Tourism and Wild Life

Tourism is a re-creative and lucrative invisible economic activity which deals in traveling of people from one place / country to another with the purpose of visiting places of pleasure, studying, leisure, curiosity and interest

While wild life refers to fauna (animal life) and flora (plant cover) in their natural habitats.

STATUS AND TREND OF TOURISM INDUSTRY IN UGANDA

Generally, tourism industry in Uganda has the following status or trend;

  • It was a major foreign exchange earner in 1960s as it ranked as the 3rd foreign exchange earner after coffee and cotton.
  • In 1970s due to political instabilities, poor management and other poorly facilitated infrastructures, tourism declined.
  • From 1986 – 2007, tourism is booming at high rate due to the positive policies such as infrastructural development, political stability, liberalization and privatization.
  • Currently it is among the leading foreign exchange earner contributing about 25% of export earnings of over US $ 320 million per annum.
  • Uganda is one of the leading important tourist destinations in the World, being ranked as the 4th in the whole world and 1st in Africa according to National budget 2017 /2018.
  • Gorilla tourism is the leading attraction and alone employs about 5,000 people in tours and travel.
  • Wildlife is the major tourist attractions in Uganda.
  • The tourist industry is one of the fast growing and developing sector in Uganda.
  • Most of the Uganda’s tourists are foreign from Europe, North America, Asia and some few from African countries like South Africa, Egypt.
  • The numbers of foreign tourist arrivals are increasingly rising over years that the sector receives 1 million visitors per the year.
  • Gorilla tourism accounts 50.4% of revenue generated for the Uganda Wildlife Authority.
  • Some tourist sites are rehabilitated and renovated like Kasubi Tombs in Kampala and Namugongo Martyrs’ shrines.
  • Man-made tourist attractions are poorly managed like Fort Lugard and Uganda Museum in Kampala.
  • New tourism products / sites have been launched and promoted like Rolex chapatti, Kampala–Entebbe Expressway in Kampala, Source of the Nile in Jinja, Miss Curvy pagenat, etc.
  • Tourism sector is under the management of Uganda Tourism Board and Uganda Wildlife Authority.
  • More national parks and wildlife reserves have been gazetted up to over 22 in total such as Kibale N.P in Kamwenge, Semliki N.P and Toro N.P in Bundibugyo, etc.
  • Great efforts are being done to protect and preserve the rare endangered wildlife species such as Chimpanzees on Ngamba Island in L.Victoria in Mukono, White rhinos at Ziwa ranch in Nakasongola.
  • Modern accommodation facilities like lodges and hotels for tourists have increased in number and rehabilitated from 1200 by 2004 to 4500 by 2008 such as Simba Safari lodge in Kasese, Serena hotel, Hilton and Speke resort Munyonyo in Kampala.
  • More private travel and tour agencies have been started / brought on broad such as Great Lakes safaris in Kampala, etc.
  • The number of people employed in the sector has increased over years to about 7.4% of the total number of Uganda’s population and the Uganda Wildlife Authority spends about 10.5 billion shillings on salaries.