By Emmanuel Okware

On Tuesday evening, October 17, 2023, Uganda and the global tourism fraternity were shocked and concerned by an armed attack on a foreign couple on their honeymoon (David Barlow and Celia Barlow) plus their Ugandan guide/driver killed in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Katwe, Kasese by reportedly ADF rebel remnants (IS-linked group operating from the East of Democratic Republic of Congo).

May their souls rest in eternal peace. Their green 4-wheel safari vehicle was also set ablaze. The location of this attack was about 20km from the Congo border, far deeper into Ugandan territory than the previous raids.

The BBC, Independent, the Economic Times (all of UK) were quickly awash with stories of this unfortunate incident.

As expected, foreign embassies issued travel advice for Uganda, warning against "all but essential travel" to Queen Elizabeth National Park and also Semiliki which is close to the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo.

We continue to condole with the families of the departed and identify with the astounded and grieved UK Minister of State for Development and Africa.

From the statistics corner, Official UK guidance shows that more than 15,000 British nationals have visited Uganda every year and the majority of these visits have been trouble-free.

Tourism in Uganda has led to the great protection and conservation of wildlife species, the flora and fauna by gazetting the national parks with strong wired fences in order to restrict people entering these areas especially, this has also helped reduce the poaching activities that are usually done in National Parks.

What is Tourism?

Most countries define tourism as “comprising the activities of persons travelling to and staying in places  outside  their  usual  environment  for  not  more  than  one consecutive  year  for  leisure,  business  and  other  purposes  not  related  to  the  exercise  of  an  activity remunerated  from  within  the  place  visited”.

In broad  terms  the  key  components  of  the  industry  are;  the  tourist attractions, accommodation, transport,  travel  organizers,  ancillary  services,  and  destination  management  organizations.

*Tourism contribution to national economy*

Tourism boosts the revenue of the economy, creates thousands of jobs, develops the infrastructure of a country, and plants a sense of cultural exchange between foreigners and citizens.

Tourism in Uganda is an increasingly important contributor to its economy. The 1.5 million international arrivals, combined with a growing number of domestic tourists, generated,  7.75% of GDP and 6.7% of total national employment in 2018 (CBI, 2020). COVID-19 has been a disaster for the tourism industry in Uganda.

From March to June 2020, tourism suffered a decline of approximately 55%, while other sectors suffered only moderate drops (UBOS, 2020). The travel and tourism sector contributed 2.5% to Uganda’s GDP in 2020 (WTTC, 2021).

According to Ministry of Tourism, Uganda received about 814,508 international visitors in 2022, up 59% year-on-year.

Tourism earnings reached nearly 2.7 trillion shillings ($712.6 million), representing 12.2% of total exports and 41.4% of service exports.

Accommodation, food and beverages, passenger transport and shopping took the largest share of inbound expenditure, which stood at a combined 68.8% share.

Africa remained the largest source of tourists, contributing at least 87.8 percent of international arrivals, followed by Asia and Europe.

While global tourist arrivals are expected to remain below 2019 levels by the end of the year, the tourism recovery is well underway; the International Air Transport Association expects 4.35 billion flight passengers in 2023, quickly approaching the 4.54 billion recorded in 2019.

Game viewing is the most popular tourist activity in Uganda’s national parks. This is because the country has a variety of game, including the rare tree-climbing lions of Ishasha, white rhinoceros, and elephants and it is home to 11% of the world’s bird species (a total of 1,060 bird species). It is also blessed with unspoiled scenic beauty including forests, hills and mountains, rivers and lakes.

*National Parks, Reserves and sanctuaries*

The country boasts of 10 National Parks; 12 Wildlife Reserves; 5 Community Wildlife Management Areas; and 13 Wildlife Sanctuaries. The ten National Parks include Queen Elizabeth, Lake Mburo, Murchison Falls, Kidepo Valley, Kibale, Mount Elgon, Rwenzori Mountains, Semuliki, Mgahinga Gorilla, and Bwindi Impenetrable National Parks. These parks display the best in East Africa. Their Rift Valley landscapes and tropical forests make dramatic backdrops to an extensive variety of flora and fauna.

