Tour Guides Forum Uganda

23/12/2023

Merry Christmas and a happy blessed new to you all. 2024 for winners, in the most high we believe. Greetings from your chairman

14/08/2023

Dear tourism partners and friends kindly join the ministry of tourism and heritage Busoga kingdom for Kagulu Rock challenge on 26th August 2023.
A lot of developments have been done on the rock with support from the ministry of tourism wildlife and antiquities, the new steps on the rock to ease the hike, supporting chains, though the typical adventure hike of the bare rock still exists for the adventurous ones.
The program starts on the 25th night with traditional music and dances and the competition for miss tourism Busoga.

On 26th the main celebrations day we shall start with the rock hike at 8:00am, and the chief hiker is the Kyabazinga of Busoga *HM William Gabula Nadiope Kadhumbula 1V.*

After the hike we shall have the crowning of miss tourism Busoga, formal speeches from the invited guests , chief guest and the Kyabazinga.

For the tourism people, we shall meanwhile visit Iyingo landing site on Lake Kyoga just adjacent to Kagulu Rock to complete the trial.
Iyingo landing site is the starting point of Busoga trail since this is the point where prince Mukuma Namutukula his wife and family landed crossing from Bunyoro kingdom. We shall have the entire story shared on that day about prince Namutukula.
We can't wait to host you.

James Mwere
*Senior Tourism Officer ministry of tourism and heritage Busoga kingdom.*

08/07/2023

About Uganda wildlife Authority's stakeholders engagement last evening at Protea Skyz Naguru. TGFU members in presence.

06/06/2023

Validation workshop of report for the review and harmonisation of the Tourism licensing and taxation framework for the ministry of tourism , wildlife and antiquities at Protea Skyz Kampala. The consultants have done a great job indeed mainly looking at a number of taxes duplicated by local government And tourism mainly on hotels where a hotel pays an operating license and again pays for every business they done within the hotel, bar, restaurant, pool table, swimming pool etc.... For the guides I have raised two critical issues with the report , one is about the proposed license fees which is 250,000 and this cuts across for tour companies, hotels and guides which is not fair to charge guides the same rate as their employers. Secondly on the direct benefits that come with the licensing, tour operators get exemption on tourist vehicles and hotels get on hotel items ,so the big question what will the guides get after licensing as a direct benefit, can we also get exemption on customized tourist vehicles❓

James Mwere
Chairman,

25/03/2023

https://www.ecotripmatch.com/best-nature-tour-guide-vote/?utm_source=mailpoet&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=meet-the-finalists-everyone-can-vote_18

Dear friends, it's time to vote for your best international nature tour guide with the above link.

*I kindly request for your votes again, 2023 it's coming home.*

*James Mwere:*
🟢Mj Safaris Uganda.
🟢Chairman Tour guides forum Uganda.
🟢Senior tourism officer ministry of tourism and heritage Busoga kingdom

2023 EcoTripMatch.com Best Nature Tour Guide Welcome. We think you’ll be inspired by the descriptions of the finalists this year (scroll down). When you are ready to vote, click on the image of your favorite. Return here after April 10th to see the winner! IN THE WORDS OF THEIR NOMINATORS…. Jame...

17/02/2023

WE HAVE A NEW BABY! 🦍

Adult female Tomvi of the Mukiza mountain gorilla family in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park gave birth to a healthy baby on Valentines Day (14/2/2023).

Our field teams have for the last few days been trying to get an image of the baby especially with how tightly guarded she’s been by her protective father and mother. This new birth means that there are now 19 individuals in this family.

This little bundle of joy is already showing signs of being an active and curious fella and is a testimony to the many years of successful conservation.

Please leave a congratulatory note 😄 for the family in the comments section below.

17/02/2023

What a great engagement it was.

14/01/2023

Hands on training for guides , Tour Guides Forum Uganda in partnership with Uganda Wildlife Authority .

Mr. Muzoora Sylvester tourism lecturer from HTTI Jinja.

