Amos Wekesa, the Chief Executive Officer of the Great Lakes Uganda Authority, said while touring the United States of America recently that the continued negative publicity about Uganda has continued to obstruct the marketing of the tourism sector in Uganda.
AS SHARED:
I was in Austin, Texas, last month for a marketing trip as a member of the American tour operator association! Out of curiosity, I asked American tour operators how many tourists they send to Kenya and Tanzania. The first tour operator I asked said he sent 50 tourists daily.
After she said I send 50 tourists daily throughout the year to Kenya, I asked how much each pays for a safari, and she said 6,000 dollars! Basic mathematics gave me $300,000 daily to send to Kenya, and yes, that multiplies by 365 days in a year! From one tour operator, let that sink in!
Meanwhile, we were discussing business for 2025, 2023, and 2024, and they were already sold out! How can you send at least 300 to Uganda in a year? I ask her later, during her off time! She said Uganda is a very beautiful country but extremely hard to sell. Right now, the only news is Ebola.
She said Kenya as a country has a big marketing budget with representation here in the US! In addition, Kenya Airways has a daily direct flight from New York to Nairobi! Kenya Airways supports our efforts as American tour operators to sell Kenya as a destination!
She said if I book trips to Uganda for 2025, I don’t know what kind of news will come out of Uganda then! You guys don’t know how to manage information. Every country she adds has issues, but you guys don’t know the value of wise communication!
Now you understand that even with our great potential, one big Kenyan tour operator can easily outcompete all Ugandan tour operators combined in revenue! You understand why Masai Mara alone got $300,000 in 2019 and our 22 national parks and game reserves got $329,000 combined?
You also understand why an individual tour operator in Uganda will push but be limited because there isn’t a national focus? But do you also see what we are missing as a country? You see why we borrow too much when we can avoid it or limit it if we position Uganda?
Government Tourism Commitment;
Tourism is identified as a critical opportunity in Uganda Vision 2040 that should be capitalized on as soon as possible in order to facilitate Uganda’s socioeconomic transformation into a prosperous upper middle-income country.
The tourism sector contributes to job creation, foreign exchange earnings, investment, poverty reduction, and conservation promotion. Its multiplier is very wide.
However, this industry is dealt a negative blow by some opposition leaders who market and spread negative propaganda to the extent that tour companies outside Uganda are afraid of committing and booking in larger numbers.
because they are afraid of what Bobi Wine and Col. Kizza Besigye are saying, who occasionally badmouth their own country for personal political reasons.
Uganda is an immensely beautiful country with a lot of potential in terms of tourism, but opposition leaders, out of malice, speak ill of their home land.
