High mountain gorilla filming fees affecting Uganda Tourism promotion.
Reducing the high mountain gorilla filming fees is one way the Uganda Wildlife Authority may encourage gorilla trekking and tourism. It should be mentioned that photographing mountain gorillas in Uganda is one of the most costly wildlife filmmaking activities.
According to interviews done by Katland Safaris, a lot of people who ended up booking safaris to Uganda were searching for a cheap and safe place to do gorilla trekking, but they didn’t know much about the country itself.
There is a lot of work that has to be done in public relations and advertising Uganda as a fantastic tourist destination, no matter how much we praise its beauty as the jewel of Africa or a gift from nature. Whatever the case may be, Uganda should capitalise on the increased international interest in mountain gorilla trekking by distributing more promotional materials and raising awareness.
Costs associated with shooting Uganda’s high mountain gorillas
For the 2024–20-25 season, the Uganda Wildlife Authority set a rate of $4300.00 per hour for up to eight crew members to shoot mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga National Park. Additionally, USD800.00 per person for one hour is the price that each crew member is required to pay for their gorilla permit.
The Uganda Wildlife Authority adds 5% to the already exorbitant mountain gorilla filming expenses as a monitoring fee. In addition to fees levied by the Uganda Wildlife Authority, the Uganda Media Council charges television and production firms for accreditation and the temporary importation of equipment. The whole procedure of recording mountain gorillas for an hour becomes very costly due to this. Try to put a price on three or four hours of filming mountain gorillas.
Many media and production firms have been discouraged from shooting and photographing Ugandan mountain gorillas due to the prohibitive cost of doing so. This further suggests that major corporations like National Geographic and the BBC have been the subjects of professional films about mountain gorillas and tourism in Uganda.
It is quite probable that several production companies will visit Uganda to shoot mountain gorillas and documentaries on the country’s tourist potential if the hefty filming costs for Bwindi Impenetrable are lowered. More tourists will flock to Uganda as a result of its increased visibility in the global community.
Naturally, if you were to question an official from the Uganda Wildlife Authority, you would hear that their only motivation for defending the high mountain gorilla filming fees is to shield these endangered primates from human exposure and disturbance.
Although this is accurate, the Uganda Wildlife Authority continues to charge a 5% monitoring fee in order to lessen these impacts. At the same time, while protecting these endangered great apes, it would be wise to investigate ways to increase gorilla tourism by lowering the fees for filming high mountain gorillas. Currently, many television and production companies are hesitant to film in Uganda, which could lead to negative publicity for the country.
