Tourism Board appeals to media practitioners on constructive journalism

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The Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) has urged journalists and media practitioners to strike a balance between publicising national concerns and what it termed as negative publicity.

The call was sounded by Lilly Ajarova, the UTB chief executive officer during a three-day workshop with media practitioners in Queen Elizabeth National Park.

"Among the products we sell as a country, is the culinary. We should not, therefore, wake up to big headlines about contaminated food being served in our restaurants. And after such headlines, the media often does not labour to publish condensing follow-up stories to allay the fears," she lamented.

Lilly Ajarova, the Chief Executive Officer for Uganda Tourism Board highlighting some components on the new strategic plan for tourism promotion in Uganda. (Photo by Julius Luwemba)

Ajarova's concerns were backed by those of Simplicious Gessa, the UTB public relations officer, who revealed that the government's agency invests a lot of money in marketing Uganda, "only to be let down by some poorly packaged reports in the local media."

Re-echoing Ajarova's concern, Yzani Bakkes, a South African national, currently working as the guest relations officer for The Uganda Safari Company, expressed similar concerns. "Why are Ugandans quicker to share devastating stories about their country than the positive vibes," she wondered.

"Am not saying the media should ignore human and health concerns, but there has to be a well-balanced reporting, not to kill the good image of the country," she urged.

During the workshop at Kyangabi Crater Resort (Rubirizi district), the editors echoed the role of the media in holding the government and its agencies accountable and, therefore, tasked UTB to engage other government institutions to play their oversight obligations to avoid bad publicity. They also appealed for timely updates and recurring engagements by the tourism board on the targets and steps being taken in promoting Uganda as a desired tourism destination.

Editors Having a photo moment infront of a new Equator monument at Kikorongo in Queen Elizabeth National park. (Photo by Julius Luwemba)

The tourism officials pledged to continue engaging media practitioners at different levels to understand Uganda's marketing strategies, products and plans. The team which consisted mainly of editors, were taken on experiential tours within the national park where they got an up-close of large carnivores such as lions, hyenas and leopards plus a visit to the newly constructed equator monument at Kikorongo along the Kasese-Mpondwe road. The group also enjoyed a boat cruise along the Kazinga channel, which connects lakes George and Edward, plus several community visits.

New Marketing Strategy

"Developing tourism in Uganda requires a comprehensive strategy that encompasses various aspects such as infrastructure development, promotion, conservation, community involvement and policy support," retorted Ajarova. It was upon such a background that she revealed a new strategy aimed at enhancing tourism promotion in Uganda.

Ajarova's strategy for the new financial year includes;

Infrastructure development for different sites such as the source of the Nile and its ecosystem, mountain Rwenzori and the environs that encompass mountain Gorillas in addition to improving road networks to key tourist destinations such as national parks and cultural sites.

Tourist vehicles parked for occupants to catch a glimpse of the tree climbing lions in Queen Elizabeth National Park. (Photo by Julius Luwemba)

Enhancement of airport facilities and services to accommodate increased tourist arrivals, plus the development and maintenance of accommodation facilities near tourist attractions has also been prioritised.

"We also intend to foster public-private partnerships to facilitate the collaboration and investment in tourism infrastructure and services as well as ensuring safety and security to protect tourists and their belongings," Ajarova added.

During the workshop, the media managers had interactions with several conservations, including game rangers who guided the group during a game drive in the park and a boat ride on the Kazinga Channel. The Kazinga Channel, a 32-kilometre-long freshwater channel, links Lake Edward to Lake George. 

Promotion and Marketing

The Tourism Board custodian also disclosed plans of utilising social media platforms, travel blogs and influencers to reach a wider audience, as one way of promoting Uganda as a desired destination for tourists. Several relevant government agencies are also being coated to streamline visa processes and incentivize investment in the tourism sector.

Elephants after taking a dip in the waters of Kazinga channel that connects lakes George and Edward. (Photo by Julius Luwemba)

Gessa explained that the tourism promotion body in conjunction with Uganda Wildlife Authority and local communities plus other conservation organisations are pushing for collaborations to ensure responsible tourism and enforce regulations to minimise the negative impacts of tourism on the environment and wildlife.

