The Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) is set to host the 2023 Pearl of Africa Expo (POATE), set to take place at Munyonyo Common Wealth Resort in Kampala from April 26th–29th, 2023.
POATE is an annual event aimed at fostering excellent networking, spurring prospects, and inspiring insightful discussion on the potential of the tourism industry.
The event brings together tourism stakeholders in one ideal meeting place to meet with exhibitors, buyers, investors, and suppliers of services in the tourism sector from all over the world.
The event that will start on Wednesday shall begin with five eye-opening seminars in which some 100 pre-qualified tourism specialists and 300 first-class exhibitors will participate.
According to UTB’s Marketing Manager Claire Mugabi Nasali, the key note speakers during the event shall include Kawere Richard, a lecturer from Makerere University Business School (moderator), Rick Taylor, founder of The Business Tourism Company; Nicanor Sabula, the board director of the Africa Association of Management Executives; Frank Gisha, the East Africa Tourism Platform Executive Director; and Esmare Steinhofel, Regional Director for Africa.
“We hope to welcome over 300 exhibitors. This includes tourism boards and associations from the region that will interact with our local suppliers for the benefit of tourism,” Mugabi said during the press conference.
This expo comes after one of Uganda’s biggest tourism calendar activities this year, promoting #ExploreWest, a domestic tourism promotion that started from April 12, 2023, to April 16, 2023.
Lilly Ajarova, the Chief Executive Officer of Uganda Tourism Board (UTB), the government agency charged with the responsibility of marketing Uganda to the world, said this year’s expo will draw both local and international players together to showcase Uganda’s tourism attractions to the world.
UBT last held the expo in 2021, which was virtual and attracted 422 exhibitors, 428 hosted buyers, 30 speakers, and 113 guest participants.
According to Ajarova, the value of each business lead at POATE 2021 stood at Shs78.8 million, with UTB registering a media advertising equivalent of Shs483 million as a result of all communications incidental to POATE 2021.
