The Uganda Tourism board demands government to reinstate the defunct Uganda Airlines so as to boost tourism and trade

The Uganda Tourism board demands government to expedite the process of setting up a national airline as way to promote the country’s tourism sector in other countries.

While addressed the Journalists at the Media Centre the Uganda Tourism Association president Boniface Byamukama says Uganda has the potential to generate more revenue from the sector and that revamping the national airline will be a big boost to the sector.

Stephen Assimwe the executive director of Uganda Tourism board says that the airline will be a great asset to the country’s marketing strategy saying that at the moment Uganda is under siege by regional airlines for having one of the most expensive flights to come to the country which he says affects tourism.

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Assimwe says he knows the discussion about the airline is at cabinet level and government is still deciding on how it will operate.

He adds that that if revamped, the Uganda Airline will also become a major marketing tool and that Ugandans and tourists will not be frustrated by other airlines

Government is in the process of revamping Uganda Airlines after a decision by cabinet. But economists have insisted that apart from the investment made, it will be challenging to manage the airline.

Tourism sector players dismiss fears by economists that revamping the national airline will be disastrous, and counterproductive insist that Uganda will be getting more tourists more than the 1.2 million arrivals each year.

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The Chief Executive Officer of the Uganda Tourism Board Stephen Asiimwe said that the Board is focusing on engaging churches within the country and across the region to mobilize and invite people to visit the country at the same time.

Asiimwe says if that is done it will boast Uganda’s revenue generation.

Asiimwe believes the tourism industry should take advantage of the big numbers who are likely to attend the pope’s visit in Uganda to market the sector.

He said that the Uganda Tourism Board is also in talks with different embassies and airlines to help mobilize Christians and facilitate their travels to the country during that time. He said that if well prepared Uganda can reap big from this historical visit.

Pope Francis announced recently that he will make his first visit to Africa later this year with stops in Uganda and the Central African Republic and Government has already put in place a Cabinet subcommittee led by the Prime Minister Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda to plan for the Pope’s visit.

The Tourism board targets to attract 1.5 million tourists in the country this year.

The post Welcoming the Pope: Uganda Tourism Board embarks on strategic marketing plan first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.

Tourists with locals in a Uganda village

The Uganda Tourism Board is asking the government to increase funding to tourism sector in order to help the country better tap the potential of tourism.

At a workshop in Kampala today, the Chairman of the Uganda Tourism Board Edwin Muzahura said that tourism is not picking well in Uganda because the Board is not well funded to advertise the country internationally.

Muzahura says that the Board has only 600 million shilling budget while their Kenya counterparts spend billions of shillings to market their country to potential tourists.

Tourism is one of the leading foreign exchange earners for Uganda, and Muzahura says it could become the biggest foreign exchange earner if Uganda’s potential is well marketed.

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Tourists with locals in a Uganda village

The Uganda Tourism Board has reassured intending tourists to Uganda that the security situation in the country is okay after the various security agencies, moved quickly to avert the security tension that were caused by the recent bomb blasts in Kampala that have left nearly eighty people dead and over 60 people injured.

Reports indicate that the bombings of Kampala left a number of tourists with questions as to whether to come for a tour to Uganda, with several travel agencies indicating they are receiving inquiries of how safe it is to visit Uganda.

The management of the Uganda Tourism board has told journalists at the Media Centre that all visitors, tourists and all other tourism sector players like tour operators, hoteliers, travel agents and airlines that the security organs in Uganda are doing everything possible to ensure that maximum security is restored in the country.

The country’s tourism body says there is no need for intending tourists to change their tours to Uganda and more popular destinations like Bwindi Impenetrable Forest are safe and secure for the tourists to visit.

The peace and security that Uganda has largely enjoyed for the last 25 years or so is one of the principal reasons for the resurgence of the tourism sector in the country to turn it into one of the leading sectors of Uganda’s economy.

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By Zacharia Tiberindwa, Ultimate Media

The post Uganda Tourism Board assures security to intending tourists first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.