He further noted that UTB has identified and is in plans to develop new tourism products and experiences such as adventure tourism, eco-tourism and cultural tourism, among others, to diversify Uganda's tourism offerings.

Opportunities in the Tourism sector

In 2023, Uganda's tourism sector exhibited a remarkable recovery, with international tourist arrivals increasing by 56.4% from the previous year, reaching 1,274,210 compared to 814,508 in 2022. International tourism in Uganda recovered to 82.6% of the pre-pandemic levels, a testament to the sector's resilience and the effectiveness of strategic initiatives.

A lioness and its cubs up in the acacia tree, Kasenyi sector in Queen Elizabeth National Park. (Photo by Julius Luwemba)

According to the 2024 statistical abstract by the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities (MTWA), the sector's direct contribution to employment rose, supporting over 610,806 jobs in 2022, a 6.5% increase from 2019.

Furthermore, tourism's contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was significant, underscoring its importance to Uganda's economic stability and growth. The report also covers accommodation utilisation.

According to Jean Byamugisha, the CEO of the Uganda Hotel Owners Association, the national average hotel room occupancy rose from 46% in 2020 to 53.9% in 2023, indicating a positive trend and employability in the country.

Domestic tourism saw a 25.3% increase in 2023, with significant growth in visitations to the Uganda Wildlife Conservation Education Centre (UWEC), the source of the Nile and the Uganda Museum.

Aboard the Pelican boat sailing along the Kazinga Channel in Queen Elizabeth National Park during a UTB media retreat. (Photo by Julius Luwemba)

The country's rich biodiversity and natural heritage have seen a significant increase in the number of tourists. Several tour companies have thus cropped up, employing millions of Ugandans as tour guides, operators, drivers and conservationists.

Irene Allen Namisango from the private sector has seized an opportunity to rally young people below 35 years to participate in annual tourism and travel writing competitions, where they write about their travel experiences and win multiple other trips, hampers and cash prizes. On average, 250 youths participate in the initiative every year, from which they are exposed to multiple opportunities in the tourism sector.

Detailing the importance of tourism to Uganda, Col. (Rtd) Tom Butime, the tourism minister, said the sector recorded 1,274,210 tourist arrivals in 2023, contributing a global market share of 0.01% to the world. In the year 2022, the tourism industry contributed 4.7% (close to sh8 trillion) towards the country's GDP.

UTB in conjunction with the private sector under their umbrella body Uganda Association of Conference and Incentive Industry (UACII) have stepped up efforts to position Uganda as a desired destination for MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events).

Peter Mwanja, the UACII treasurer, explained that MICE is a very big value chain saying, every person who travels for conferences, spends an average of $300 every day. "Whereas MICE in Uganda started coming to light in 2018, there has been steady improvement whereby Uganda was ranked in the sixth position in 2022, only behind South Africa, Morocco, Rwanda, Egypt and Kenya," Mwanja noted.

He further intimated that Uganda had been kept lagging due to a lack of space in conference halls and low marketing campaigns. "But we have now realised that the revenues that are generated from business tourism, grow by 7.5% every year compared to that of leisure, which grows at about 3%," he stated, adding that if well popularized, Uganda might start getting $1b annually from MICE alone.

"We proved ourselves as a country when we hosted the NAM and G77+ China conferences early this year," Ajarova expressed. She further noted that the conferences did not only give Uganda an international public relations value but also increased the employment opportunities for thousands of Ugandans.

Editors and media practitioners having a photo moment with officials from the Uganda Tourism Board at Kyangabi hotel in Queen Elizabeth National Park. (Photo by Julius Luwemba)

The UTB boss remains optimistic that the current trend and collaboration between the private sector and the government, will destiny Uganda for excellent opportunities in the tourism sector.

The strategic plan for the year 2024/2025 aims at catapulting Uganda towards a GDP of $50b by the year 2039. At its core, the plan lays a multifaceted approach encompassing destination marketing, quality assurance and holistic stakeholder engagement.