Tourism Promo a good initiative
Uganda’s tourism ministry appears to be taking some steps in the right direction. Last week, the ministry launched a Champaign to promote the tourism sector through social media platforms like Face book and Twitter.
For a country like Uganda with immense tourism potential, it is good to see the tourism ministry engage in initiative that possess equally immense potential to drive up Uganda’s tourism revenue
Dubbed My Uganda, the recently launched Champaign will allow people from across the globe to share impressions, experiences and memories of the country, its people, wildlife, scenery, and culture. Contributors will make the use of the platform by loading Videos, photographs, and written reflections onto a dedicated Facebook page ( www.facebook.com/MyUganda ) while those with Twitter accounts can use hashtag#myuganda.
Still last week, in a private prayer driven initiative, Expedia, Inc., the world’s largest online travel company, and Africa’s Great Explorations ( A G E Safaris) – an indigenous East African Tours and travel company — started working together to extend the reach of Uganda hotels to millions of travelers worldwide. Under this partnership, Ugandan Hotels will have a chance to gain access to nearly 60 million travelers that shop for and book travel on Expedia website in 70 countries worldwide each month.
In a world where controversial films like Kony 2012 are succeeding in attracting the interest of millions from around the world through platforms like YouTube, the promoters of our tourism market must make the most of the internet phenomena.
Last year’s figure from the World Travel and Tourism Council showed that the direct contribution of travel and tourism to GDP was expected to be Shs.1.4 trillion (about $545m), which is 3.2 per cent of total GDP. Uganda’s tourism Authorities have plans to see this figure rise by 5.8 per annum to Shs.2.4 trillion (about $958m) by 2012.
Sector players have previously set themselves the ambitious target of seeing the industry contribute 9.2 per cent of the total Gross Domestic Product for Uganda by the year 2015. On the face of it, these targets might seem difficult to attain but if government prioritizes the tourism sector, it is possible for Uganda to Reap the full bounty of its gifts of nature.
By: Bruce Amp