14/01/2023

Uganda tour guides forum and Uganda Wildlife Authority ,together with Uganda Tourism Board-UTB ongoing hands on training for tour guides in Murchison falls national.

06/01/2023

Friends join me for a spin class this Saturday morning at .

02/01/2023

MY NEW YEAR'S MESSAGE

Greetings,

The year 2022 was a year of ups and downs for the tourism sector in Uganda, coming from two years lockdown due to the Covid pandemic.

The launch of "Explore Uganda", the new destination brand for Uganda was a great way to start the year. The change experienced with the launch has been significant, a clear indication that the time was ripe for this change. For instance on the domestic tourism front, there was an increased interest among Ugandans to Explore their own country and experience the unique tourism products it has to offer.

The tourism sector continues to grapple with a number of challenges but ones which shall strive to successfully navigate through.

As we continue with the great job of marketing Uganda, we can't fail to look at what the future looks like for us. From paying more attention to accessible travel to having more women in leadership positions in the travel sector.

From paying attention to Uganda's gastronomy scene that continues to be largely unexplored to rethinking tourism & recognising the power of local travellers to keep the sector's economic recovery going. Of importance this year will also be focus on improving standards and quality of services offered, attracting more investments in the sector and growth of MICE tourism.

Even as we continue to explore ways of expanding to more International markets, we shall continue being intentional about growing the domestic tourism numbers because we believe charity begins at home.

As we begin the new year, I would like to thank everyone from the government and stakeholders in the tourism sector to individual travelers who continue to support Tourism in Uganda. It's good to say Tourism is in safe hands.

Wishing you and your families a Happy New and Prosperous 2023.

We Do Tourism!

02/01/2023

*Send your application to [email protected] or contact our admin Nelly +256 706 083718 or 0772995565 James Mwere Chairman*

18/12/2022

*On behalf of the Tour guides fraternity I wish to genuinely thank you all for supporting our End of Year Party 2022.*
Thanks to your sponsorship, support and participation, *we put on an exceptional end of year party with over 200 guests.*
As we all know, the tourism industry has been through a lot of change due to the pandemic, and it is critical for the guides to have the opportunity to come together to appreciate these changes and prepare for the future.
Thank you for investing your time and resources to help recognize and appreciate the role of guides and provide a memorable experience for us.

We would like to take this opportunity to say a special thank you to *Lydia Mama Mpanga and your dedicated team at Papyrus Guest House Entebbe, Madam Civy Tumusiime Chair AUTO* for powering this party, *Denis Ntege* you were an amazing MC.

*Special thanks again to AUTO, and our Government partners UWA, MTWA, UTB, and UWEC for the support and solidarity. Thank you Mr. Masaba Stephen (UWA) our chief guest, Aggie Nakidde(UWA), Eric Ntalo PRO (UWEC), Albert Kasozi CEO (AUTO), Mr Anthony Njorege of Bar Aviation, Mr Baluku Godfrey tourism foot soldier , Kato Isa Auto board member, Raymond wild Frontiers, Alpha Gecko safaris, Mr Erau Jonathan and Mr Federis Kanyamunyu senior conservationist for gracing our event.*

For the hotels and lodges ,Raft Uganda, Uganda wildlife authority and Aviation stakeholders Bar Aviation and Aero link , Kayonza tea your prizes and giveaways were amazing for our guides the fact that they are going to enjoy the tourism services this time with their spouses.

*We hope that we can always count on your sponsorship and support in the future.*

Thank you again for all of your generous support and love, we could not have done it without you! We look forward to your participation again next year. Stay Safe and healthy, Merry Christmas and a happy new year.

*James Mwere: TGFU Chairman, Mj Safaris Uganda and Tourism Busoga Kingdom*

15/12/2022

*INVITATION FOR ALL TOUR GUIDES*

GENERAL TOUR GUIDES END OF YEAR PARTY. DATE: THIS Friday 16TH DEC,2022

TIME: 10:00AM TILL LATE.

