Problems Facing the Tourism Industry in Uganda

There are many problems limiting the development of tourism industry in Uganda despite some of the developments the industry has reached at. These problems are:

• In Uganda tourism is suffering a stiff competition with other land users as the population increases more land is needed for both agriculture and settlement that why many national parks, game reserves and forest reserves are suffering from population encroachment due to lack of land for expansion e.g. Kibale national park by the Bakiga migrants from Kigezi, the Karamojong graze their cattle in the Kidepo valley National park while Basongora herdsmen have encroached upon Queen Elizabeth national park, Mabira forest reserveis encroached by SCOUL, etc.
• The tourism industry in Uganda is faced by stiff competition from its neighbouring countries especially Kenya and Tanzania and even those countries beyond like Namibia, Switzerland, South Africa, Zimbabwe, etc. For example the biggest number of wild animals like wild beasts, giraffes and buffaloes are found along the Serengeti plains in Tanzania, the number of lions in Tsavo Park of Kenya out numbers those in Queen Elizabeth National Park. Kenya and Tanzania are on the coast with better beaches, harbours and hotels. On the other hand, Uganda has the same species with her neighbours. Tourists therefore are more attracted to Uganda’s neighbouring countries.
• Every year many wild animals are killed from national parks, game reserves and sanctuaries either for food, hides, and other purposes which has led to the disappearance of valuable animal and bird species such as the white Rhinos, Cheetahs, Parrots, Crested Cranes, Peacocks etc. E.g. buffaloes, Zebras and Antelopes from the Queen Elizabeth are hunted for food, Elephants are killed to provide Ivory in L. Mburo and Kibale, Lions and Leopards in Kidepo national park are killed for their precious hides and skins as well as cultural and Vodoo practices among witch doctors.
• Since security is an important and ideal atmosphere for any development, tourism in Uganda experiences insecurity / security conflicts which scare away the incoming tourists and end up in Kenya and Tanzania which are relatively stable. For example some local tourists from Jimmy Ssekasi institute of catering were killed in Murchison falls national park between 1999 and 2000 by LRA rebels scared off others, the 1971-1985 political instability prevented long term investment in the tourism industry. Many tourists’ assets such as the Nile hotel, Imperial and others were used to serve as torture chambers. Many areas with tourists’ attractions such as Rwenzori, Kidepo national parks, Mt Kei and Otze sanctuaries are insecure and tourists don’t go there easily.
• The tourism industry in Uganda is also faced with a problem that most of the people living near tourist attractions like near Kidepo, Kibale, Bwindi, Karuma falls, Elgon and Rwenzori national park are low income earners therefore they look at tourism as a luxury and instead they spend their low incomes on the basic necessities like food, clothing, shelter, etc which leaves the industry less used by its own people and it depends on the foreign tourists (external tourists).
• The coming of tourists to Uganda from Europe and North America is unstable. In some seasons, the inflow is great and in others it is very limited. Therefore in some months, there are high costs of operation in the tourist industry like at the Entebbe wildlife centre and Murchison falls N.P. This has generally undermined comprehensive planning of the tourism industry hence an obstacle to its development.
• Some tourist gazetted areas are not visited due to the fact that they are in remote areas with poorly developed transport routes thus being inaccessible. Transport facilities leading to these tourist centres, such as the Ssese islands in Lake Victoria, Semliki national park on Western border, Kidepo in extreme north east, Bwindi impenetrable in terms of roads, railways, air and water routes, are poorly developed.
• Generally Uganda has inadequate skilled labour to handle and manage the tourism industry. This is evidenced by the poor quality services rendered to the tourists in game parks like Kidepo, L.Mburo and hotels like Speke Resort in Munyonyo, Ssese camping sites and other tourist centres which force them to go to other countries such as Kenya and Tanzania with better skilled personnel and good services. More on that the tour packages are also organized on low levels.
• The Ugandan government faces capital shortage to invest in the tourist facilities like roads, hotels, lodges, game parks and wildlife management centres on international standards. Many of the national parks such as the Kidepo valley, Kigezi, Elgon, Rwenzori and Bwindi forest are in remote areas without an air strip for high class tourists. They also have poor tourist services, which has reduced the number of tourists to those areas.
