Tourism Promotion: Tips for Uganda’s Foreign Missions and Consulates

An Answered Prayer is what I would call it, following last week’s announcement and strategic decision by Government of Uganda in assigning  Uganda’s Foreign Missions and Consulates a key role in marketing Uganda’s Tourism in the international source markets alongside the Uganda Tourism Board ( UTB).

My argument has always been and still is that Uganda’s Foreign Missions and Consulates are strategically positioned and hold the key to unlocking volumes of international tourist arrivals into Uganda. By virtue of their physical presence and networks within the source markets, our Embassies if well facilitated and equipped,  stand the best chance of promoting and managing the Destination image through their Commercial & Economic Diplomacy efforts .

In this article , allow me share my wishlist and a few tips that Embassies and missions abroad can tap on to inorder to deliver much needed spike in tourism arrivals into Uganda.

1. Focus on Destination Awareness and Public Relations in the Overseas Source markets.

Dealing with negative travel advisories against Uganda and the issue of limited global awareness of Uganda as a tourist destination should be top of the agenda. Two of the most consistent pains and challenges to marketing Uganda’s tourism in the source markets have always been negative Travel advisories and limited knowledge of Uganda as a tourism hotspot in the overseas markets. Below is a caption of a recent negative travel advisory against Uganda;

In regards to limited awareness, it’s very strange that even some tour operators in neighbouring Kenya don’t know that Uganda has National parks let alone other important attraction sites like the Source of the Nile, Mt. Rwenzori ( pictured below) and more. This challenge gets even more critical in the European and North American source markets.

This state of affairs is mainly attributed to lack of adequate destination awareness campaigns and information dissemination about Uganda in the various source markets. Most of Uganda’s previous marketing efforts have largely been focused on engaging the Travel Trade and tourism business community in the source markets, however the Foreign based Tour Agents cannot sell a destination without the consumers demanding for it. The time is now to shift focus on generating mass awareness of Uganda as a tourism destination. We need to create effective demand within the source markets.  The mantle to changing this trajectory has now been passed to our Embassies and Missions Abroad to salvage the situation by bridging this information gap.

Below are 3 key action areas that could be considered by our missions in fixing this awareness challenge;

• Uganda Embassies and Missions Abroad should prioritize roll out of the Explore Uganda Destination Brand in the overseas source markets through  sponsorship of key public events and distribution of branded customized promotional content at all strategic touch points. A case in point is the recently concluded Uganda Festival captioned in video below in Mombasa organized by the Uganda Consulate in Mombasa

  

• Timely information sharing and networking with foreign governments to avoid negative advisories .
• Identify and work with Digital Marketing specialists in the source markets to amplify Uganda’s online visibility in target markets.
• Procure regular Advertising space in international media to ensure top of mind awareness of Uganda as a tourism destination. As the Marketeers will tell you Market share is bought with hard currency. Our Embassies and Missions Abroad should invest  in partnerships with foreign media outlets within the source markets. This will ensure top of mind awareness of Destination Uganda right in front of the consumer and  will undoubtedly generate the much needed demand for Uganda as a tourism destination.

2. Create Business Linkages between Foreign based Tour Agents & Ugandan Private Sector in Tourism. 

The Embassies and Missions Abroad should pay specific focus to building business Linkages between the travel trade in the source markets and the Ugandan tourism private sector. These platforms for synergy created by the Missions Abroad will ensure sales conversions and immediate increase of tourist arrivals into Uganda. In simple terms, the missions will create the opportunities for collaboration and the Ugandan private sector will do the destination selling. Below are some of the specific deliverables for the Missions to consider in creating business Linkages;

• Our Missions Abroad should organize atleast 2 Roadshows annually in partnership with UTB and the private sector. Roadshows are specialized industry events within the source markets centered around showcasing the destination to industry stakeholders and crowned with B2B meetings.
• Our Missions Abroad should participate  in at least 1 tourism and  travel expo per quarter in collaboration with the Uganda Private Sector & UTB.

  

• Publish and Profile a data base of all UTB licensed tour operators on the mission’s website and regular newsletters

With these boxes ticked off , we can be rest assured to see a surge in Uganda’s tourist arrivals.

3. Product Knowledge and Capacity Building for Embassy staff and foreign based travel experts. 

We can only Market what we know and have tasted or experienced. Our Missions and Embassies abroad need to acquaint themselves with product knowledge of Uganda’s tourism offering and then extend the same opportunity to the overseas travel trade and travel agents to visit Uganda and experience her product offering firsthand.

The above goal will be successful if the following actions are given due consideration ;

• Investment in regular destination training for all mission and consulate staff
• Hold Quarterly destination trainings for the foreign travel agents and tour operators.
• Organize atleast 2 Fam trips to Uganda for Selected travel agents, Vloggers, influencers  and foreign media houses in partnership with the Uganda Tourism Board.

These few simple pointers and guidelines if pursued vigorously will in no doubt yield the much anticipated numbers in as far as tourist arrivals are considered. Ofcourse, the need push for new investors in Uganda’s luxury hospitality segment is a must-do to ensure the destination achieves competitiveness.

I believe that the decision to entrust our Missions and Consulates abroad to spear head Marketing of our tourism assets globally is a step in the right direction and I urge all of us tourism stakeholders in Uganda to support this strategic move to achieve the much anticipated growth of the sector.

By Eddy Kirya ( Msc. Tourism & Hospitality Mgt ( MUK)

Seasoned Tourism & Hospitality Consultant 

CEO , Eyalama Holidays 

Former Board Member , Uganda Tourism Board ( 2017 – 2023).