Tourism is among the major sectors of the economy in Uganda contributing $2.5 billion to the country’s GDP and an estimated $ 1.5 billion to foreign exchange which is partly attributed to the recent tourism events that brought in many tourists such as the pope Francis visit, African Tourism Association conference, the Jaguza east African tourism trade fare and the legends of Barcelona football club visit to Bwindi impenetrable forest national park.

During the financial year 2016/2017, the minister for tourism in Uganda Matia Kasaija allocated UGX 188.8 billion for the tourism budget financial needs. While delivering his speech at the during the 2016/2017 financial budget, he said, the government of Uganda has additionally allocated $57 million to the tourism sector to increase the financial needs of the sector and thereby helping tourism to promote and sell its priority attractions.

Adding such a great deal of funds to the tourism sector in Uganda would increase awareness of the country’s tourism potential to the outside world. Uganda a non-traditional tourism destination that offers world class compelling wildlife and adventure holidays such as gorilla tracking, white water rafting, Rwenzori Africa’s tallest mountaineering and the world’s largest fresh water great lake Victoria has a vast tourism potential.

Uganda’s funding towards the Tourism sector is still very low compared to that of other countries and this is why the country takes a small portion of the total African safaris recorded every year. Rwanda provides US$5 million to tourism marketing, Kenya provides USD$34 million, Tanzania provides US$12 million, Burundi provides US$1.5 million and Uganda only US$90,000.

In addition, the government strategy to create awareness by channeling Uganda to popular travel Medias like Nat Geographic channel, CNN Travel, Dstv and lonely Planet has partly been achieved with the new 3 marketing firms that have been hired in the tourism source markets of Germany, Ireland, UK and USA at a cost of $1.5 million partly funded by the world bank through the competitiveness and enterprise development project. UTB being the main beneficially it hopes to increase the popularity and visibility of Uganda’s tourism attractions thus attract more tourists. The World Bank project is also engaging in local tourism product planning, packaging and promotion through the new regional tourism circuits in Uganda such as the greater Ankole Tourism Network (GANTONE)

Note, however, domestic tourism in Uganda needs to be funded equally in order to create affordable tourism services and products for local people. For instance creating more business centers to increase consumption of locally made products like food and beverages, sports events, rehabilitation of local tourism sites such as Ugandan museum as well as construction of new roads and reduce entry fees to such sites. Hence local tourism businesses would harvest a lot of money.
The tourism private sector under their umbrella association Uganda tourism association has argued the government to create an enabling investment environment for local and foreign tourism business investors.

The Ugandan economic outlook in the short term will continue to implement fiscal and monetary policies to ensure microeconomic stability as per the 2016/2017 financial budget targets at the same time increasing the revenue exports by adding value to primary tourist attractions and encourage export by diversifying more tourism attractions. Recently Uganda has focused on cultural tourism markets (faith based tourism) by rehabilitating cultural tourism sites such as the Namugongo martyrs shrine which attracts thousands of pilgrimages annually and at the end of 2015 it was marked by the visit of his holiness pope Francis.

Uganda is the only country on the African continent with the Bahai temple for the Bahai faith people around the world; similarly Israel is popular as a holy land and thousands of people travel for emotional activities like praying hence Uganda is focusing at tapping the travel markets for the faith based travelers.

Despite all the efforts to promote tourism, the sector still faces draw backs in critical areas such as the falling rate of hotel occupancy due the drop in tourist numbers coming to Uganda. Uganda has more than 3,500 hotels and over 20,000 rooms and beds hence if tourists visited the accommodation facilities, Uganda would be earning about $16 million. Particularly this has affected the hoteliers in Uganda who have aggressively argued the government to scrap off the value added tax imposed on up country lodges and hotels reduce visa fees as well as skill hotel staff by putting up hotel and tourism training institutions and refresher courses to adapt to the dynamics of food and beverages and client handling.

Uganda’s tourism sector continues to face challenges such as inadequate marketing in the face of persistent negative image in travel advisories, Ebola outbreak, and inequality in destination product and demand patterns, lack of national carrier, security and terrorism threats by the al-Shabab based in Somalia a reason why tourism numbers dropped over the recent years. Therefore the Uganda needs to establish a solid brand name that is consistent and resilient.

Uganda as a tourism destination clings on the notion of the United Nations World Tourism Organization that tourism has the potential to drive inclusive tourism development by creating jobs, bring foreign exchange income and to bridge the gap between natural and cultural heritage there by fostering sustainable development.

The government is currently implementing the 2015 – 2019 Uganda tourism development plan which focuses on diversifying tourism products including skilling the service people, infrastructure development such as the old Entebbe airport terminal, roads and highways, promoting cultural tourism events on the upcoming international tourism trade fares and regulation of the tourism and hospitality in line with the east African hotel grading and classification. Once the proposed budgets have been implemented, Uganda remains a pearl of Africa and a place to have a holiday safari.