Tourism development is one of the 20 NDP III programmes contributing to the attainment of NDPIII’s objective of increasing production and productivity of key growth sectors, aimed at increasing Uganda’s attractiveness as a preferred tourism destination.
The program’s main objectives are targeted at Promoting domestic and inbound tourism, increasing the stock and quality of the tourism infrastructure including road network, flights, and hotels/accommodation among others.
Developing, conserving and diversifying tourism products and services, developing a pool of skilled personnel along the tourism value chain and ensuring decent working conditions for example tour guides, waiters/waitresses etc and above all enhancing regulation, coordination and management of tourism.
The program’s targeted results that should manifest between FY 20/21 which was a post-COVID time to 24/25, with a few years to go include:
- Increasing annual tourism revenues from USD 1.45Billion to USD 1.862 billion
- Maintain the contribution of tourism to total employment at 667,600 people (Pre covid numbers and better)
- Increase inbound tourism revenues per visitor from USD1,052 to USD1,500
- Maintain the average number of international tourist arrivals from the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, China, and Japan at 225,300 tourists.
- Increase the proportion of leisure to total tourists from 20.1% to 30%
- Increase tourists attracted to Uganda in 2025 to 2.1million
- Increase the number of direct flight routes to Europe and Asia from 6 – 15.
With such huge expectations but achievable, a lot of both internal and external factors will contribute to the achievement of these targets Including the stability of the country and deterring attacks like the recent killing of tourists in the Queen Elizabeth National Park which the government says it has brought the culprits to book and still on search for more. Uganda citizens are also encouraged to visit more of these tourist attractions and the Ministry of Tourism reports a steady increase in local tourism post-COVID-19 19 which is a positive indicator through various initiatives by both Government and private tour operators.
There have been some tremendous recoveries in tourism both regionally and internationally in the last year hope to get better as 2023 closes in with high expectations from the festive season. Globally, Tourist arrivals more than doubled in 2022 compared to 2021 but remained 34% below pre-pandemic levels with the Middle East recovering most at 90%, followed by Europe at 80%, America at 71%, Africa at 67% and the Asia Pacific at 28% among others.
THE East African Community (EAC) attracted 5.2 million tourists in 2022 a 49.4% increase from 2021 and tourist arrivals recovered to 60% of pre-pandemic levels. Tanzania and Kenya recovered most with 95% and 73% respectively though Uganda was still 47% below the pre-pandemic levels of 2019. With such recoveries, Uganda’s tourism sector is poised to gain from the positive ripple effects.
