Tour Groups For UK Bird Fair
Jul 26, 2003
THE Uganda Tourist Board (UTB) is determined to reassert Uganda as a must-visit tourist destination, the UTB general manager James Bahinguza has said.
By Titus Kakembo
THE Uganda Tourist Board (UTB) is determined to reassert Uganda as a must-visit tourist destination, the UTB general manager James Bahinguza has said.
This was during a preparation symposium for UK-bound birdwatching fair set for August 13-17.
The symposium was attended tour operators, bird guides and hoteliers at the Nile Conference Hotel in Kampala early in the week.
He cautioned tour operators and bird guides to link up in order to bolster the fragile industry which currently stands at 68,000 visitors.
“Go to the British Birdwatching Fair equipped with brochures about where tourists can see the endangered species like the Shoebill in Mabamba swamp, the African Broad Bill and the Green-breasted Pitter,†Bahinguza said.
“Trinidad, Kenya and South Africa have made big fortunes in the birdwatching tourism,†he added.
Bahinguza added that the visit of US president George Bush, the UN force in Entebbe and relative peace in the country, was a pointer that Uganda was a very safe destination.
“It is a clear message for USA to halt fearing Uganda as a dangerous destination for its nationals,†said Bahinguza.
A chief technical advisor in the ministry of tourism, Stanley Wilson, concurred and asked the tour operators to market Uganda aggressively in other countries.
“The EU is injecting 5m euros to fund the second phase of the Uganda Sustainable Tourism Development Programme (USTD) to improve the industry.
The tourism sector will certainly get a major boost when Uganda hosts a tourism summit slated for October in Kampala.
Ends
THE Uganda Tourist Board (UTB) is determined to reassert Uganda as a must-visit tourist destination, the UTB general manager James Bahinguza has said.
This was during a preparation symposium for UK-bound birdwatching fair set for August 13-17.
The symposium was attended tour operators, bird guides and hoteliers at the Nile Conference Hotel in Kampala early in the week.
He cautioned tour operators and bird guides to link up in order to bolster the fragile industry which currently stands at 68,000 visitors.
“Go to the British Birdwatching Fair equipped with brochures about where tourists can see the endangered species like the Shoebill in Mabamba swamp, the African Broad Bill and the Green-breasted Pitter,†Bahinguza said.
“Trinidad, Kenya and South Africa have made big fortunes in the birdwatching tourism,†he added.
Bahinguza added that the visit of US president George Bush, the UN force in Entebbe and relative peace in the country, was a pointer that Uganda was a very safe destination.
“It is a clear message for USA to halt fearing Uganda as a dangerous destination for its nationals,†said Bahinguza.
A chief technical advisor in the ministry of tourism, Stanley Wilson, concurred and asked the tour operators to market Uganda aggressively in other countries.
“The EU is injecting 5m euros to fund the second phase of the Uganda Sustainable Tourism Development Programme (USTD) to improve the industry.
The tourism sector will certainly get a major boost when Uganda hosts a tourism summit slated for October in Kampala.
Ends