The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) has inaugurated the “Open Park Day” in a bid to boost domestic tourism.
The UWA Executive Director, Mr. Sam Mwandha, while talking to the press conference on Monday, September 30, 2024, revealed that this is an exciting offer scheduled to take place in October 17th to 18th, 2024.
During this period, Ugandan citizens and foreign residents, including their children, will have free access to the different national parks.
The participants in the Open Park Day tour will have free access to the following national parks destinations: Kidepo Valley National Park, Lake Mburo National Park, Murchison Falls National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, and Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve.
“For two days, we are offering free entry and game drives for Ugandan citizens and foreign residents in five of Uganda’s breathtaking wildlife destinations, stated a statement of UWA posted on their X, formerly Twitter handle,” Mwandha said.
According to the tourism statistics report 2024, Uganda’s international tourists grew by 48.5 percent and are expected to reach $1.025 billion, representing 83.4 percent of the $1.6 billion.
The report also notes that domestic tourism has increased by 25.3 percent in 2023, with more Ugandans visiting national parks.
Currently, tourism is one of Uganda’s key sectors, contributing about 4.7 percent to the country’s GDP.
This has been attributed to the growth in both numbers and revenue of arrivals from Africa and some key overseas markets, including the United Kingdom, United States of America, and India.