Uganda needs aggressive promotion of tourism
DESPITE financial difficulties and uncertainty about Uganda’s participation in the World’s Largest Travel Trade Fair, ITB Berlin, including a cancellation four days to the event, a Ugandan delegation led by the Minister of State for Tourism made it to the Berlin tourism trade show.
By Moses Mapesa
DESPITE financial difficulties and uncertainty about Uganda’s participation in the World’s Largest Travel Trade Fair, ITB Berlin, including a cancellation four days to the event, a Ugandan delegation led by the Minister of State for Tourism made it to the Berlin tourism trade show.
The delegation included UWA, UTB and nine private tour companies namely; Let’s Go Travel, Crystal Safaris, East African Explorers, East African Nature Safaris, Churchill Safaris, Abacus Africa Safaris, Lake Kitandara Tours and Travel, Syanut Safaris, Brovad Tours and Travel.
International Tourism tradefair that take place in many western capitals and more recently in Asia, Tanzania and South Africa provide the most lucrative opportunity for attracting international tourists and eco-tourism investors.
Uganda usually participates in three tradefairs in Milan-Italy, Berlin-Germany and London-Britain. Until 2005, Uganda’s participation was sponsored by an EU-funded tourism development project. However, when the project ended, the Uganda Tourist Board, which is the government agency mandated to market tourism for the country, has had financial constraints and the sole source of funding — government has not been forthcoming.
This year, Uganda could, therefore, not participate in the Milan–Italy tradefair, there is still uncertainty whether Uganda will participate in the World Travel Market in the UK in November 2008; and it took the intervention of the Private Tour Companies and State House to secure funding for Uganda’s participation at ITB Berlin two days to the event (March 2008).
The Ugandan team, whose advance party was coordinated by Kitandara Tours with the help of the Uganda Embassy in Germany, was able to secure space for the exhibition and construct a stand overnight and so on March 5; the day of opening of the tradefair, the Ugandan team was ready and able to do business with professionalism and competence.
Uganda’s stand was able to attract a substantial number of business agents who were pleasantly surprised that Uganda was exhibiting after having received news earlier that the country had pulled out. The private sector certainly deserves kudus for helping salvage the situation which would have meant that Uganda is denied participation in Berlin over the coming years.
On day three, Uganda’s stand was a centre of attraction after the ingenuity of the Ugandan Embassy that brought Ugandan drummers and the Uganda community in Germany. All the Ugandans joined in the traditional Ugandan dancing including the minister and the Ugandan ambassador and soon many exhibitors and business agents were all enjoying the fun fare at the Ugandan stand.
Agnes Nakidde, the “UWA dancing queen†as she was christened by the large crowd, spiced up the event with her energetic jigs and gesturing that left many cameras clicking and video cameras glued to the eyes. The Uganda “girls†and “boys†put up such a brilliant and entertaining show that dancers from neighbouring Kenya, Rwanda and Nigeria could not help joining. For a solid four hours, all attention in exhibition hall 21 A was on the Uganda stand and subsequently the rest of the team was fully engaged, answering all kinds of questions about Uganda from the business agents who inevitably were attracted by the beautiful drum tunes and the dancing queens and kings.
While Uganda has continued to struggle with financing tourism promotion and marketing, the neighbouring countries of Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda let alone countries from Asia and Latin America inject large amounts of funds through their respective tourism boards to ensure effective participation in international tourism tradefairs and other marketing activities.
For example, Kenya announced a two million Euro (sh5b) budget to revamp its image after the political fracas that plummeted occupancy levels in their hotels from 90% to 10%. Egypt, Thailand, South Africa, Costa Rica have equally invested substantially in tourism marketing and promotion and the results show, even after disasters, their tourism industry easily recover.
Nobody needs to be reminded that tourism is the country’s leading foreign exchange earner and, therefore, UTB should not be struggling to access funding to do the job the agency was created for and having to endure embarrassing moments for each event. For instance, under the East African Community, it was long agreed that the countries of the community should market East Africa as one destination.
The East African Community secretariat, therefore, rotates among the stands and is hosted by each of the countries in turns. This year, Uganda was the official host of the East African Community and yet Uganda had cancelled participation.
After the private sector intervention, the Uganda stand was too small to host the East African Secretariat and to host the East African Government dignitaries who included the vice-president of the Republic of Kenya, ministers, permanent secretaries and ambassadors. Tanzania who had enough space in actual fact played host.
Ironically, only on Feb 28, 2008, the Presidential Investment Round Table Tourism Committee had made a brilliant presentation to the President and ministers who all unanimously agreed that the tourism sector should be a priority. Here are some of the comments from the Ministers:
1. Tourism development needs big funding and a dedicated team. Uganda can not put off any longer the decision to promote tourism heavily. Regional efforts are a testimony to this. Kenya spent 10million US $ last year on promotion.
2. It is amazing that Uganda was able to earn over $320m (sh544b) without “any†advertising. UTB should be adequately funded to market Uganda’s tourist potential
3. Government should prioritise tourism promotion to new markets like the Arab and Asian countries the way it has prioritised AGOA with USA
The President then capped it all by asserting: “Certainly more funds will be availed to UTB for marketing Uganda and the Ministry of Tourism Trade and Industry should follow up with Ministry of Finance Planning and Economic Development.
The time is now for all relevant agencies, be they private or public, to come up strongly and help fund tourism promotion and marketing and certainly the Government should learn from the examples set by her neighbours and from past mistakes.
