UGANDA EXPECTED TO BE WORLD’S TOP DESTINATION

Bwindi National Park has been voted Africa’s number one birding site over South Africa’s well-known Kruger National Park and Cape Town’s ocean shores early this year by the African Bird club.Murchision Falls National Park carried the ninth place among the top 10 birding sites in the continent.

In October 2011 Virunga volcanoes took the number one place out of the 20 places people should visit in 2012 in the National Geographical Traveler Magazine.

Uganda has continued getting mileage from National Geographic like in November when the Ishasha tree climbing lion was voted the best picture for 2011, Mount Rwenzori has been voted among the 15 hiking places in Africa and Lonely planet Britain’s travel guide has voted Uganda the number one destination among the top 10 countries that tourists should visit in 2012 because Kampala is the safest city in Africa

The rankings have surprised some people because they have been wondering how tourists that know little about the country can vote it as their favourite destination and have been wondering if the country has successfully marketed itself.

Uganda has a number of potentials to be the best destination and according to Ismail Sekandi, the Executive Director of Uganda Hotel Owner’s Association a lot is needed to be done in advertising the country in order to attract more tourists despite the rankings.

Boniface Byamukama the chairman of the Association of Uganda Tour Operators Ltd (AUTO) said Uganda has been voted not because of her essential marketing but because of its unique tourism products which can’t be found elsewhere not even in the neighboring countries.

According to the World Economic Forum report 2011, competitive advantage is no longer a reason that attracts tourists to tourism destinations but modern marketing of the destinations has been the main reason for the success in a number of countries.

Uganda’s marketing system has always been affected financially whereby in 2010 and 2011, the industry was allocated Shs8.2bn by the government.shs4.1bn to go to the directorate of tourism, wildlife and mesuem, Shs2bn to the ministry of Works and Transport for tourism infrastructure, Shs2bn to Uganda Tourism Board a board that markets the country. This is low compared to what the neighboring countries allocate to their tourism industry. In 2010, Kenya spent $23m and in 2009 when it was remarketing its self because of the post-election violence that had taken place, the country invested $65m in the industry.

Tanzania invested $13m in 2010 and Rwanda invested $15m compared to Kenya yet Rwanda has two national parks and one wild reserve area and Kenya has 29 national parks and wildlife reserves. Uganda has 10 national parks and wildlife reserves while Tanzania has 31.

With the ranking from Lonely Planet, UWA together USAID have gone ahead to strongly market the country by first advertising Entebbe airport. The airport is Uganda’s in-flight entry point but it is filled with telephone companies and banks adverts instead of the country’s identity. With the advertisings at the airport, the tourism sector will be able to attract visitors for other business.

According to tourism stakeholders, advertising the airport alone is not enough but will be if the country restores her only national carrier (Uganda Airlines) which used to act a big role in marketing the country.

The Executive Director of   Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Rama Makuza said the coming of new airlines mostly those in the Middle East has been because of the increased success of doing business at the airport. The passenger growth rate has increased by 7.5% from the last three years the majority of whom are tourists.

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