The Permanent Secretary of the tourism ministry, Doreen Katusiime, has applauded locals and companies that have taken it upon themselves to support local tourism amid a decline in the numbers of foreign tourists due to the COVID 19 pandemic.

Katusiime said prior to the outbreak of the pandemic, Uganda heavily depended on international tourism to promote the industry.

“In 2019, a report by Uganda Bureau of Statistics estimated that the country received 1.8 million international tourists in 2018 which was up from 1.4 million in 2017. 

Most of the marketing campaigns target foreign travellers at the expense of domestic tourism promotion. The dependence on foreign tourists is a big factor in the current loss of revenue and livelihoods in the face of global uncertainty,” she noted.

Katusiime was speaking at the relaunch of the Breathtaking Uganda domestic tourism campaign in Kampala recently. 

She said such initiatives by domestic tourism supporters give hope that the tourism sector can thrive if such initiatives are supported.

“I have interacted with the team from Breathtaking Uganda, and we have learnt a lot from each other. As the government, we shall do what we can, especially regarding Uganda’s tourism visibility. And as an individual, I will encourage my friends and families to take up such trips that are organized domestically,” she said.

She also urged the local tourists to always use the available means such as smartphones and cameras to take and share their experiences so that foreigners can easily be attracted to visit Uganda and help grow the country’s tourism sector.

Isaiah Rwanyekiro, the CEO of Breathtaking Uganda said Ugandans are by nature tourism loving people but have for a long time been hindered by lack of enough knowledge about the sector.

“This is one of the reasons that we have decided to organize domestic trips at low cost to help many Ugandans tour and know their country better. We charge 600,000 shillings per person, and after the Murchison Falls trip, we are now heading to Kidepo from October 1st to 3rd 2021, and I encourage everybody to get on board and learn more about their country,” he said.

Breathtaking Uganda has designed a timetable for the places to visit in a quest to promote local tourism.