Uganda Tourism: What needs to be Done Urgently

Tourism has been garzetted as one of the Key sectors that will accelerate Uganda’s economic growth to middle income status and also empower livelihoods of Ugandans by attracting more in the money economy. Tourism as a business has one of the biggest multiplier effects and a very extensive value chain that touches directly on both the urban and rural communities. Women in particular are one of the largest beneficiaries of tourism revenues with many directly involved in community tourism projects, sale of crafts and souvenirs, agri-tourism and more.

Tourism has immensely contributed to Uganda’s GDP growth reaching almost 8% in recent years and contributing in excess of $1 billion of foreign exchange into Uganda’s economy as of 2024. Tourism is largely credited for stability of the Uganda shilling against the US Dollar as well as it’s contribution in resolving Uganda’s Balance of Payments deficit, and ofcourse enabling economists better manage inflation by stabilizing Uganda’s forex reserves.

I applaud Government of Uganda for prioritizing Tourism as one of the priority sectors in NDP IV and indeed one of the magic bullets to achieve Vision 2040 that among other things is set to see Uganda join middle income status. The ATM strategy as adopted by government looks at Agriculture, Tourism and Mining as key growth sectors that will receive major investment from Government in bid to reap the much anticipated outcomes.

In this article , allow me offer 3 Strategies that will sustainably spur Tourism business and growth in Uganda for Government of Uganda’s consideration.

1. Investment in Luxury Accommodation Facilities

Uganda is truly blessed and gifted by nature with vast natural attractions , from the rare mountain Gorillas , to the vast savannah parks to beautiful landscape and hills , not forgetting the Source of the Nile, Lake Victoria among others. However, the missing link has been and still is the limited supply of luxury hotel rooms in Uganda. Tourists are increasingly looking out for destinations that offer premium experiences and luxury accommodation is at the core. Every Tourist including me and you, would wish to have a memorable holiday in 4 star and 5 star facilities albeit affordably. Affordability can only be achieved with ample supply and stock of luxury hotel rooms.

To bridge this gap, Uganda Government through the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife  Antiquities ( MTWA) and the  Uganda Investment Authority ( UIA) should carefully garzette tourism investment zones in Tourism hotspots across the country in a model similar to what has been achieved with the industrial parks. Tourism rich hotspots like Kapchorwa, shores of the Nile in Jinja, Lake Victoria shores, Kasese, Moroto among others , have failed to pick up largely due to limited high quality accommodation. Yes, some strides have been made by Uganda Wildlife Authority in the national parks, however the vacuum still lingers over our sector. Forinstance Why would Jinja, “the Adventure Capital of East Africa and Home of the River Nile ” not have a single 5 star resort in a time like this?

Well, the solution lies in a deliberate move by Uganda Government to garzette tourism investment zones with free land and a host of other incentives. Uganda’s Tourism sector will without doubt see a huge surge of interest from investors both local and international and within no time , we will achieve sufficient stock of luxury hotels across the country.

As a Tour Operator for more than 17 years in Uganda and the region , I can assure you that one of the most critical pull factors of high-end tourists to any destination globally is Quality of Accommodation. In Tourism Development, the Chicken ( product Investment) comes first and the Egg ( Tourists) will follow suit.

In addition, Government of Uganda through the National Enterprise Corporation and Nile Hotel International, which is the hospitality business arm of Government can consider upscaling it’s internal strategy to directly invest in establishing a few luxury hotels as it seeks to not only bridge this gap and jump start Tourism in Uganda but also increase it’s hotel investment portfolio as a profit making institution of Government. By prioritizing Tourism, Government is literally saying, Tourism Business is too important to be entirely left to the private sector, so in a nutshell, let’s get the ball rolling.

2. Safari Motor Vehicle Credit to Tour Operation Firms in Uganda.

Uganda has recently been recognized and awarded as the world’s best upcoming & promising Tourist destination at the just concluded OTM India Travel expo 2025 . However for this promise to see light of Day and graduate from upcoming to the World’s leading Tourist destination, Government needs to consider a deliberate action to improve Uganda’s overall tourist experience through the establishment of Tourist Motor Vehicle Credit Scheme for Uganda’s Tour Operations Firms with the aim of enhancing the Quality of Tourist Transportation Services in Uganda.

