Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo opens today

PIC: The tourism expo will give visitors a chance to get up close and personal with some of Uganda's best tourism assets

TOURISM | EXPO

KAMPALA -  The much-anticipated Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo is set to open today in Kampala.

The three-day exhibition will be officially launched at 10:00am local time by Prof. Ephraim Kamuntu, who is the Minister of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities.

The launch will be at the Jubilee Park next to the Kampala Sheraton Hotel under the theme Rediscover the Pearl, A Country Gifted by Nature.

This year's expo will run from Friday until Sunday.

It has attracted over 200 domestic and international tourism businesses, who will engage in business-to-business dealings, as well as market themselves to the visitors of the exhibition.

"This expo is very important for our local tourism businesses because it links them up with international partners they may not have had chance to meet," Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) chief executive Stephen Asiimwe said.

"It is a networking event. For the general public, it is also an opportunity to discover what tourism opportunities and attractions exist in the country."

Expo activities began over a week ago, with 20 hosted buyers (foreign tour operators) touring different national parks, tourism sites and cities in Uganda.

The tour ended with a visit to hotels around Kampala, and over the coming three days, the operators and other exhibitors will talk business and sign deals to pull tourists to Uganda.

Held annually under the tourism ministry and run by UTB, the tourism expo is set to showcase some of the best of Uganda's tourism products and services by domestic businesses.

An exhibition zone is set aside for visitors to directly interact with the tourism business. In addition, there is also be a mini zoo by the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC), with the big cats being the main attraction.