Why eastern region has lagged behind in tourism

Tourism players and leaders in the eastern region have said poor marketing of tourism sites by the government has hindered the development of tourism in the region.

Mr Saleh Naminya, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Casa Uganda Safaris and Lodges and Casa Del Turista, a tour and travel company, said eastern region only gets 10 percent of the total tourists, who visit the country due to poor marketing and roads.

“This is because of factors such as poor marketing, poor road networks and government’s way of   promoting tourism sites in some regions and ignoring others such as eastern,” Mr Naminya said.

Among tourist sites in the region are Mount Elgon National Park, Sipi falls, Lake Victoria, Nyero rock, Source of the Nile, Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve, Wanale Hill, Kagulu Hill, Tororo Rock and Bugisu cultural centre.

Mr Naminya said the region is also endowed with evergreen and bamboo forests, magnificent waterfalls, stunning peaks, interesting plants, fascinating birds, and primates such as the blue monkey and colobus monkey.

Mr James Kutosi, the spokesperson of Mbale City, said the government has not done so much in terms of promoting tourism yet it has potential to employ thousands of unemployed youth.

“Tourism activities in this region has been more in the hands of private players, not the government, which is supposed to be the main player,”Mr Kutosi said, adding that tourism will improve the economy if it’s well marketed and promoted.

Mr Uthman Mugoya, the director of Mount Elgon Hotel- Mbale, said eastern Uganda’s heritage, including wild animals and its beautiful scenery, are a lucrative source of foreign exchange income for the country if tapped.

“The region has the best top tourists’ sites but has the lowest number of tourists.  The region is gifted by nature, and it is one of the regions in the country with favourable climate,” Mr Mugoya said.

He added: “Let us all be the ambassadors to preach the gospel of domestic tourism. If we have more people visiting domestic tourism it benefits all of us,” Mr Mugoya said.
 Ms Nabukonde Kiyayi Roukaya, the 19-year-old new Miss Tourism Uganda hailing from Sironko District, asked the public and government to work towards preserving culture, arts, conservation and sustainability.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with Joshua Cheptegei Development Foundation has also unveiled the UNDP Elgon Half Marathon to promote the region as a tourism destination. The event, set to take place on October 28 in Mbale, will also highlight the need for climate change action and biodiversity conservation in the Elgon region. The region is known for its vulnerability to climate related disasters such as landslides and floods.

Mr Joshua Cheptegei, the reigning Olympic Champion and a three-time 10,000m world champion, said on Wednesday that the marathon will elevate the profile of the Elgon region as a world-class tourism destination in the country.

Ms Winnie Nambuba, the senior tourism officer Mbale City, said the tourism players should join hands and mobilise people to understand the importance of domestic tourism. “This region is adversely affected by lack of stakeholder cooperation in the marketing of the tourism destination,” she said.

Trend
According to the Annual Tourism Sector performance report for Financial Year 2018/2019, the number of tourists in the country in 2018 reached 1,505,669, up from 1,402,409 in 2017. The report says the sector accounted for 7.7 percent of the national GDP and 6.7 percent of total national employment after creating 667,600 jobs.