KAMPALA — Uganda’s tourism and events industry has taken a significant step toward greater collaboration and structured growth following the appointment of Demo Riley as President of the National Tourism Events Organizers Federation (NTEOF), the umbrella body representing more than 40 leading tourism and cultural event organizers across the country.
Established with the support of the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities and the Uganda Tourism Board, NTEOF was formed to champion advocacy, coordination, collaboration and sustainable development within Uganda’s tourism events sector.
The federation’s leadership brings together some of the industry’s most influential figures, with Demo Riley serving as President, Aly Alibhai as Vice President and Amos Wekesa as Chairman.
Speaking about the federation’s mission, Riley emphasized the importance of creating a unified voice for tourism and cultural event organizers in Uganda.
“NTEOF was formed to unite tourism event organizers, strengthen advocacy efforts, and create a platform through which the sector can collectively engage government, development partners and private sector stakeholders,” he said.
Although the federation was formally established five months ago, it has already made progress in engaging government ministries and agencies that supported and endorsed its formation and structuring process.
Its first major public engagement came during the Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo, where NTEOF showcased the growing impact of tourism events on Uganda’s economy.
According to the Uganda Tourism Research Development Centre, events organised by NTEOF members collectively contribute more than Shs70 billion annually to Uganda’s economy through tourism, hospitality, transportation, entertainment and related sectors.
Globally, tourism events contribute an estimated $1.5 trillion to the economy, with event tourists spending nearly twice as much as traditional leisure tourists.
Industry stakeholders say this demonstrates the immense potential of events tourism as a driver of economic growth, destination marketing and job creation.
However, Riley noted that event organisers continue to face significant challenges, particularly the high cost of security deployment.
He revealed that organisers often spend tens of millions of shillings on security for a single event despite already contributing substantial tax revenues through the 18 per cent VAT charged on tickets.
“Events drive tourism arrivals, accommodation bookings, youth employment, SME growth, creative industry development and national branding. Yet organisers continue to shoulder enormous operational costs, especially security deployment, which remains one of the sector’s biggest challenges,” Riley said.
He added that adequate security support is essential not only for successful events but also for protecting Uganda’s image as a safe and attractive tourism destination.
As NTEOF prepares for its official launch, the federation is calling on policymakers, private sector players, tourism stakeholders and development partners to recognise tourism events as a strategic economic sector deserving greater support and investment.
The upcoming launch is expected to bring together government officials, tourism leaders, event organisers, investors, media practitioners and other stakeholders to discuss the future of events tourism in Uganda and its role in driving national development.
With a united membership, growing industry influence and a clear vision for the future, NTEOF is positioning itself as a key voice in shaping policies and opportunities aimed at strengthening Uganda’s tourism and cultural events industry.