For several years , the control of investment in the Tourist Transport sector in Uganda has largely been left to the indigenous & narsent private sector that is largely dominated by Small and Medium Enterprises whose capacity to procure high quality Tourist Safari Landcruisers and other modes of transport like luxury Buses is greatly limited . This lack of quality Tourist Transport has hampered tourism growth in Uganda to a large extent.

A great opportunity to reverse this trajectory, lies with the Government of Uganda through the Engineering Division of the UPDF and KIIRA Motors to consider fabrication of atleast 300 Luxury high quality Safari Landcruisers and Luxury Tourist Buses. Then the credit and acquisition scheme can be rolled out in partnership with the Association of Uganda Tour Operators ( AUTO) and Uganda Tourism Board ( UTB).  Government will then avail each registered and licensed Tour Operator with a Luxury Safari Land Cruiser on a credit scheme and flexible repayment plan of appx 3 – 5 years.

Such a Bold move and strategic investment action by the Government, will see a dramatic improvement in the Tourist experience and eventual boost in luxury tourist arrivals to Uganda. Allow me state that much as tourism promotion and advertising in international source markets in crucial but the Hallmark of Tourism Marketing is investment in a good tourism product and experience back Home.

Tour Operators in Uganda are the pivot and main distribution channel of Tourism cash flows to the various players and actors across the entire tourism value chain. Whenever a Tour Operator receives a Payment from a Tourist, they immediately disbatch these dollars $$ to various value chain actors including Hotels & Lodges, fuel companies, Uganda wildlife authority, Boat owners, local community groups, restaurants and eateries, among others and eventually pay off taxes to the government too whilst retaining a minimal profit.

However the time is now for the Government of Uganda to consider directly empowering this Key Player in Uganda’s Tourism ( The Tour Operator). The Association of Uganda Tour Operators ( AUTO) is a 300 member strong, self regulated private sector umbrella with ability to foresee and partner with Government of Uganda in implementing such a Tourist Motor Vehicle Credit Scheme.

This will be the ultimate game changer in Uganda’s Tourism journey ever.

3. Investment in Skilling and Professionalizing Uganda’s Tourism and Hospitality Work Force.

Many of us are familiar with the continuous feedback from tourists and various visitors to Uganda , about the friendliness of Ugandans as a people. No wonder, various bloggers and media outlets have pronounced and branded Uganda severally as the “Friendliest Country in the World”. However, how have we tapped into and taken advantage of such a God- given personality trait and attribute?

The lowest hanging fruit lies with the Government owned Uganda Hotel and Tourism Training Institute in Jinja. The institution mandated to sustainably produce a high quality stock of tourism and hospitality labour force. There’s need to re-engineer the strategic direction of this giant institution and realign it’s deliverables to reflect the current and future needs of both Uganda’s Tourism sector and the international demands and expectations of the global tourist and traveler.

Harnessing the power of the Internet and benchmarking into e-learning global best practices, the Uganda tourism and tourism Training institute will not only lure a vast majority of young talented Ugandans into the tourism sector but also enhance the capacity of the existing workforce.

Tourism is a Summation of Food , Lodging, Entertainment and Mobility. One of Uganda’s competitive advantage lies in our Culinary Tourism offering. For instance , Uganda is internationally unmatched in quantity of food production and availability, We have done tremendously well with our tasty local cuisines and indeed Uganda’s traditional Buffet offers one of the richest culinary experiences world over , However what has eluded us in the hospitality sector all this long is the Quality of international & Continental Food cuisines served in our hotels, lodges and restaurants. Luxury Tourists are always keen their on their Dining Experiences and therefore we need to up our game in this area by deliberately empowering the Uganda Hotel and Training Institute to produce a high a sufficient stock of highly trained and skilled hotel and tourism professionals including chefs, Managers, Service staff, Tourism consultants and more.

Tourism and Hospitality professionals are the Hallmark of sustainable tourism. Tourism that will see it’s benefits transcend generations, Tourism that will be an anchor of Uganda’s Tourism growth and Prosperity.

All Said , Tourism remains a strong Pillar of Uganda’s economic growth system and all that is needed is a just a little push and deliberate strategic actions to get the sector off the ground.

For God And My Country 🙏

By Eddy Kirya

The Writer is a recipient of the prestigious Independence Diamond Jubilee Medal, Former Board Member at the Uganda Tourism Board ( UTB) and Managing Director/ Tour Operator at Eyalama Adventures.