Why Uganda’s tourism had not developed – Uganda safaris and tours – Uganda gorilla trekking.
After agriculture, tourism now brings in more money for Uganda’s government. There are a number of reasons why Uganda’s tourist industry is still in its early stages, despite the fact that it contributes significantly to the country’s GDP.
Uganda is one of the most popular African tourist destinations for good reason. The country is home to a number of famous landmarks, including the endangered mountain gorillas, the Nile River (the world’s longest river), Lake Victoria (the largest lake in Africa), a stunning national park, and friendly locals.
Keep in mind that Uganda’s past has not been conducive to the growth of this kind of tourism. The current expansion began in 1986, when the nation once again had a sense of relative stability. Prior to then, the nation was plagued by political instability, which caused the ruin of several tourist infrastructures, including highways and hotels.
Many of the park’s animals were either murdered or poached to death. The White Rhinos, for instance, were hunted to death during Amin’s rule. The same sense of fear caused Indians to lose their jobs, which meant less money for investments in the tourist industry and a worsening of the country’s image.
Why Uganda’s tourism had not developed.
While Uganda has achieved a certain level of stability, the National Resistance Government has failed to provide sufficient resources to boost the country’s tourist economy. Little has been accomplished, despite the fact that all the necessary paperwork, such the Tourism Master plan, has been prepared. When compared to nations like Rwanda, Kenya, and Tanzania, Uganda’s tourism board, which is responsible for advertising the country as a tourist destination, has inadequate funding.
As a result, the government will provide less funding for marketing, leaving the private sector to handle it. The government’s intentions are genuine, however; our tourist budget has grown over the years, and we anticipate that this trend will continue.
Despite tourism’s prominence as a source of foreign currency, the Ugandan government often gives other industries more priority. The majority of the country’s budget goes toward essential sectors like defense, agriculture, transportation, and infrastructure, whereas tourism receives hardly no funding at all. Wildlife is in danger as a result of oil extraction in the Albertine lift valley, which the Ugandan government views as a more lucrative industry than tourism and has therefore shifted its focus away from the former.
Kenya, Tanzania, and Rwanda are some of Uganda’s neighbors that are vying for tourists’ dollars. When compared to Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya offer more to view in their national parks due to the former two nations’ more stable governments and their extensive efforts to promote animal protection. When it comes to tourism, these two nations have nailed it with their well-developed highways, hotel and lodge construction, and workforce training. Because of this, the total cost of the tourist product has dropped in comparison to Uganda.
Why Uganda’s tourism had not developed.
The Ugandan government has recently ramped up its attempts to get the badly maintained major roads leading to the country’s national park upgraded. As an example, consider the Kagadi segment of the road that connects Kibale Forest National Park to Murchison Falls National Park. There are only around 400 kilometers between the two locations, yet getting there may take a whole day.
Even the highways leading to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park are in a terrible condition, therefore a four-wheel-drive vehicle is required to traverse them. Most highways are now under construction, and the government is working a lot to fix this. For customers who would rather not travel vast distances, private aviation firms have now joined the fray. Aerolink offers daily flights to the majority of Uganda’s national parks at reasonable fares, thanks in large part to Fly Uganda’s efforts in facilitating tourist access to these areas.
Many campaigns in Uganda have been unsuccessful, resulting in the loss of substantial expenditures. These have been completely ineffective in attracting more visitors to the nation. The Gifted by nature marketing was a failed campaign that wasted a lot of money advertising Uganda on CNN, BBC, and other television networks for only a few days.
Regardless, the Ugandan government has used mountain gorillas as a marketing tool, despite the fact that the nation offers much more to lure visitors. Because of this, many tourists visit Uganda just to see the mountain gorillas, only to realize they might have spent longer time in the country if they had known this beforehand. When it comes to mountain gorillas, Rwanda is a formidable competitor to Uganda. This is because, unlike Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga National Park, Rwanda’s gorillas are located near the airport, so that visitors do not have to endure long drives to reach them.
