Martin Mugarra, the minister of state for tourism on Friday unveiled the Exlore Busoga domestic Tourism promotion campaign running between February 13-18.
Speaking during the launch in Kampala, Mugarra said the campaign will help unveil the less told stories about Busoga region. “It is our duty to continue telling our stories as well as showcasing the beautiful pearls that Uganda has got to offer,” Mugarra stated.
He noted that before the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, only 132,000 Ugandans were visiting tourism sites like the Uganda Wildlife Education Conservation Center (UWEC), the museum and national parks.
“The low numbers were due to inefficient tourism marketing among other reasons such as the long standing misconception that tour and travel is meant for foreigners plus lack of travel culture among Ugandans,” stated Mugarra.
He however, noted that by the end of 2023, the tourism sites registered 1.2million visitors, a progress he attributes to the revival of existing domestic tourism promotion strategies and the launch of a new destination brand “Explore Uganda, the Pearl of Africa.”
During the same event, it was disclosed that the Kyabazinga of Busoga Kingdom His Royal Highness William Wilberforce Gabula Nadiope IV will host a mammoth of local tourists headed for the Explore Busoga tourism campaign.
This was revealed by Hellen Namutamba, the minister for tourism and heritage in Busoga kingdom, during the launch of the fifth leg for Explore Uganda campaign. The campaign was launched on Thursday afternoon at Emin Pasha hotel in Kampala.
Peter Kasolo, the mayor for Jinja city implored all stakeholders and leaders across the Busoga region to embrace the campaign, saying its benefits will trickle down to ordinary people. He further encouraged all Ugandans to propagate the beautiful pearls that Uganda is endowed with.
Vivian Lyazi, the acting commissioner of tourism development said, exploring and bringing attention to some attractions that are less known is vital in creating more tour packages and products that operators can sell but also avail new options for the tourists to enjoy.
According to Lyazi, the Explore Busoga campaign will involve several tourism stakeholders in the Busoga region for a meeting on February 13, plus a technical visit to the Uganda Hotel and Tourism Training Institute in Jinja before the official flag off slated for February 15.
Setting off at the Uganda museum, the group estimated to comprise 300 Ugandans will make a stopover at Najjembe, for a bite of the roasted chicken and later visit the Nile breweries plus the Nalubaale dam.
The next day, Feb 16, there will be hiking of the Kagulu hill which has a strong cultural attachment to the Busoga region. On the third day, local tourists will be treated to a buffet of tourism activities in Jinja city, among which include, tubing, bungee jumping, horse riding, visiting source of the Nile, water cycling, quad biking among others, then travel to Busowokwo and Itanda falls.
“We shall also hold a concert in Jinja city with all the local artists plus singers such as John Blaq, Jose Chameleon, Golola Moses among others, to have an experience of the Jinja nightlife,” the minister noted. The final day will see travellers visiting Kakira sugar factory for agro-tourism before returning to Kampala.
