Museveni to visit national park to help to push domestic tourism
President Museveni is set to visit one of the country’s national parks in a move aimed at promoting domestic tourism.
On Tuesday, Museveni met and urged officials from the Ministry of Tourism, Uganda Tourism Board and other private sector tourism stakeholders to join hands to take the country’s tourism sector a notch higher.
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In the meeting, several contentious issues including government handling of investment in marketing tourism, which markets to focus on, marketing initiatives, the Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo brand and the Dubai expo, skilling and capacity building and conservation initiatives were discussed.
The president also agreed to a request by tour operators to have him visit one of the national parks as part of government efforts to promote tourism.
The private tour operators also asked for their inclusion on the Board of Uganda Airlines, Uganda Tourism Board and Uganda Investment Authority, Export Promotions Board and the Petroleum Authority among others.
“The Ministry should work with the private tour operators and harmonise. You all have good ideas look at all of them. Involve all stakeholders. If they want to be included on the boards, there is no problem with that,” Museveni said.
The meeting was attended among others, by State Minister for Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities Martin Mugarra Bahinduka, the Permanent Secretary Doreen Katusiime, former Minister of Lands and Housing who is now Chairman UTB Daudi Migereko, UTB CEO Lilly Ajarova and the leadership of the Uganda Hotel Owners Association (UHOA) as well as that of the Association of Uganda Tour Operators (AUTO).
Tourism is Uganda’s biggest export, contributing US$1.6billion to Uganda’s GDP and accounts for over 660,000 jobs as of 2019.
The sector was however badly hit by the COVID19 pandemic with the airport closure and lockdown.
The board chairperson of the Association of Tour Operators, Civy Tumusiime, urged the president to intervene in the matter of communities living in the national parks including fishermen, pastoralists and agriculturalists who are in constant conflict with wildlife.
Tumusiime also called for an aggressive marketing strategy and proper coordination and strengthening of the private sector.
She later requested the president to meet and address the private sectors players in the industry with over 3800 hotels, 600 tour operators and over 700 tour guides most of whom are young people, a request he granted.
Museveni also directed that the stakeholders meet and come up with an agreed position in three weeks’ time ahead of another meeting.
