Stakeholders Demand for a Functional Ministry of Tourism

Uganda’s tourism sector has been allocated an entire Ministry of its own having been separated from the Trade and Tourism ministry. However since its creation the Ministry has not been functional and now Uganda tour operators are demanding to meet the Minister of Tourism as well the committee of Parliament responsible for Tourism deliberations so as to forge a way forward and help the industry overcome the various challenges it is facing.

The President of the Uganda Tourism Association during a press conference last week the main issues that the stakeholders would like to address include the fact that the tourism ministry is not really functional as well as the other agencies associated with the travel industry in Uganda.

The Uganda Wildlife Authority – UWA, the body mandated to conserve the Country’s wildlife does not also have a functioning executive since the inquiry into the miss-use of the PAMSU – Protected Areas Management for Sustainable Use investigations began headed by the retired Justice George Kanyeihamba. All this has hinder decision making in the tourism sector in the Country. The Uganda Travel agencies and other stakeholders would like to have all these issues addressed.

Uganda Tourism Board – UTB has the mandate to sell the Country as a tourism destination to different markets but it too has been incapacitated by among many things a measly budget (approx. $300,000 – $900,000 a year).

Stakeholders in the industry are demanding that the commission into the inquiry of how about $38m was miss-used during the Protected Areas Management for Sustainable Use – PAMSU should be expedite investigations so that the disbanded executive members of the Uganda Wildlife Authority can resume work as the acting directors don’t really have the mandate to make important decisions.

Uganda’s major tour attraction is the gorilla safari packages that it has to offer. Mountain gorilla tours can be done in bwindi impenetrable forest national park as well as Mgahinga gorilla national park found in the South West of the Country.