Utb Set to Start Tourism Sectoral Marketing Portal

Faridah Kulabako

2 June 2011

Kampala — The Uganda Tourism Board is set to establish a web portal to act as a collective marketing facility for the sector players.

The portal to be launched before the end of this year is part of the board’s strategy under the National Tourism Marketing Strategy that seeks to create awareness of Uganda’s tourism products and position the country as a premier East African holiday and ecotourism destination.

The website is expected to ease access to Uganda’s tourism information across the world and will facilitate easy airline and tourism product tickets and accommodation.

Speaking at a stakeholder’s consultation workshop in Kampala on Tuesday, Mr Cuthbert Baguma, the executive director of UTB noted that without a deliberate and coordinated marketing effort, the future of Uganda’s tourism industry is uncertain.

The meeting comes a few weeks after the tourism docket was separated from the Trade and Industry, elevating it into a full ministry. The permanent secretary in the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Amb Julius Onen, said the creation of a Tourism Ministry will allow adequate time for the people to attend to tourism matters for the growth of the industry.

Despite having the potential of being Uganda’s leading foreign exchange earner, the blossoming of the tourism sector is hampered by inadequate marketing. The sector receives only $300,000 annually for its promotional activities.

Kenya, which has the best performing tourism sector, allocates $23 million annually for promotional activities while Tanzania and Rwanda allocate $10 million and $5 million respectively.

The acting executive director Uganda Wildlife Authority, Dr Andrew Seguya, noted the country needs at least $30 million annually to broaden awareness of the country as an attractive quality holiday destination in the key source markets of Germany, USA, UK and East Asian countries.

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