour Operators in the middle of a discussion with Hussein Jiwani, a destination Marketeer from Kenya Photo by Solomon Oleny 

For that, Tourism Boards in the region started off by addressing setbacks that would frustrate free movement of regional tourists. Such included the introduction of the Single Visas in 2015, as done in partnership with the East African Tourism Platform (EATP).

EATP is a private sector body working towards promoting the interest and participation of the private sector in the East African Community integration process.

Further to that, the initiative also established a system under which East African Nationals can travel from one state to another using only an identity card as opposed passports.

In a prior interview with NewVision, Belise Kariza-Rwanda's Chief Tourism Officer highlighted that this development was in response to the many bureaucracies that come with acquiring a passport.

"That aside, not all travellers can afford them (passports)." Kariza stated

Establishment of East African Tourism Portal 

Last Friday, things were taken a notch higher through the launch of the East Africa Destination portal at the Pearl of Africa Tourism expo. For those still living under a rock, a portal is just another fancy name for a website that brings information together from diverse sources. It is compatible with all gadgets used to access internet such as desktops, tabs and phones.

Carmen Nibigira, Coordinator of the East African Tourism Platform elucidates that in this case; the portal will make it easy for local and international visitors to access information on the products and experiences that this tropical region has to offer.

In my view, if this website were a woman; chances are high you wouldn't bother giving her a second look—if you are the type of man who is deeply moved by external beauty.

However, if inner beauty is what you are looking for, I can bet you wouldn't hesitate falling down on a bent knee to ask her into spending the rest of her life with you.

In other words, while the visual appeal of the website is wanting as there isn't much striking about in terms of life and colour.

Its saucer is enriched with nourishing travel tips and recommendations of destinations that don't disappoint. Prime focus is rooted to showcasing resorts that deliver enchantment at every level.  

POATE ends

In related news, the second edition of Pearl of Africa tourism expo today comes to an end. The three day event which was hosted at Sheraton Hotel brings together travel agents, tour operators, hoteliers, destination managers and other service providers along the tourism value chain.

Stephen Asiimwe, Chief Executive Officer UTB observes that it was graced by 82 exhibitors. These were a mix of Tour operators and stakeholders mostly from Sub-Saharan Africa.

These included regional airlines, Tourism Boards and award winning resorts around the region.

It attracted close to 1,000 visitors as opposed to the initially projected 5,000.

"This didn't come as a surprise though considering it is still in its infancy stages." Asiimwe explains

According to Safi Ali, coordinator of the annual event, while Tourism clusters registered the most traffic in the category of booths exhibiting domestic products. Kenya Tourism Board ended up as the most visited stall among stalls selling foreign destinations.

In his opinion, Bernard Munyazinza, of Africa Nziza Odysseys an indigenous tour firm thinks Kenya scored highly as it concentrated on offering what appeals to Ugandans the most, vibrant destinations with diverse & rejuvenating experiences for every budget.

 That's aside, its hosts like Fiona Ngesa and Sabore Ole were very friendly and treated guests like a celebrity. This gesture did them wonders.