Associate Editor N. Hasan travels to Kampala and talks to Stephen Asiimwe, CEO of Uganda Tourism Board to know more about Uganda’s tourism industry and the various investment opportunities available in the country’s growing travel and tourism sector.
Uganda has been attracting 1.4 million visitors to its shores and with as many as 18 international airlines now flying to Uganda, the tourism industry in Uganda is poised for unprecedented growth. Uganda’s national parks like the famous Murchison Falls, Queen Elizabeth are rich in wild life and have become a favourite destinations for visitors coming into Uganda. Other tourist attractions include sanctuaries like Ngamba Island known for chimpanzees, Ziwa Rhino sanctuary and the Bigodi sanctuary among others.
The scenic new destination that is getting increasingly popular with travellers from the Middle East is the beautiful Lake Bunyonyi located near Kabale town. A little-known tourist destination in the south of Uganda, Lake Bunyonyi is a perfect getaway for nature lovers wanting a few days of quiet reflection and relaxation – far from madding crowds.
Lake Bunyonyi is framed by lush, green-terraced hills that reach a height of 2,200-2,478m, but it’s the 29 islands of various shapes and sizes scattered across the water that make it so magical — we could’ve admired them all day. It’s a sight that reinvents itself every hour or two with the ever-changing climate and sunlight. In the early morning, the islands weave through cotton candy-like streams of mist and, in the afternoon, they’re bathed in the warm glow of the sun. Undoubtedly, this place deserves to be on your African travel radar.
Peter Asiimwe invited travellers and investors from the Middle East to explore Uganda’s various tourist attractions and hoped for improved trade and tourism ties between Uganda and the Middle East. With the aim of raising Uganda’s profile as a preferred destination amongst visitors from the Middle East, the Uganda Tourism Board is also planning to open a full-fledged representative office in Dubai in the coming financial year.
