National Museums to be marketed for tourists

The Ministry of Tourism Wildlife and Antiquities in partnership with the Uganda Museum is embarking on promoting the cultural heritage of the rich tapestry of national museums through a diverse range of activities like exhibitions, exploration and cultural performances.

This will climax as Uganda joins the rest of the world to celebrate International Museum Day on the 18th of May 2024 in Soroti city.

Martin Mugarra Bahinduka, the state minister for tourism, wildlife and antiquities said our museums shape knowledge for the future with their rich tapestry.

"We need to strengthen our national heritage & enrich our culture. On the 18th of May in Soroti, we shall have exhibitions, cultural performances and other activities including corporate social responsibility for social development," Mugarra said.

The minister added that the Moroto museum and Kasubi tombs which had been closed for renovation and reconstruction respectively will see a facelift and be reopened soon.

Museums are some of the least marketed valuable products Uganda has. The ministry is focusing on creating awareness about the museum and partnering with the private sector to support and conserve private museums and communities around them.

"We haven't done enough to market these museums and the products they have. We are the marketers of these museums, we need to explore them, and visit them for the public to understand their value. That way we shall have more tourists domestically, regionally and internationally, " Lilly Ajarova, CEO of, Uganda Tourism Board said.

Amidst insufficient marketing, the number of visitors to museums increased over the last two years.

Before COVID numbers were 55000, after COVID (in 2022) visitors grew to 67000 and by the end of 2023 visitors doubled to 130,000.