Document your products for visibility, tourism players told
A youth movement that works to position Uganda as a universally recognised tourism destination has called on tourism sector players to prioritise documenting products online to position the country as one of the best tourist destinations in the world.
During the unveiling of the 4th edition of the travel writing competition in Kampala, the organisers Uganda Uncovered urged the sector players to tap into the immense potential of digital era.
On the sidelines of the unveiling of the travel writing competition, Uncovered Uganda has launched the inaugural 'Uganda Uncovered Magazine' to document content about Uganda's natural beauty.
Irene Allen Namisango, the founder of Uganda Uncovered, says there is need to increase tourism literature in the digital space as one way to cover the marketing gap.
"The tourism budget was increased in the financial year 2024/2025 but that money should have a better portion to marketing especially digital marketing of destination uganda especially online and in magazines for visibility locally and internationally," she said.
Namisango added that there has been an information gap where Ugandans don't know the beautiful resources and tourism products Uganda is blessed with.
Julius Luwembo, the magazine editor, calls for all writers and content writers to focus on publish positive and captivating stories about destination Uganda to paint a positive image and attract tourists as opposed to the negativity spread online by Ugandans.
Uganda has a target of $5 billion (Shs18.9 trillion) revenue from the tourism sector in the next four years, Martin Mugarra, the state minister of tourism, says supporting private players like Uganda uncovered and encouraging local writers to travel is something government is considering.
"When private tourism entities embark on initiatives to promote tourism through content creation and writing it helps the public to understand what to explore," Mugarra said.
He said as the ministry, they always support them in the best possible way and encouraging them to travel a lot more.
The third edition of the writing competition attracted over 200 travel writers, and this year's competition promises to have over 500 travel writers and the winners' stories will be published by Uganda uncovered, UTB and the ministry of tourism.
