Cultural Tourism: 2012 reasons to visit Uganda
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- Category: Travel
- Published on Friday, 04 November 2011 14:22
- Written by Moses Serugo
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Lonely Planet’s ringing endorsement that lists Uganda as the top destination to visit in 2012 should give tourism industry players carte blanche to chest-thump louder than our much-prized silverback gorillas. The global travel publishing company describes Uganda as the “Cinderella in East Africa” in its 2012 Top 10 guide, out to get a bit of the shine our (not-so-ugly) sisters Tanzania and Kenya have been basking in as big-name safari destinations.
Some of the tourist magnets mentioned in the Lonely Planet compilation include the source of the river Nile – “that mythical place explorers sought since Roman times”, Uganda as a place where the savannah meets the vast lakes of East Africa, and where snow-capped mountains (must be the Rwenzori ranges) bear down on sprawling jungles. Murchison Falls gets a thumbs-up as a place that is emphatically open for business after years of unrest in northern Uganda while Kampala gets plaudits for being one of Africa’s safest capital cities.
There is mention of our turbulent past [nasty dictatorships, a brutal civil war and a not so charitable publicity picture of rural Uganda] as the reasons that have kept Uganda off the tourist radar in the past. But in the same breath, Lonely Planet acknowledges that stability “is returning” (thought we’ve had that for the past 25 years of the fundamental change) and that “it won’t be long before visitors come flocking back”.
That key airlines like Qatar Airways and Gulf Air are jostling for parking space on the Entebbe International Airport tarmac is reason to look forward to tourist numbers [way above the paltry 800,000 annual visits we receive] as we toast to our Golden Jubilee celebrations next year. But there is a need for government to meet the sector halfway. Apparently the tourism sector contributes 9.2 per cent to the GDP of Uganda and yet it gets less than 2 per cent in budget allocation. A spirited tourism campaign akin to the Malaysia Truly Asia and the [post-2008 election violence] Magical Kenya would suffice.
However, looking beyond our traditional gorilla/ white-water-rafting tourist attractions may provide additional baits. Cultural tourism is one such attraction. Our 65 ethnic groupings, each with its own unique attributes could easily become our next tourism cash cow. Synergies with events like the Bayimba International Festival of the Arts (www.bayimba.org) should be explored. The 2011 edition packed a record 70,000 patrons over its three-day weekend at the National Theatre. Annual pre-festival activity now integrates includes five regional showcases in Jinja, Arua, Gulu, Mbarara and Mbale; a perfect experiential treat for tourists wishing to carry away a bit of ethno-culture. Over to you tourism technocrats!
Lonely Planet’s ringing endorsement that lists Uganda as the top destination to visit in 2012 should give tourism industry players carte blanche to chest-thump louder than our much-prized silverback gorillas. The global travel publishing company describes Uganda as the “Cinderella in East Africa” in its 2012 Top 10 guide, out to get a bit of the shine our (not-so-ugly) sisters Tanzania and Kenya have been basking in as big-name safari destinations.
Some of the tourist magnets mentioned in the Lonely Planet compilation include the source of the river Nile – “that mythical place explorers sought since Roman times”, Uganda as a place where the savannah meets the vast lakes of East Africa, and where snow-capped mountains (must be the Rwenzori ranges) bear down on sprawling jungles. Murchison Falls gets a thumbs-up as a place that is emphatically open for business after years of unrest in northern Uganda while Kampala gets plaudits for being one of Africa’s safest capital cities.
There is mention of our turbulent past [nasty dictatorships, a brutal civil war and a not so charitable publicity picture of rural Uganda] as the reasons that have kept Uganda off the tourist radar in the past. But in the same breath, Lonely Planet acknowledges that stability “is returning” (thought we’ve had that for the past 25 years of the fundamental change) and that “it won’t be long before visitors come flocking back”.
That key airlines like Qatar Airways and Gulf Air are jostling for parking space on the Entebbe International Airport tarmac is reason to look forward to tourist numbers [way above the paltry 800,000 annual visits we receive] as we toast to our Golden Jubilee celebrations next year. But there is a need for government to meet the sector halfway. Apparently the tourism sector contributes 9.2 per cent to the GDP of Uganda and yet it gets less than 2 per cent in budget allocation. A spirited tourism campaign akin to the Malaysia Truly Asia and the [post-2008 election violence] Magical Kenya would suffice.
However, looking beyond our traditional gorilla/ white-water-rafting tourist attractions may provide additional baits. Cultural tourism is one such attraction. Our 65 ethnic groupings, each with its own unique attributes could easily become our next tourism cash cow. Synergies with events like the Bayimba International Festival of the Arts (www.bayimba.org) should be explored. The 2011 edition packed a record 70,000 patrons over its three-day weekend at the National Theatre. Annual pre-festival activity now integrates includes five regional showcases in Jinja, Arua, Gulu, Mbarara and Mbale; a perfect experiential treat for tourists wishing to carry away a bit of ethno-culture. Over to you tourism technocrats!
MOSES SERUGO