‘Amin haunts Uganda’ - Wildlife authority
Jul 16, 2009
THE bad image abroad created by Idi Amin’s regime needs to be changed if Uganda is to have more foreign tourists, the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) has said.
By Umaru Kashaka
THE bad image abroad created by Idi Amin’s regime needs to be changed if Uganda is to have more foreign tourists, the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) has said.
Meeting the parliamentary committee on tourism, trade and industry yesterday, the executive director, Moses Mapesa, said many people in Europe and the US still perceived Uganda as that of the 1970s when the country was considered a no-go area.
He added that Uganda was now a safe tourist destination.
Mapesa said the global financial crisis also had a negative impact on tourism.
He, however, said with aggressive and focused marketing, the effect of the financial crunch would be overcome.
Mapesa said the inflation rate had gone up to about 14% and the shilling had depreciated to sh2,000 to a dollar, adding that this discouraged tourists.
“This means that even if we maintain the current level of operations, there will be an increase in costs, especially on food and fuel,†he told the committee chaired by Nakifuma MP Joseph Mugambe.
He said a separate budget for capital and recurrent expenditures totalling sh57b for a three-year period had been added on the tourism ministry’s budget proposal to the Government.
“This is in line with the Government’s efforts to support the tourism sector as it is one of the major foreign exchange earners in the country,†he said.
Mapesa added that the funds would boost the authority’s conservation and tourism efforts.
The UPDF representative to Parliament, Maj. Gen. J.F Oketta, said there was lack of information to the outside world about Uganda.
“We should have documentaries shown to the outside world,†Oketta advised.
THE bad image abroad created by Idi Amin’s regime needs to be changed if Uganda is to have more foreign tourists, the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) has said.
Meeting the parliamentary committee on tourism, trade and industry yesterday, the executive director, Moses Mapesa, said many people in Europe and the US still perceived Uganda as that of the 1970s when the country was considered a no-go area.
He added that Uganda was now a safe tourist destination.
Mapesa said the global financial crisis also had a negative impact on tourism.
He, however, said with aggressive and focused marketing, the effect of the financial crunch would be overcome.
Mapesa said the inflation rate had gone up to about 14% and the shilling had depreciated to sh2,000 to a dollar, adding that this discouraged tourists.
“This means that even if we maintain the current level of operations, there will be an increase in costs, especially on food and fuel,†he told the committee chaired by Nakifuma MP Joseph Mugambe.
He said a separate budget for capital and recurrent expenditures totalling sh57b for a three-year period had been added on the tourism ministry’s budget proposal to the Government.
“This is in line with the Government’s efforts to support the tourism sector as it is one of the major foreign exchange earners in the country,†he said.
Mapesa added that the funds would boost the authority’s conservation and tourism efforts.
The UPDF representative to Parliament, Maj. Gen. J.F Oketta, said there was lack of information to the outside world about Uganda.
“We should have documentaries shown to the outside world,†Oketta advised.