Canadian travel influencers begin 10-day tour in Uganda
According to Vivian Lyazi, the commissioner for tourism development in the tourism ministry, the visit is the most concerted push Uganda has made to capture the attention of the Canadian travel market.
A group of Canadian travel influencers having a photo moment with some Ugandan tourism officials upon their arrival on Wednesday. (Credit: Julius Luwemba)
KAMPALA - Aboard Ethiopian Airlines ET332, a team of 11 travel influencers from Canada touched down at Entebbe Airport on Wednesday morning.
The group, comprising Canadian leading tour operators, travel agents, and media personalities, will traverse the country for 10 days, capturing adventure, video, and picture moments that will be broadcast and published for their wider audience.
The trip was organised by the Uganda High Commission in Canada in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, plus its agencies, including the Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) and the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA).
According to Vivian Lyazi, the commissioner for tourism development in the tourism ministry, the visit is the most concerted push Uganda has made to capture the attention of the Canadian travel market.
The team will commence its trip on Thursday in Kampala with a cultural immersion, including visits to: Namugongo martyrs shrines, Gaddafi national mosque and the Kasubi tombs.
"The delegation will then head Southwest to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park for a gorilla trekking experience followed by the Batwa cultural trail and traditional campfire entertainment," Lyazi explained.
The Canadian tourism enthusiasts will then head out to Queen Elizabeth National Park for a sunrise game drive and a four-hour boat cruise along the Kazinga channel, one of Africa's great wildlife spectacles, where buffaloes, hippos, elephants, crocodiles and a staggering diversity of birds crowd the water's edge.
Officials from the tourism ministry together with diplomats from Uganda High Commission in Canada welcoming a group of Canadian travel influencers for a 10-day familiarisation trip around Uganda. (Credit: Julius Luwemba)
The visiting team is then expected to track the chimpanzees of Kibale National Park before making a stopover at Sempaya hot springs in Semuliki National Park.
The final stretch will take the group to Jinja, Uganda's adventure capital for tubing and White water rafting. The trip will conclude on April 18, with a visit to the Uganda Wildlife Conservation Education Centre (UWEC).
Ambassador Allan Kajik, Chargé d'affaires at the Uganda High Commission in Ottawa, Canada, said, by bringing influential travel professionals and media voices directly, Uganda is creating the most powerful form of personal advocacy experience. "We are confident that our guests will return to Canada not just inspired, but also determined to send their clients here," Kajik expressed.
According to Kajik, the number of tourists from Canada increased up to 9,688 in 2025 from 3,900 in 2023. "From the trips and engagements like this, we are looking forward to attracting 20,000 tourists from Canada to Uganda by next year," he expressed.
Lukas Aykroyd, a travel journalist from Vancouver, said the group looks forward to seeing Uganda's incredible wildlife and face-to-face encounters, as well as taking beautiful photos of the country's endowments plus the accommodation facilities.
"Ugandans also expect to see exciting media coverage in the newspapers, magazines and websites across Canada, as well as seeing more people booking trips to Uganda," Aykroyd stated.
Sventlana Senyuk, a travel expert and owner of Maxima Travel International, said Uganda is "kind of untouched."
She stated, "We are excited to see all this beauty and tell our clients with our pictures, videos, emotions and experiences how amazing and different Uganda is."