Uganda and Ethiopian agree to cooperate in tourism promotion

Tourism stakeholders from Uganda and Ethiopia have agreed to cooperate on promoting tourism through exploring tourism opportunities and cooperation between the two countries.

The consensus was reached on 23rd June 2021 during a webinar organized by the Ethiopian Embassy in Kampala, dubbed “Discover why Ethiopia is the origin of so much.”

As part of the consensus, Ethiopia Tourism and Ugandan Tourism Board agreed to implement common strategies in tourism, to complement and combine the tourism potentials of the countries

While delivering her remarks, Alemtsehay Meseret, the Ethiopian Ambassador to Uganda emphasized that Ethiopia and Uganda have been committed in closely working in various areas of cooperation especially in culture and tourism sector.

Maseret said the cooperation is supported by the fact that the two countries share multiple common cultural and tourism assets, philosophical views such as the promotion of Pan-Africanism, and being the source of the White and the Blue Nile respectively.

Ugandan Tourism Board (UTB) CEO Lilly Ajarova, on her part briefed participants the extraordinary tourism attractions and destinations in wildlife viewing, dramatic landscape and massive cultural experiences that entice tourists to experience and test the ‘pearl of Africa’.

Ajarova revealed that UTB has identified the possible potential tourism partnerships between the two countries as a key market opportunity for Uganda.

She said the two countries will continue to partner in joint marketing and promotion through organizing joint itineraries and familiarization trips between the two countries’ tour operators and inflight magazines.

On the occasion, CEO of Tourism Ethiopia, Mr. Seleshi Girma disclosed the immense potential tourism attractions and destinations found in five great Ethiopian routes – the historic North and the Simien mountains, the Rift valley and the cultural mosaic of the South, the East( Danakil, Harrar and Bale Mountains),the West(Lush Nature and Coffee route), Addis Ababa and surroundings.

Tour Operator Associations’ representatives from both countries identified market potentials of their respective member tour operators as well as the possibilities for business partnerships.

Ms. Pearl Kakooza, President of Ugandan Tourism association, emphasized the need to make travel and make a visit within Africa as the continent has huge tourism assets and huge population in which we can support each-others tourism products.

She also urged the stakeholders of the two countries to harness the shared and complementary tourism products in areas of culture, agro-tourism given the countries are the origins of Arabica Coffee and Robusta coffee, and in faith-based tourism.