VENUE: PAPYRUS GUEST HOUSE ENTEBBE

10:00AM GAME: TOUR GUIDES FC VS MABAMBA FC AT KISUBI GROUNDS

11:30 ALL OF US TO BE AT THE VENUE: PAPYRUS GUEST HOUSE ENTEBBE

All of you Guides are invited to attend, let's meet and celebrate together as one.

The party is co-sponsored by Nkuringo Walking safaris, Papyrus guest house , Acacia safaris, Pakuba safari lodge, Raft Uganda and Speke Uganda Holidays.

15/12/2022

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳 2023 𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘶𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 21𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘍𝘦𝘣𝘳𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘺, 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺 - 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴.
𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘶𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦, 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦.
𝘐𝘯 𝘢 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘧𝘵, 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘶𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵. 𝘞𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵.
𝘕𝘰𝘸, 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦, 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴.
𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦, 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 2023 𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘛𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘎𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘋𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘴; 𝘙𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘮: 𝘙𝘦𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯.
𝘗𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥𝘸𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘺.

We look forward to seeing the WFTGA Family come together in February 2023.
Yours in Tourist Guiding,

Alushca Ritchie, WFTGA President, Nina, Viola, Manu, Maricar, and James - WFTGA Executive

𝗗𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘂𝘀!

28/11/2022

*28-11-2022*

*POSTPONEMENT OF TGFU TRAINING IN MURCHISON FALLS*

Dear members, this communication serves to notify you all about the association leadership's decision to postpone our training in Murchison falls national park earlier scheduled for *1st-10th Dec 2022 to new dates of January 13th to 22nd 2023.*

We humbly apologize for any inconveniences caused due to these changes. It's due to circumstances beyond our control as an association.

Kindly re-adjust to fit in the new set dates.

The association admin will keep you posted with all developments in regard to this training.

This also gives an opportunity to our members that have been busy with trips to join us for the training in January 2023.

*TGFU united we win*

*For Tgfu*
James Mwere
Chairman
0772995565

24/10/2022

SpaMANIA wellness center is a very nice place where you can get a very good massage with the Professional Massas uses! They also have a sauna & steambath & offered our members a free massage for all first timers on every Monday for men & Wednesday for ladies. Lets embrace it fellow tourguides & encourage more people to go for it. Weldone SpaMANIA, we shall keep supporting you. You can access it on their 2 branches, one at Freedom city Najjanankumbi & second one in Ntinda on Kisaasi rd after Baba TV.

22/10/2022

Rubarika Safari Lodge is a new place that does Agritourism & it's worth a visit. It's situated in Fortportal & you can access it using Rwimi -Kamwenge Rd.

20/10/2022

*TGFU IN PARTNERSHIP WITH UWA*

TOUR GUIDES HANDS-ON TRAINING IN MURCHISON FALLS NATIONAL PARK 1st-10th DEC 2022.

1)Game viewing and tourist driving

2) Nature and wildlife interpretation

3) Customer Handling

4) Introduction to tour guiding business

5) Tour guides assessment and licensing

*Cost is 680,000 per person* for the entire training, the cost will cover training theory and practicals, accommodation, meals, boat cruises, game drives , top of the falls, nature walks and transport, training materials.

*Send your application to [email protected] or contact our admin Nelly +256 706 083718 or 0772995565 James Mwere Chairman*

Tour Guide Forum Uganda is a registered association for tour guides and tourist drivers in Uganda.

16/10/2022

Greetings members,on Friday 14-10-2022 we held our Annual General Meeting for Tour guides forum Uganda at Naguru, great thanks to members and our invited guests/partners for attending that included Ministry of tourism and Heritage Busoga kingdom represented By Hon Hellenah Olga Namutamba our chief guest who gave a great talk to the members, , our development partners, Kembabazi restaurant our business partners , business partners. , , Virunga Massive and sent in apologies. It was a great day as we had a recap of the past one year and our way forward as a growing association. We keep moving forward driving on unity and transparency as our strongest pillars. I thank you all for the support always towards our association. James Mwere the Chairman.