Will funding to UTB improve? Can the statements made by the ministers and the President about increased funding for tourism marketing be fulfilled?
The writer is the executive director of the Uganda Wildlife Authority
DESPITE financial difficulties and uncertainty about Uganda’s participation in the World’s Largest Travel Trade Fair, ITB Berlin, including a cancellation four days to the event, a Ugandan delegation led by the Minister of State for Tourism made it to the Berlin tourism trade show.
The delegation included UWA, UTB and nine private tour companies namely; Let’s Go Travel, Crystal Safaris, East African Explorers, East African Nature Safaris, Churchill Safaris, Abacus Africa Safaris, Lake Kitandara Tours and Travel, Syanut Safaris, Brovad Tours and Travel.
International Tourism tradefair that take place in many western capitals and more recently in Asia, Tanzania and South Africa provide the most lucrative opportunity for attracting international tourists and eco-tourism investors.
Uganda usually participates in three tradefairs in Milan-Italy, Berlin-Germany and London-Britain. Until 2005, Uganda’s participation was sponsored by an EU-funded tourism development project. However, when the project ended, the Uganda Tourist Board, which is the government agency mandated to market tourism for the country, has had financial constraints and the sole source of funding — government has not been forthcoming.
This year, Uganda could, therefore, not participate in the Milan–Italy tradefair, there is still uncertainty whether Uganda will participate in the World Travel Market in the UK in November 2008; and it took the intervention of the Private Tour Companies and State House to secure funding for Uganda’s participation at ITB Berlin two days to the event (March 2008).
The Ugandan team, whose advance party was coordinated by Kitandara Tours with the help of the Uganda Embassy in Germany, was able to secure space for the exhibition and construct a stand overnight and so on March 5; the day of opening of the tradefair, the Ugandan team was ready and able to do business with professionalism and competence.
Uganda’s stand was able to attract a substantial number of business agents who were pleasantly surprised that Uganda was exhibiting after having received news earlier that the country had pulled out. The private sector certainly deserves kudus for helping salvage the situation which would have meant that Uganda is denied participation in Berlin over the coming years.
On day three, Uganda’s stand was a centre of attraction after the ingenuity of the Ugandan Embassy that brought Ugandan drummers and the Uganda community in Germany. All the Ugandans joined in the traditional Ugandan dancing including the minister and the Ugandan ambassador and soon many exhibitors and business agents were all enjoying the fun fare at the Ugandan stand.
Agnes Nakidde, the “UWA dancing queen†as she was christened by the large crowd, spiced up the event with her energetic jigs and gesturing that left many cameras clicking and video cameras glued to the eyes. The Uganda “girls†and “boys†put up such a brilliant and entertaining show that dancers from neighbouring Kenya, Rwanda and Nigeria could not help joining. For a solid four hours, all attention in exhibition hall 21 A was on the Uganda stand and subsequently the rest of the team was fully engaged, answering all kinds of questions about Uganda from the business agents who inevitably were attracted by the beautiful drum tunes and the dancing queens and kings.
While Uganda has continued to struggle with financing tourism promotion and marketing, the neighbouring countries of Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda let alone countries from Asia and Latin America inject large amounts of funds through their respective tourism boards to ensure effective participation in international tourism tradefairs and other marketing activities.
For example, Kenya announced a two million Euro (sh5b) budget to revamp its image after the political fracas that plummeted occupancy levels in their hotels from 90% to 10%. Egypt, Thailand, South Africa, Costa Rica have equally invested substantially in tourism marketing and promotion and the results show, even after disasters, their tourism industry easily recover.
Nobody needs to be reminded that tourism is the country’s leading foreign exchange earner and, therefore, UTB should not be struggling to access funding to do the job the agency was created for and having to endure embarrassing moments for each event. For instance, under the East African Community, it was long agreed that the countries of the community should market East Africa as one destination.
The East African Community secretariat, therefore, rotates among the stands and is hosted by each of the countries in turns. This year, Uganda was the official host of the East African Community and yet Uganda had cancelled participation.
After the private sector intervention, the Uganda stand was too small to host the East African Secretariat and to host the East African Government dignitaries who included the vice-president of the Republic of Kenya, ministers, permanent secretaries and ambassadors. Tanzania who had enough space in actual fact played host.
Ironically, only on Feb 28, 2008, the Presidential Investment Round Table Tourism Committee had made a brilliant presentation to the President and ministers who all unanimously agreed that the tourism sector should be a priority. Here are some of the comments from the Ministers:
1. Tourism development needs big funding and a dedicated team. Uganda can not put off any longer the decision to promote tourism heavily. Regional efforts are a testimony to this. Kenya spent 10million US $ last year on promotion.
2. It is amazing that Uganda was able to earn over $320m (sh544b) without “any†advertising. UTB should be adequately funded to market Uganda’s tourist potential
3. Government should prioritise tourism promotion to new markets like the Arab and Asian countries the way it has prioritised AGOA with USA
The President then capped it all by asserting: “Certainly more funds will be availed to UTB for marketing Uganda and the Ministry of Tourism Trade and Industry should follow up with Ministry of Finance Planning and Economic Development.
The time is now for all relevant agencies, be they private or public, to come up strongly and help fund tourism promotion and marketing and certainly the Government should learn from the examples set by her neighbours and from past mistakes.
Will funding to UTB improve? Can the statements made by the ministers and the President about increased funding for tourism marketing be fulfilled?
The writer is the executive director of the Uganda Wildlife Authority