Bunyoro urged to take advantage of tourism sites

The people of Bunyoro have been challenged to take advantage of various tourist sites in Bunyoro if they are to benefit from tourism as a region.

John Emily Otekat the vice chairman Federation of Uganda Tourism Initiative said that the Banyoro have not taken advantage of neighbouring some of the biggest tourist potentials like national parks and historical sites which have made them lag behind in terms of development.

"You are neighbouring one of the biggest national parks in Uganda, Murchison Falls, but you have not taken advantage of it by investing in constructing hotels where tourists can sleep and doing hand craft works which can be bought by tourists," he said.

He made the remarks while launching the Bunyoro Tourism Initiative on over the weekend at Masindi Boma grounds.

Otekat said that Bunyoro leaders have a big challenge of marketing the tourism potential like important burial sites like where Omukama Kabalega was buried and monuments like Baligotaisanja where Omukama Kabalega met Sir Samuel Baker and his wife in Kijura, Masindi.

"Many tourists both local and international want to know about this important information but they cannot find it anywhere so it is your duty as Banyoro to document this rich history and make it available on the internet for people to read," he noted.

Otekat cited Budongo Forest which has the biggest number of chimpanzees and butterflies in East Africa as another area with tourism potential which the Banyoro can market to increases local revenue in the region.

Kabakumba Matsiko the chairperson Bunyoro Tourism Initiative noted that there is need to train hotel managers and tour travel companies on the importance of proper management of tourists to attract more visitors in the region.

"We are going to first embark on this as Bunyoro Tourism Initiative to make sure that tourist who visit the region are properly handled," she noted.

She added that the initiative will also work with different school management committees to revive tourism clubs in the various schools and have students write articles about tourism in their school magazines as a way of promoting tourism in school.