Tourism needs to fully utilise digital innovations

It also involves creating or taking advantage of digital platforms. At the moment, Uganda has several sites and places of interest. FILE PHOTO

What you need to know:

  • The issue: Tourism.
  • Our view: UWA, the Uganda Tourism Board, the Tourism ministry and other stakeholders should create a platform where all our tourism information is readily available.

This year’s World Tourism Day (September 27) celebrations were held along the theme of digital transformation and innovation. The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) released a statement highlighting the different interventions that are in place or in the pipeline in regard to harnessing digital transformation in the tourism sector.

These include using the spatial monitoring and reporting tool to deal with anti-poaching challenges, and collect data regarding designated protected areas. Also highlighted was the plan to monitor wildlife such as lions, elephants and giraffes using satellite radio and collars. Already in place is the smartcard used to pay for services in national parks with plans to adopt a cashless system in the future.
These are commendable steps in taking advantage of digital innovations. Away from UWA’s efforts, digital technologies are transforming tourism in several ways, and we highlight some of these in today’s Tourism feature on P.12-33.

More people are booking hotels online, even domestically. That is why a hotel or leisure activity service provider worth their name creates avenues for people to make inquiries or bookings easier. Beyond the website, there are links on their different social media sites. These are also taking advantage of services such as Airbnb, which is an online hospitality service.
Such services allow potential tourists to find what they are looking for, whether it is accommodation or a restaurant, in one place, compare prices and see what other people are thinking about it. Taking tourism digital is, therefore, the way to go.

However, this does not require only grand measures such as using big data and artificial intelligence. It also involves creating or taking advantage of digital platforms. At the moment, Uganda has several sites and places of interest. While we have featured them in mainstream media, blogs and the like, this information is scattered.
Our recommendation is that UWA, the Uganda Tourism Board, the Tourism ministry and other stakeholders should create a platform where all this information is readily available. For instance, a person looking for interesting places to visit say in Kampala, should be able to visit a website or use a mobile app for suggestions.

These suggestions can include the places, what to expect when they visit, what kind of amenities are available – for instance, does the place have a restaurant or should people pack snacks? At the moment, people rely on Google which gives the most common places, leaving out some hidden gems that tourists can enjoy in Uganda.
Most stakeholders have social media accounts, which are, however, not fully utilised. If we are going to truly take advantage of digital innovations, we need to get the simple things right before looking to grand plans.

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