Districts told to recruit tourism officers to unlock local attractions
Abiti said the ministry plans to have a tourism officer in every district by next year to promote tourism and sensitise communities on the benefits of local tourism.
Aruu Falls in Pader district are some of the more commonly known attactions in Acholi. (File photo)
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The Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities has urged districts in the Acholi sub-region to recruit tourism officers to promote local tourism and develop tourist attractions.
Nelson Abedo Abiti, the assistant commissioner for museum services at the ministry, said the government was amending the Tourism Act to decentralise tourism services to the district level.
He said the ministry plans to have a tourism officer in every district by next year to promote tourism and sensitise communities on the benefits of local tourism.
Abiti said that following the amendment of the Tourism Act, the ministry would establish regional service centres in Gulu, Arua, Hoima, Masindi, Mbale, Masaka, Mbarara, Lira and Jinja, among other areas, to support tourism promotion.
He said the ministry planned to undertake extensive tourism promotion to help achieve a target of tourism contributing 25% of the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
He cited Kasese district, which has already recruited three tourism officers, and Mbale, which has recruited four.
He added that the ministry would provide grants to promote tourist sites and sensitise communities at district level.
Abiti also encouraged private investment in tourism, urging people to establish quality accommodation facilities, register tour operators and open restaurants to promote agro-tourism through the sale of fresh fruits and other food products.
He made the remarks while presenting tourism potential sites in the Acholi sub-region during an Acholi Parliamentary Group (APG) regional consultative meeting at Acholi Inn Hotel on September 20, 2026.
Walter Odoko-Rwot, a senior conservationist and CEO of Umoja Wildlife Conservancies, urged people in Acholi to learn how to coexist with wild animals, noting that 50% of wildlife lives on community land.
Odoko-Rwot also urged cultural institutions to turn the region's rich cultures into tourist attractions. He cited cultural leaders in Nigeria who have developed tourist sites based on their cultural heritage to promote tourism.
Patrick Okello Oryema, the LC5 chairperson of Nwoya district, said the district was developing a cultural site using the 20% of gate collections it receives from the park to promote tourism.
He, however, said there was a need for a change in mindset to enable the region to develop its tourism potential, as many people view the opportunities negatively.
Wilson Otto, the LC5 chairperson of Agago district, said promoting tourism in the district remains difficult despite the presence of attractions such as the Wii Polo Martyrs Shrine and Kalongo Hills, partly because of poor road infrastructure and the lack of tarmac roads.
He also said poor handling of wildlife and the lack of compensation for damage caused by wild animals invading communities had created a perception that the Government valued wildlife more than human beings.
Otto said 251 gardens in Agago had been destroyed by elephants this year, but no compensation had been made, making communities view wild animals as a disaster.