Uganda is scheduled to host three international conferences in January 2024 in what will surely prove a significant boost to the tourism sector besides other benefits to the country and the economy.
Being a member of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, Uganda will host the Commonwealth Speakers and Presiding Officers Conference (CSPOC) for which it will assume the chairmanship for the next three years. The same conference will attract about 120 delegates and observers from 32 commonwealth parliaments from January 15th – 20th, 2024.We will then host the 19th Summit of the Non Aligned Movement Heads of States and governments. Between January 21st – 23rd, 2024, Uganda will host the G77 and China conference where it will assume chairmanship for the next one year.
The hosting of the said three international conferences puts Uganda in the global spotlight. The Yoweri Kaguta Museveni regime which has already built an impressive profile for hosting submits of this magnitude, will so much strive to create an impression that will illuminate the country’s decades of steady progress and debunk some rude criticisms and slander in the international media, especially about the country’s contentious anti-homosexuality stance and human rights as traded by the government critics in the opposition.
Conferences of this magnitude are life time opportunities for most countries, especially those that significantly seek to market their tourism to the World besides attracting foreign direct investments.
Uganda’s investment climate remains competitive in the region and globally. Because of this, investors willing to bring their money and invest here, have increased. This is partly due to the stable and sound economic policies and the prevailing peace and security in the Country. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows to Uganda, continued to recover and reached US$ 945 million during the first six(6) months of this financial year 2022/23. This is, in part, due to increased financing to the Oil and Gas, as well as the Mineral Development Sectors. This will serve as a string board for the different stakeholders to woo some of the delegates and visitors to invest in the economy or send word to their respective countries.
Tourism is another area which has significant potential for the economy. We have the best tourism sites, including: our National Parks of Kidepo, Murchison Falls, Queen Elizabeth, Lake Mburo, Elgon, Rwenzori, Kibaale Forest,Bunyonyi and many game reserves across the country. Uganda’s tourism sites, rank highly in international media outlets and global tourism agencies. Despite the global lockdown, we received about 500,000 tourists in 2021 and revenue of US$530 million. The number of tourists coming here, has recovered since the lifting of the Covid-19 lockdowns to 814,508 by December, 2022 and earned US$1,014 million in the calendar year 2022.
To harness the tourism potential further, Government has undertaken several interventions such as ensuring security of the Country and tourism sites, construction of tarmac roads from Kitgum to Kidepo (116Km), Lake Bunyonyi-Kisoro-Mgahinga (74Km), Karenga-Kapedo-Kaabong (70Km), Kisoro-Rubuguri-Muko (65Km), which are soon starting, Wildlife conservation, especially of Mgahinga, Lake Mburo, Semliki, Kibaale, Murchison, Kidepo Valley, Katonga, Toro Semliki and Queen Elizabeth, preventing the conflict between wildlife and human activities, enhancing digital destination marketing using modern ICT (online) technologies, and strengthening enforcement and adherence to tourism standards through a strict licensing regime for service providers in the sector.
The above deliberate interventions depict government guided focus to make the sector more appealing to both local and international tourists. As evidenced by the achievements registered so far, there is a clear indication that these conscious efforts have not been a miss.
Tourism directly employs a total of 1.55 million people along the entire tourism value chain and contributes 6.7% of the country’s GDP; In the year 2022, Uganda’s National Parks hosted 367,869 visitors surpassing the pre-COVID-19 levels of 323,861 visitors recorded in the year 2019. 63% of these were domestic tourists; The international visitor arrivals, increased to 815,000 in 2022, up from 473,000 in the year 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although there is recovery, the performance is still lower than the 1.543 million tourists recorded in 2019. Full recovery is expected in the year 2025.
Leisure and Holiday visitors stayed longer (11 nights), in 2022 compared to 7.6 nights in 2019 and spent higher daily at $172 per night compared to $168 per night in 2019; The wildlife populations for most animals, have increased. For example, the number of elephants increased from 5,700 in 2011 to 8,000 now; while buffalos increased from about 36,953 to over 44,000, during the same period. Mountain gorillas in Bwindi-Mgahinga Conservation area, have steadily increased over time from just 200 in the 1990s to about 459 now.
The above conversation paints a very clear picture on how Uganda will immensely reap from the conference, a vote of thanks to the Museveni Yoweri leadership whose international relations scorecard has solely made it possible.
The writer is the Deputy RCC for Soroti East Division, Soroti City.
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