07/10/2022

07/10/2022

07/10/2022

You guys know I believe in Ugandas potential but let me give you some facts!

During the best season, Uganda wild life authority which controls 22 national parks and game reserves combined collects ushs 300m in a day!

Ngorogoro crater in Tanzania will collect 500k usd a day!

That means Ngorogoro crater will collect 1.5bn shillings more than our 22 game reserves and national parks combined!

There are tour companies in Kenya and Tanzania that each have more safari cars than all tour operators in uganda combined!

Many tour operators in Kenya individually make more money in a year than Uganda wildlife authority with 22 national parks and game reserves combined!

UWA collects below ush 150bn a year and many companies in Kenya turnover usd 50m and above every year, we are talking good year.
Uganda is so endowed by God but we have to be aggressive and market this beautiful land and make money!

The above facts aren't known by our leaders both opposition and government!

The decision makers in ministry of finance don't know these facts. They don't know our potential

07/10/2022

07/10/2022

We are currently participating in the 11th edition of Magical Kenya Tourism Expo that started on 5th, running upto 7th October 2022 at the Bomas in Nairobi.

The UTB team is being represented by Director Ronald Kaggwa and Deputy CEO Bradford Ochieng together with staff in the marketing department.

Uganda’s marketing contingent include Uganda Wildlife Authority, Uganda Wildlife Education Conservation Centre, Uganda Airlines, the private sector represented by tour operators, hoteliers among others. This year’s expo has attracted over 200 exhibitors, 160 hosted buyers with travel trade and international media across over 30 countries from the globe.

Uganda’s participation in the Expo is key in positioning the country’s tourism products and services to the globe. Kenya as a country has previously contributed over 60% of inbound visitors making it a strategic source market for Uganda. While at the Expo, Uganda Tourism Board will leverage on this opportunity to emphasize the new refreshed destination brand Explore Uganda – The Pearl of Africa that positions Uganda as a unique tourism destination.

To show case Uganda to the world, the board has so far hosted a media briefing and MKTE cocktail ‘night of magic’ which has already generated a lot of interest and traffic to destination Uganda exhibition stall. Other events planned include hosted buyer hangout, tourism board dinner, ATTA networking cocktail, closing cocktail and a speakers’ appreciation dinner.

UTB Director Ronald Kaggwa on the sidelines of the Expo revealed that tourism is listed among the foundational elements of the economy under Vision 2040. “In order to take advantage of the numerous opportunities available, it is imperative to aggressively market our destination, bring forward the brand image, reputation and Uganda’s unique identity,” he said.

Bradford Ochieng, UTB Deputy CEO noted that the board was working closely with Market Destination Representatives Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities and its agencies like Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), Uganda Wildlife Education Centre among others, private sector and development partners to market Uganda as a preferred tourism destination. “UTB is not only working to increase the number of tourists but also add value on their spending.

This will subsequently stimulate increased investments that create employment and inclusive development of the country,” he said.

04/10/2022

Good day members!
On Friday 23rd sept, 2022 we held the TGFU leaders meeting at Kembabazi restaurant Naguru.

We agreed to have our AGM *On: Friday 14th,October 2022.*

*Venue:* Kembabazi Restaurant Naguru, our business partners.

*Time:* 8am-12pm

We shall have the Chairman's report, updates , events , training, assessment and licensing of guides and reports from all departments of the association.
We shall also address any issues at hand arising from members and take resulutions.

Going forward, you are requested to mark your calendars, kindly turn up and keep time.

Breakfast will be provided.

Regards,

Nelly Arinaitwe
*Admin TGFU*

27/09/2022

Our chairman with a beautiful World Tourism day quote.

08/08/2022

Greetings from our vice Chairman TGFU Mutebi Mutebi . Have a great new week members.