Tourism ministry needs sh584b
Oct 05, 2009
THE tourism and trade ministry needs sh584b to boost tourism and improve the investment climate. According to its first-ever five-year strategic plan, the money will be used to develop more wildlife-based products, introduce night game drives in Murchison
By Francis Kagolo
THE tourism and trade ministry needs sh584b to boost tourism and improve the investment climate. According to its first-ever five-year strategic plan, the money will be used to develop more wildlife-based products, introduce night game drives in Murchison, Queen Elizabeth and Kidepo National parks. The ministry also wants to develop more sports and health facilities for tourism.
According to the plan, it requires sh2.3b to lobby for and participate in international conferences. It also needs sh5.9b to rehabilitate and construct roads leading to various tourist sites.
The ministry needs over sh20b to review and update its policies, Acts, regulations and guidelines related to the tourism sector, and design new ones where necessary.
The tourism industry has steadily grown in the last three years. Over 500,000 tourists visisted the country in 2006 and brought in sh700b revenue. This went up to sh1.2 trillion from 800,000 tourists last year.
Over 50% of this revenue came from gorilla tracking. The five-year strategic plan also seeks to increase the contribution of the tourism sector to the country’s gross domestic product through various interventions.
It indicated that about sh1b would be spent on developing three regional museums, while sh3.5b would be used to monitor the impact of oil and gas activities, mining and hydro-power development.
The strategic plan is under the theme “Developing and promoting private sector competitiveness and export led wealth-creation, conserving and preserving natural resources and cultural heritage for accelerating economic growth and development.â€
The ministry hopes to embark on extensive exhibition of Uganda’s products in international tourism fares, re-introduce more rhinos and conduct wild animal censuses to boost tourism.
It also wants to secure and expand the market for Uganda’s products and services in the domestic, regional and international markets.
The strategic plan is expected to be funded by the Government and donors. Nelson Gagawala Wambuzi, the trade state minister, launched the strategic plan at a dinner at Africana Hotel in Kampala last week.
He called for the fast-tracking of the ministry’s activities to quickly contribute to the country’s economic development. Wambuzi also asked the ministry’s technical team to ensure effective implementation of the strategy.
To boost Uganda’s entrepreneurial power, he urged universities and other tertiary institutions to partner in building trade capacity among the young generation.
The ministry, through the Technical Support for Economic Partnership Agreement Finalisation project, has developed a curriculum to integrate trade policy issues into district development planning processes. It also trained officials from 21 districts last year.
Wambuzi commended the European Union for the continued support to the ministry.
THE tourism and trade ministry needs sh584b to boost tourism and improve the investment climate. According to its first-ever five-year strategic plan, the money will be used to develop more wildlife-based products, introduce night game drives in Murchison, Queen Elizabeth and Kidepo National parks. The ministry also wants to develop more sports and health facilities for tourism.
According to the plan, it requires sh2.3b to lobby for and participate in international conferences. It also needs sh5.9b to rehabilitate and construct roads leading to various tourist sites.
The ministry needs over sh20b to review and update its policies, Acts, regulations and guidelines related to the tourism sector, and design new ones where necessary.
The tourism industry has steadily grown in the last three years. Over 500,000 tourists visisted the country in 2006 and brought in sh700b revenue. This went up to sh1.2 trillion from 800,000 tourists last year.
Over 50% of this revenue came from gorilla tracking. The five-year strategic plan also seeks to increase the contribution of the tourism sector to the country’s gross domestic product through various interventions.
It indicated that about sh1b would be spent on developing three regional museums, while sh3.5b would be used to monitor the impact of oil and gas activities, mining and hydro-power development.
The strategic plan is under the theme “Developing and promoting private sector competitiveness and export led wealth-creation, conserving and preserving natural resources and cultural heritage for accelerating economic growth and development.â€
The ministry hopes to embark on extensive exhibition of Uganda’s products in international tourism fares, re-introduce more rhinos and conduct wild animal censuses to boost tourism.
It also wants to secure and expand the market for Uganda’s products and services in the domestic, regional and international markets.
The strategic plan is expected to be funded by the Government and donors. Nelson Gagawala Wambuzi, the trade state minister, launched the strategic plan at a dinner at Africana Hotel in Kampala last week.
He called for the fast-tracking of the ministry’s activities to quickly contribute to the country’s economic development. Wambuzi also asked the ministry’s technical team to ensure effective implementation of the strategy.
To boost Uganda’s entrepreneurial power, he urged universities and other tertiary institutions to partner in building trade capacity among the young generation.
The ministry, through the Technical Support for Economic Partnership Agreement Finalisation project, has developed a curriculum to integrate trade policy issues into district development planning processes. It also trained officials from 21 districts last year.
Wambuzi commended the European Union for the continued support to the ministry.