Uganda wins gold at Indaba tourism festival

Uganda has won Gold in the South African Development Community and Africa category at Africa's premier expo, the Indaba Tourism Fair that concludes tomorrow, May 4, 2019.

This is the third time that the Pearl of Africa is winning big at Africa Travels Indaba having emerged top in 2015 and 2016.

According to Lilly Ajarova, the UTB chief executive officer, this feat shows that Uganda is now positioning itself to take its rightful place as a leading tourist destination in Africa and the world.

“We put a lot of work into our exhibition stall to ensure that it captures all elements of tourism in our country; that is wildlife and cultural heritage, whilst also ensuring that the spacing would enable close interaction with our visitors,” she explained.

She added: “We are elated to have won gold as the best exhibitor at this year’s Indaba fair. This is true testament to Uganda’s immense natural endowment and also shows that the world is appreciating our tourism potential. This therefore calls for concerted efforts to market our country to the world because we offer the most complete tourist experience.”

Uganda’s stands have always had increased activity at many of the global expos in which it takes part and has received accolades for its creative showcase and engagement.

Commenting on the achievement, Prof. Ephraim Kamuntu, the minister of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities said that Uganda had shown her peers that she is a force to be reckoned with in the tourism sector.

“This award is an illustration of what Uganda is like. We showcased our culture but also our uniqueness and the organisers were amazed by what Uganda has to offer. I am happy that we are being recognised for our uniqueness,” he said.

Uganda has emerged among the best exhibitors at other tourism expos such as ITB Berlin, the Bird Fair in London, UK in 2017 and the Kenya Tourism expo, among others.

Africa Travels Indaba is a tourism expo hosted by South African Tourism and attended by both tourism buyers and sellers from all over the world at the International Convention Centre in Durban, South Africa.

It is the third largest annual tourism expo in the world and the largest on the African continent.

It is a leading Business-to-Business exhibition for Africa’s leisure travel industry; bringing the World to Africa and bringing Africa to the world’s leading source markets.

A delegation comprising 13 private tour operators and government agencies led by officials from UTB represented Uganda in the annual showcase.

Some of the government agencies attending the 2019 event include; Kampala Capital City Authority, Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) and Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

Private tour operators include; Bantu Africa Travel, Parkview Safaris and Lodges, Speke Uganda Holidays, Nkuringo Safaris Ltd, Asyanut Safaris and Incentives, Uganda Safari Chapter, Abacus African Vacations, East African Vacations, and Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary and Chimpanzee Trust.

Last year, over 7,000 delegates from over 80 countries attended the Indaba Fair.

That number is expected to rise in the near future. This year’s theme is, ‘Be part of the great African story and write your success.'