• The tourism industry in Uganda is poorly advertised both internally and internationally which has made the tourists unaware of the existing parks like Bwindi, reserves like Toro and sanctuaries like Mt. Kei and their associated flora and fauna thus Uganda missing the revenue from the tourists because of its failure to publish what it can offer / provide.
• In Uganda, there are a number of diseases which scare away the tourists e.g. the waters of some lakes like Lake Mburo are contaminated with bilharzias, most of the game parks and reserves like Kidepo valley, Murchison falls, Mt. Rwenzori are infested with tsetse flies, malaria and the outbreak of epidemics like cholera in Kampala, Ebola in Gulu and the presence of AIDS, Marburg virus (Hemorrhage fever), etc all scares away tourists. These diseases have also claimed lives of many animal species in national parks e.g. in the Queen Elizabeth, many hippos died of anthrax in 2005.
• Changes in the economic trend in the countries where the tourists come from affects Uganda’s tourism industry e.g. an economic depression (credit crunch) which started in 2008 up-to-2009 in Europe, USA and Asia has automatically affected the tourism sector in Uganda because it is where most tourists come from. Therefore few tourists are coming hence low foreign exchange earned.
• Poor hospitality in some areas with tourist attraction is an obstacle to development of tourism. For example some tribes in Uganda like the Karamajongs are hostile to strangers who scare away the tourists, local guides and game rangers. Even hostilities usually break up between the Karamajong warriors and the game wardens of Kidepo national Game Park and Bokora corridor game reserve usually resulting into loss of lives.
• Uganda is a land locked country which is cut off from the sea coast. As a result Uganda is out competed by Kenya and Tanzania which have a coast line because more tourists prefer coastal sceneries with better beaches, harbours and hotels and more so they reduce on the expenses to be incurred on transport to Uganda which has the same wildlife species with her neighbours.
• Uganda as a country is far and isolated from the potential tourists from Europe, Asia, North America and Australia where that in the end it receives fewer tourists hence low revenue.
• Most of the important tourist sites have been poorly maintained and even neglected due to factors ranging from political, social, cultural and economic like limited capital inaccessibility, cultural attachments, etc. E.g. Kasubi tombs in Kampala was maliciously burnt by unknown person in march 2010 while Bigobyamugenyi near Masaka, Omugabe’s Palace in Mbarara and Samuel Baker’s port in Gulu have been ignored by the government.
• The tourism industry of Uganda has also been faced with a problem of language barrier which has limited tourists from non – English speaking countries to come to Uganda as few local people can interact with them. For example tourists from China, Japan, Korea India and Spain face communication problems in Mweya safari lodge Queen Elizabeth and Elgon national parks because the local population does not speak Chinese, Japanese, Indian and Spanish languages.
• There have been also some cases of environmental pollution in some national parks which is a problem to the animal and plant life e.g. copper and cobalt mining at Kilembe near mountain Rwenzori national park as well as Limestone mining at Hima in Queen Elizabeth have polluted water, land and atmosphere which is harmful to game life leading to their death.
• Fire out breaks destroy tourist attractions both the fauna and the flora. Forest fires destroy all the vegetation cover including the wild animals in that forest reserve. For example Aber and Opit forests near Gulu in 1982 as well as Mount Mgahinga in Kabale in July 2009 were destroyed by fires clearing the wildlife habitant.
• Some national parks and game reserves in Uganda face the problem of soil erosion due to the existence of a large number of animals resulting into congestion. These animals will feed on grass, trees and their leaves thus over grazing hence exposing the soils to the agents e.g. erosion like running water and wind. In a course of the time, the area is turning into a desert like L. Mburo N.P with many grazing antelopes.
• The local natives are non-interested and non-appreciative of tourist attractions. Wildlife is seen as a danger to the local people and much of wild life is destroyed. For example Leopards, Hyenas and lions from Queen Elizabeth national park are poisoned and killed by hunters and farmers. Stray gorillas and chimps from Bwindi and Mgahinga forest reserves are usually killed by the Bakiga because they destroy their crops.