Let Ugandans take stock of CHOGM
Nov 18, 2007
EDITOR—Now that the long wait for the much heralded Commonwealth Summit is over and the key activities are already underway, the time has probably come to reflect on the planning and preparations for it over the past two years and what positive developments have been generated for Uganda. <br>
EDITOR—Now that the long wait for the much heralded Commonwealth Summit is over and the key activities are already underway, the time has probably come to reflect on the planning and preparations for it over the past two years and what positive developments have been generated for Uganda.
I am saying for ‘Uganda’ as our visitors will not take any of our infrastructure with them except for hopefully very pleasant memories from ‘Uganda – Gifted by Nature’, leaving the benefits the summit generated behind for all of us to enjoy.
I recall the public tit and tat with some opposition politicians, when I applauded the efforts of the President and Uganda’s delegation at the Malta summit to bring the Commonwealth family to Uganda.
Some scorn was poured over my contention then, that this would present the best opportunity for the country to upgrade infrastructure and create new facilities, all of which would be of benefit to the country in general and the tourism industry in particular.
Well, two years down the line and with an admittedly frantic last- minute rush, from which some contractors surely must have made a small fortune, we are now there.
The CHOGM juggernaut has started rolling into town and the first major meetings are underway, starting with the Youth Forum in Entebbe.
Any visitor coming to Uganda today will notice the difference between the ‘old’ Uganda and the ‘new CHOGM Uganda’. First impressions are crucial to create a positive attitude by visitors and the showcase we put together will undoubtedly fulfil this expectation.
From the moment of first stepping on Ugandan soil at the ‘new’ Entebbe International Airport to reaching the Sheraton Kampala Hotel and the newly constructed Commonwealth Resort in Munyonyo, massive changes are visible.
A vastly enlarged and improved arrivals area greets our tourist and business visitors at the airport in Entebbe and the installation of the latest technology has made the airport safer and more user-friendly for airlines and passengers.
The upgrading was all part of a 20-year masterplan the Civil Aviation Authority had developed, but would these changes have taken place in such a short time without CHOGM? I personally doubt it!
The road from the airport towards Kampala has been beautified right from the airport boundaries, and a shining new State House now sits above the Entebbe municipality once again, this only being the first landmark change.
Gardening and landscaping as well as road rehabilitation left yet more positive marks in the arrival experience, and Entebbe’s Botanical Garden and the Wildlife Education Centre were given a substantial facelift too, as was incidentally the Martry’s Shrine in Namugongo and the Source of the River Nile.
New hotels and meeting facilities were created with financial incentives from government and the results speak the loudest for themselves.
The grand old dame of Uganda’s hospitality industry, the Sheraton Kampala Hotel, shines as if new again, and the brand new hotels like Imperial Royale, Golf Course, Protea Kampala, Metropole and many others add more options to travellers coming to the city.
Roads into and around the city have been upgraded and resealed, traffic bottlenecks removed, security measures deployed like the CCTV network now covering much of Kampala and the police seems to have been retrained ahead of the summit as they definitely appear friendlier and neater compared with before.
It is my hope for the future that complacency will not creep back into our daily lives, the new green zones will remain as will the flowers and clean road reserves, that KCC continues to fix and improve roads (even in the remoter areas of town) and the new infrastructure, including the traffic lights, will be maintained.
Dr. Wolfgang H. Thome Immediate Past President, Uganda Tourism Association
I am saying for ‘Uganda’ as our visitors will not take any of our infrastructure with them except for hopefully very pleasant memories from ‘Uganda – Gifted by Nature’, leaving the benefits the summit generated behind for all of us to enjoy.
I recall the public tit and tat with some opposition politicians, when I applauded the efforts of the President and Uganda’s delegation at the Malta summit to bring the Commonwealth family to Uganda.
Some scorn was poured over my contention then, that this would present the best opportunity for the country to upgrade infrastructure and create new facilities, all of which would be of benefit to the country in general and the tourism industry in particular.
Well, two years down the line and with an admittedly frantic last- minute rush, from which some contractors surely must have made a small fortune, we are now there.
The CHOGM juggernaut has started rolling into town and the first major meetings are underway, starting with the Youth Forum in Entebbe.
Any visitor coming to Uganda today will notice the difference between the ‘old’ Uganda and the ‘new CHOGM Uganda’. First impressions are crucial to create a positive attitude by visitors and the showcase we put together will undoubtedly fulfil this expectation.
From the moment of first stepping on Ugandan soil at the ‘new’ Entebbe International Airport to reaching the Sheraton Kampala Hotel and the newly constructed Commonwealth Resort in Munyonyo, massive changes are visible.
A vastly enlarged and improved arrivals area greets our tourist and business visitors at the airport in Entebbe and the installation of the latest technology has made the airport safer and more user-friendly for airlines and passengers.
The upgrading was all part of a 20-year masterplan the Civil Aviation Authority had developed, but would these changes have taken place in such a short time without CHOGM? I personally doubt it!
The road from the airport towards Kampala has been beautified right from the airport boundaries, and a shining new State House now sits above the Entebbe municipality once again, this only being the first landmark change.
Gardening and landscaping as well as road rehabilitation left yet more positive marks in the arrival experience, and Entebbe’s Botanical Garden and the Wildlife Education Centre were given a substantial facelift too, as was incidentally the Martry’s Shrine in Namugongo and the Source of the River Nile.
New hotels and meeting facilities were created with financial incentives from government and the results speak the loudest for themselves.
The grand old dame of Uganda’s hospitality industry, the Sheraton Kampala Hotel, shines as if new again, and the brand new hotels like Imperial Royale, Golf Course, Protea Kampala, Metropole and many others add more options to travellers coming to the city.
Roads into and around the city have been upgraded and resealed, traffic bottlenecks removed, security measures deployed like the CCTV network now covering much of Kampala and the police seems to have been retrained ahead of the summit as they definitely appear friendlier and neater compared with before.
It is my hope for the future that complacency will not creep back into our daily lives, the new green zones will remain as will the flowers and clean road reserves, that KCC continues to fix and improve roads (even in the remoter areas of town) and the new infrastructure, including the traffic lights, will be maintained.
Dr. Wolfgang H. Thome Immediate Past President, Uganda Tourism Association