America gives Uganda Shs12b for tourism

Kampala

Uganda on Thursday announced plans to introduce “marine tourism” to its list of core sightseeing marvels after the US government offered $6 million (Shs12b) to support the thriving sector over the next five years.

Mr Edwin Muzahura, Uganda Tourism Board’s public relations officer, told this newspaper that they intend to start with purpose-tailored marketing of tourism treasures on Lake Victoria - the world’s second largest freshwater body. “We have rapid waterfalls and sites for water-rafting. That’s why we want to introduce marine tourism which the Americans suggested and are willing to support,” he said after a meeting on Thursday with US Ambassador Jerry Lanier at Mweya Safari Lodge.

The meeting in a chalet inside Queen Elizabeth National Park was to launch United States Agency for International Development’s Shs12 billion domestic tourism campaign, the US Mission in Kampala announced.

“The campaign will raise awareness among Ugandans about the importance of their nation’s natural heritage and the need to improve conservation efforts,” the statement issued by Media Programme Assistant Dorothy Nanyonga, read in part.

It adds: “The goal is to encourage tour operators, hotel owners, and others in the tourism value chain to promote reasonably priced facilities to tourists in Uganda as a means to ensure long-term economic growth in Uganda’s tourism industry.”

Mr Muzahura on Thursday said many Ugandan holiday-makers prefer to travel abroad, and spend more, because they are unaware of the many treasures at home. “The American intervention to develop mechanisms of marketing tourism locally is welcome even when they are not giving the money directly to us,” he said, “Tourism is now the country’s cash cow and has surpassed the fishing and coffee sectors in bringing foreign exchange.”

Last year, Uganda got $746m (Shs1.5 trillion) from 842, 000 tourists, most of them foreigners, and the sector is the fastest growing at 8 per cent this year. The USAID programme will focus on the Albertine region and promote conservation and increase shared profits with rural Ugandans who shoulder conservation costs, the embassy said. “Sharing these benefits is the best way to build a local constituency to support wildlife conservation, which is the tourism resource base for Uganda’s future generations.”