District leaders urged to embrace tourism as new revenue source

Aug 28, 2015

Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) has urged district leaders to seize and develop the many tourism attractions in their localities as a new revenue platform.

By David Mugabe

Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) has urged district leaders to seize and develop the many tourism attractions in their localities as a new revenue platform.

Speaking to about 300 local government chairman, accounting officers and Resident District Commissioners (RDCs) recently, John Ssempebwa, UTB deputy chief executive officer, reminded the leaders that tourism is the largest, and fastest growing business in the world and Uganda has its tourism blessings.

The tourism value chain creates millions of jobs and increases incomes which transcends every household and sector as opposed to some sectors that only benefit a few.

For districts, if service sectors like hotels, restaurants are managed to stipulate standards, they can act as stimuli to attracting tourists in big numbers which in turn results in more taxes to deliver better services.

Following an earlier visit to Barlonyo (the mass grave where about 300 people were massacred by Joseph Kony’s forces in eastern Lango), Ssempebwa requested the Lira chairman to ensure that a fee is paid by visitors to the site to generate sustainable income.

“Locals should be asked to make and sell souvenirs at the site, in addition to telling the sad story such that is it captured on signage just like the Rwanda genocide museum operates,” noted Ssempebwa in Lira recently.

Lira also has several good rocks like Got Ngetta that can be used both as a source of recreation and revenue generation.

This year’s world tourism day will be held in Lira on September 27, 2015.

Lira also has the footprints of Olum (considered the first Lango), the burial site of Field Marshall John Okello, who led the Zanzibar revolution.

Using regional clusters, UTB is targeting to develop tourism products across the country basing on the physical, cultural experience of each region.

Kamuli district chairperson Salaam Musumba used the occasion to point out the Kamuli’s tourism assets such as the birthplace of the Uganda Martyrs Matia Mulumba in Busoga and Gonzaga Gonza, as well as the mausoleum of Uganda’s first vice president, Sir William Wilberforce Nadiope.

Ssempebwa cited the examples of the Martyrs Day in Namugongo and the empaako in Fort Portal, where restaurants, bars, hotels, transporters all benefitted from tourism.

Over 90 districts were registered to receive the tourism standards and pledged to start enforcing the standards on behalf of Uganda.

Ssempebwa pledged UTB’s unconditional support to all districts in the five major areas namely developing district tourism plans, enforcing tourism standards, developing products, marketing and training tourism human resources (guides, hotel staff district tourism focal persons and restaurant personnel and inspecting hotels and restaurants).