Uganda positioned for nature destination events

Uganda, the Pearl of Africa, is slated to host the inaugural Africa Destination Celebrations Conference and Expo (ADCEE) that will take place on March 23-27 at the Speke Resort Convention Centre in Kampala city.

The expo marks a major milestone in positioning not only Uganda, but also Africa, as a global leader in destination celebrations, luxury events and experiential travel.

This was revealed during a media briefing on December 17, 2025, at Forest Cottages in Kampala.

The expo is organised by Wild Celebrations Africa, a Pan-African platform committed to elevating Africa's creative, cultural and tourism industries on the global stage, in collaboration with the Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) and the private sector under their umbrella body Uganda Association of Conference and Incentive Industry (UACII).

Jackline Nanteza, on behalf of Wild Celebrations Africa, said the expo will bring together international buyers, African suppliers, investors, tourism authorities, media, and creative industry leaders, among others, to create a powerful marketplace for collaboration, trade and global visibility. 

"Delegates will also participate in familiarisation trips, showcasing Uganda's diverse tourism offerings, especially in regard to being a natural platform for destination events," Nanteza said.

She added that while global tradeshows such as IMEX, IBTM, EWPC and DWP dominate the international events calendar, Africa continues to lack a dedicated platform focused solely on its destination celebrations and luxury events ecosystem. 

"We simply want to encourage all people to take their events to the wild because it brings more support towards our tourism industry," Nanteza said. 

For Uganda, hosting ADCEE ahead of the country's signature tourism event: The Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo (POATE), strengthens national brand visibility and reinforces the country's position as a competitive and compelling global destination for celebration tourism.

According to Nanteza, Uganda's wild landscapes are naturally authentic, requiring not much decoration and set-up for event organisers.

"For example, having a wedding in a national park requires no decoration or lighting and yet, accommodates enough guests who, in return, support the tourism apparatus in the value chain," the vision bearer explained.

UACII chairperson Peter Kagwa said ADCEE is designed as a scalable long-term initiative with plans for annual continental rotation across leading destinations, including Kenya, Tanzania, Namibia, Rwanda and South Africa. He also emphasised that the expo will position Africa as a key player in the global destination events ecosystem. 

(L-R) Mellon Tukeikiriza, Jackline Nanteza, Ruth Aine, Peter Kagwa, and Hadija Nali during the press conference held at Forest Cottages. (Credit: Julius Luwemba)

"We want to tap into the incentive and luxurious tourism markets, which are highly profitable because there are people across the globe who always want to have destination events. So, we simply want to position Uganda and Africa generally, for that kind of market," Kagwa said.

The UACII chairperson added that the programme will ensure responsible tourism and eventing, taking into consideration the environmental and wildlife conservation aspect. 

"All the event organisers and accommodation facilities that are licensed to handle destination events are well aware of how to regulate noise, littering, among other environmentally devastating practices," Kagwa noted.

Mellon Tukeikiriza, a senior UTB officer who also heads the Uganda Conventional Bureau unit, expressed optimism with ADCEE, saying it supplements the POATE efforts, all geared towards positioning Uganda as a viable destination for Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events (MICE). 

"Such initiatives come with tourism volumes and value, which is one of our core strategic objectives," Tukeikiriza emphasised.

Tukeikiriza added that the revised tourism policy challenges the tourism players to attract and promote investment in the sector, saying the government will continue to create an enabling environment for private sector players such as ADCEE to promote Uganda in all aspects, as a viable tourist destination. 

She said some infrastructure, such as the modified Entebbe airport, Entebbe Expressway up to the Speke Resort Convention Centre, which can ably accommodate up to 4,000 people in one room, saying it's part of the Government's enabling environment for tourism promotion in the country.

"The Government has also invested in upcountry infrastructure such as new roads, airports as well as attracting concessionaires to set up accommodation and health clubs within the protected areas. This points to Uganda's readiness for wild destination events that are envisaged to attract more tourists to our premier national parks, among other upcountry destinations," Tukeikiriza added.

The March expo is expected to feature high-level conferences, keynote addresses, panel discussions, exhibitions and structured business-to-business meetings before the delegation is led out to have a feel of Uganda's upcountry landscapes and wildlife. 

It is expected to attract 300 global wedding suppliers and vendors, plus 400 global travel suppliers and vendors from 90 countries.