*What makes France popular for tourism, globally?

France has 45 sites inscribed in the UNESCO's World Heritage List and features cities or sites of high cultural interest (Paris being the foremost, but also Loire Valley, Toulouse, Strasbourg, Bordeaux, Lyon and others), beaches and seaside resorts, ski resorts, as well as rural regions that many enjoy for their beauty.

*What makes South Africa a leading tourist destination in Africa?*                          

South Africa finds itself in a good position to be globally competitive, with its uniqueness lying in factors such as its geographical features, favourable climate, magnificent scenery, value for money, good food, interesting historical and cultural resources and a good foreign exchange rate. In the early 2000s, South Africa had some weaknesses in safety, public transport and marketing, which they have changed into opportunities in the striving to become one of the world's top tourist destinations.

*Challenges/threats to the tourism sector:*

The biggest threat to tourism is climate change, poaching, wildlife loss, safety, and security. Arguably, the biggest challenge that has become apparent in most destinations is climate change.

The lack of or inadequate internal  airline  connection  does  not  only  affect  tourism,  but  also  increases  the  cost  of  doing business  as  much  of  the  time  is  lost  travelling. 

The  majority  of  tourists  would  prefer  to  access  as much  of  the  products  offered  by  the  country  but  have  limited  time  hence  the  need  for  air  transport. The incident at Queen Elizabeth Park would have been avoided if the tourists had flown and arrived in Kasese much earlier in the day.

As a country, we are still very thin on the promotion and consumption of domestic tourism. Domestic  tourism  is  a  major  component  of  any  country’s  tourism  industry.  It  provides  a  sustainable base  for  the  local  industry  when  there  is  a  downturn  in  international  tourist  arrivals.  Reference  can be  made  to  countries  such  as  South  Africa  where  tourism  growth  is  underpinned  by  a  vibrant domestic  market.

*Recommendations and conclusion*

The ministry and all other key stakeholders should escalate the goal to increase Uganda’s attractiveness as a preferred tourism destination through promoting domestic and inbound tourism; increasing the stock and quality of tourism infrastructure; developing, conserving, and diversifying tourism products and services; developing a pool of skilled personnel along the tourism value chain and ensuring decent working conditions; and enhancing regulation, coordination, and management of tourism.

Whereas it is understandable that Uganda's recent positive recovery trend will on the short term be hindered by such incidents as occurred recently at Queen Elizabeth National Park, the truth and reality is that tourism remains Uganda's top service bet. The country remains very able and determined to curtail any armed and other enemy activities that undermine the security situation of not only the tourism resources but also the entire country.

With unmatched natural beauty, exotic and ancient culture and unique food, Uganda is well positioned to become a real tourist destination in Africa.

Tourism  growth  is  driven  and  supported  by  a  coherent  system  that  works  to  drive  the tourism  agenda  forward.  These  systems  are  enabled  by  the  existence  of  government  policy  that supports  and  regulates  their  operation. 

There should be focus and implementation of priority  areas  that  government  policy  must  address  for  sustainable  growth  of  the tourism  sector such as the internal  airline  connectivity,  consolidated marketing, institutional coordination,  better skills  and  experience and domestic  tourism  promotional  activities.

Important factors such as safety, accessibility, scenery, attractions and accommodation will continue to play a determining role in the choice of a tourist destination.

Globalisation gives rise to new policies, marketing strategies, and product development, which encourage competitiveness.

Uganda Wildlife Authority and other specialist forces units have the capacity and should ensure that all Uganda tourism resources are comprehensively secured and not accessible by enemies of Ugandan people.

Since the security undertakes personal, financial, psychological, and social security of tourists, they can play an instrumental role in gaining satisfaction of foreign tourists and increasing tourist numbers.

In other words, a safe and secure environment for our visitors is mandatory for increased and consistent foreign tourist inflows. Safety and security remain highly vital providing quality in tourism. It is our collective call even though our security system leads and guarantees of timely protection, detection, verification and appropriate reactions.

The writer is a tourism enthusiast and Deputy Resident District Commissioner, Adjumani.