27/11/2021
PS Tourism Ministry Applauds Domestic Tourism Supporters
The Permanent Secretary Ministry of Tourism, Wild Life and Antiquities Doreen Katusiime has applauded local individuals and companies that have took it upon themselves to support local tourism amid decline in the numbers of foreign tourists due to the COVID 19 pandemic.
Uganda has had a heavy dependence on international tourists for the promotion of her industry. A report by Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS 2019) estimates that the country received 1.8 million international tourists in 2018 which was up from 1.4 million in the year 2017 with a very meagre percentage of domestic travellers.
Most of the marketing campaigns target foreign travellers at the expense of domestic tourism promotion. The implication of this high level of dependence on foreign arrivals is that there is an imminent loss of revenue and livelihoods in the face of global uncertainty because of COVID-19.
Katusiime was speaking at the relaunch of the Breath taking Uganda domestic tourism campaign in Kampala recently where she said such initiatives by the domestic tourism supporters gives hope that the tourism sector can thrive if such initiatives are supported.
“I have interacted with the team from Breath taking Uganda and have learnt a lot from each other, as government and a ministry we shall do what we can especially regarding Uganda’s tourism visibility and as an individual I will encourage my friends and families to take up such trips that are organized domestically,” she said.
She also urged the local tourists to always use the available means such as smartphones and cameras to take and share their experiences so that foreigners can easily be attracted to visit Uganda and help grow the country’s tourism sector.
Isaiah Rwanyekiro the CEO Breath taking Uganda a local company that specializes in promoting local tourism said Ugandans are by nature tourism loving people but have for a long time been hindered by lack of enough knowledge about the sector.
“This is one of the reasons that we have decided to organize domestic trips at low cost to help many Ugandans tour and know their country better. We charge 600,000 shillings per person and after the Murchison Falls trip we are now heading to Kidepo from the 1-3 October and I encourage everybody to get on board and learn more about their country,” he noted.
Breath taking Uganda has designed a time table for the places to visit in quest to promote local tourism in including Christmas in the wilderness where local tourists will have a chance to have chrismas away from home. Among the areas people will have a chance to visit include Queen Elizabeth National Park, Jinja source of the Nile among others.
