A Tourist Information Center is often a traveler's first stop in a new country. It is the desk or office where visitors get maps, directions, and answers to simple but urgent questions. At a country's borders, these centers should be easy to find and staffed by people who can help visitors feel welcome from the moment they arrive.
Uganda's tourism sector is booming. The 2025 Tourism Statistical Abstract shows the country welcomed 1.64 million international tourists in 2025, a 19.7% jump from 1.37 million in 2024. Tourism earnings rose even faster, reaching UGX 5,829.2 billion (about USD 1.62 billion), a 21.3% increase over the previous year.
These numbers confirm that the sector has not just recovered from COVID-19 but has grown well beyond its pre-pandemic levels.
Most of these visitors do not fly in. Land travel brought in 1.07 million tourists in 2025, about 65% of all arrivals, while 0.57 million came through Entebbe International Airport, roughly 35%. The busiest land crossings are Katuna, Mirama Hills, Malaba, Mutukula, Kyanika, Vurra, Busia, and Bunagana.
This means most visitors do not experience Uganda's polished, modern airport first. Instead, many meet a border scene crowded with trucks, money changers, and clearing agents, some of whom behave in ways that are unprofessional or self-interested.
For a traveler who has spent months planning and saving for this trip, that first encounter can be disorienting. Excitement can quickly turn into confusion, and a bad first impression is hard to undo.
Right now, there is no proper tourist information point at Mirama Hills, Katuna, Busia, Bunagana, Vurra, Kyanika, Mutukula, or Malaba. Building one at each of these crossings would give Uganda a real chance to significantly improve how visitors feel the moment they step into the country.
What Visitors Need at the Border
Before a trip, travelers can look things up online or ask a tour operator. But once they are standing at immigration, their needs change. They want answers immediately: How do I book a gorilla trekking permit at the last minute? Where can I eat nearby? What should I see before reaching my lodge? Is there a safe place to exchange money? What is the fastest route to my destination?
Today, most tourists cross without answers to these questions. They fall back on smartphones, unstable internet, and informal advice from strangers. This is a missed opportunity. A well-run information center could guide visitors toward attractions they would otherwise skip and give them confidence and support from the very first minute, instead of leaving them to figure things out alone.
Why Border Information Centers Matter
A visitor's first impression is shaped almost entirely by what greets them at the border. Confusion and noise send one message; a clear, organized welcome sends another. A well-designed information center can turn that first moment from stressful into reassuring, setting the tone for the rest of the trip.
There is also a financial case. When tourists learn about nearby attractions, cultural sites, and accommodation options right at the border, they are more likely to stay longer and spend more, rather than driving straight past smaller towns on their way to well-known destinations.
This also spreads tourist spending to local businesses and communities that usually miss out such as guesthouses, restaurants, and craft vendors in the smaller towns tourists currently drive past.
Tourist information centers at Uganda's land borders would give every visitor a proper welcome: maps, guidance, and a friendly face — helping tourists stay longer, spend more, and leave with a better impression of Uganda as a destination worth recommending.
With tourism now one of the country's top export earners and a key sector of the Tenfold Growth Strategy, which envisions expanding Uganda's economy to USD 500 billion by 2040, such a well-placed investment at each border post could boost tourism earnings and encourage repeat visits for years to come.
The 2026/27 National Budget has allocated UGX 567.32 billion to tourism, with priorities including national branding and marketing, tourism infrastructure, roadside sanitation facilities, and rest stops at tourism sites. The Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, working with the Uganda Tourism Board should use part of the budget to fund tourist information centers at Uganda's land borders as part of the country's branding push.
The author is an Associate at Blueprint Consortium Africa and Tour Manager at Africa Adventure Vacations limited.