Why Uganda Needs to focus on promoting Domestic Tourism
For starters, we need to understand that what fuels tourism activity is not uniformity, but differences, contrasts, otherness, novelty, and fresh experiences. That said, the state and all stakeholders in the tourism industry should acknowledge the fact that this simple principle should apply to domestic tourists the same way it does for foreign tourists. What attracts foreign tourists to visit Uganda can similarly draw local or domestic tourists to the same tourism centers or sites. Uganda has a strong tourism potential, endowed with an exceptional beauty and a wide variety of natural and cultural attractions. Despite the fact that Uganda is a globally recognized as a top Tourism destination, it was disheartening to discover that 8 out of every 10 Ugandans have no clue about our tourist sites or have never visited the same as per the Uganda Tourism Board (U.T.B.). Allow me to draw a comparison between Uganda and Kenya where the latter attracts more than 50% domestic tourists simply because they have made it their goal to promote domestic tourism with the same energy appertained to foreign tourism. One also couldn’t help but notice that many Ugandans prefer to travel to other countries as their tourism destination centers while disregarding tourism sites in their own country. In fact, the Kenya Tourism Board reported that in 2018, Ugandans accounted for 20.6% of their tourists which is roughly 61,542 tourists.
The low figures in regards to domestic tourism are attributed to several factors like the lack of disposable income, absence of extensive marketing strategies, the presumption that tourism is expensive and the fact that most tourist hotels and operators focus more on foreign tourists as compared to domestic tourists.
In 2017, the Tourism Sector in Uganda accounted for 7.3 percent of GDP, foreign exchange earnings worth USD 1.45 billion and more than 600,000 jobs. (Source: Uganda Tourism Annual Performance Report 2017–2018). All I’m trying to emphasize is that the statistics would be much better if greater focus was projected towards promoting domestic tourism. Given the fact that the Tourism Industry has been greatly frustrated by the COVID-19 pandemic, it is my opinion that investing in the promotion of domestic tourism will serve as a good strategy in the struggle to revive the strength of the industry.
Way Forward:
Stakeholders in the Tourism Industry ought to be reminded that it is their key objective and guideline to ensure that there’s effective marketing inclusiveness targeting both domestic and foreign tourists for example the 2016 “Tulambule” campaign as initiated by the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities whose success we shall assess another day.
Additionally, tourist sites and centers need to avail subsidized packages for domestic tourists to cure the perception that Tourism is a venture for only the rich. The hospitality sector , Tour Operation, Travel Agencies and Tour Guiding agencies should provide affordable packages to Ugandans who wish to access such facilities.
Intervention by Civil Society Organisations like Nature Uganda (N.U.) and Wildlife Conservation Society (W.C.S). These organisations have played a key role in influencing policy, marketing, sensitization and promotion of awareness about tourism potential, opportunities, research, and community capacity enhancement.
We do hope that the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities will still be able to realize its strategic vision to have Uganda enlisted as Africa’s top sustainable tourism destination despite the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
