Students boost domestic tourism

PIC: St Lawrence students stepping out after having a boat ride in Queen Elizabeth National Park. (Credit: Titus Kakembo)

TOURISM                            

KASESE - St Lawrence students have championed domestic tourism by taking part in the ongoing Tulambule promotion. After a six-hour drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park (QENP), the teachers and students are short of to paint verbal pictures of what they saw.

"I never knew Uganda had another point where the Equator crosses Uganda apart from Kayabwe," said an Ehiopian student, Gadissa Tegene. "There is more in Uganda than you see in the city, Entebbe and Jinja."

Another student, Frederick Mawadri, said all he knew about the River Nile was its source being in Jinja. Now he knows why Uganda is endowed with animals, birds and reptiles.

"Even a lifetime cannot exhaust what there is to see in this country," concluded Mawadri.

The headteacher, Elijah Male said tourism has been demystified by their maiden trip. With a trip like theirs, even age cannot delete what they have seen.

The climax of the trip was a bull roasting at the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) guest houses, where the tourists sat by the fireside and exchanged experiences under the moon.

While having deep-fried fish and chips for lunch, most of the teen tourists wished they could press the pause button on time to extend their tour hours.

St lawrence students got a closer look at hippos in the River Nile. (Credit: Titus Kakembo)

"I never knew there are so many birds in this country," said one of the students, Dorothy Kissa. "When you talk about birds, my mind jumps to the marabou stork, chicken and turkeys for Christmas. But we saw migrants that have fled winter in Europe and are staying here for holidays like human beings!"

The birds get here on their wings without refueling like aeroplanes do.

The minister of state for tourism, Geofrey Kiwanda, was there to receive the 50 adventurous students.

"Consider pursuing a profession in tourism as a tour guide, marketer or hotelier," advised Kiwanda. "We have role models out there like Amos Wekesa of Greatlakes and Patrick Bitature amassing a fortune."

"The Big Five, reptiles and nature walks," the UWA spokesman, Gessa Simplicious, counted what is in store to tour. "If Uganda is to conserve nature, the youth of today ought to appreciate what nature has endowed them with."