Uganda scooped the Most Promising New Destination Award at the just concluded Out Bound Travel Market (OTM) Bombay. The Award was presented to the Ugandan High Commissioner to India, H.E Joyce Kakuramatsi Kikafunda on behalf of Delegation Uganda by Mr. Sanjav Agarwal, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Fair fest Media Ltd, and Chief Organisers.
The leading Indo – Asia Tourism Expo, opened on 30th January and ended on 1st February 2025. This prestigious travel market show, is an annual event and attracts many sellers and buyers of Tourism Products and is a MUST go Expo.
The joint organizers of Uganda’s participation (Uganda High Commission New Delhi and Uganda Airlines partnering with all relevant MDAs namely; Foreign Affairs; Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities; Uganda Tourism Board; Uganda Wildlife Authority; and the Uganda Tour Operators), believe this event has undoubtedly placed Destination Uganda at the doorsteps of the potentially World’s largest Tourism and Travel market.
Nine (9) Ugandan Destination Marketing Companies (DMCs) participated and represented “Destination Uganda” at the premier Tourism event. They were;
(i) Busunga Tours & Travel Ltd , (ii) Moments Beyond Borders (iii) Country Sights, (iv) Nandi Adventures,(v) Ameera Africa Safaris, (vi) Speke Uganda Holidays, (viii) Crystal Safaris & Lodges and (ix) Uganda Safari Company (Wild Places Africa)
It is pertinent to note that for the pavilion /stand to be evaluated the best exhibitor, Judges base themselves on a pre-determined criterion that receives clientele feedback. By this, it goes without saying that Uganda emerged the most visited and highly rated stand by the outbound and in-bound Tourism Market sellers and buyers. This is testament that Uganda achieved its set objective at this Event to position herself as an alternative tourism destination in the heart of Africa through showcasing the unique products it has to offer ranging from primate tracking (Gorilla and Chimpanzee); Bird watching with over 1200 species; culture and heritage; safaris, fresh water lakes, rivers, adventure tourism, etc.
Moving forward, Uganda must leverage on this award and continually participate in this prestigious annual event, as well as utilize other similar platforms to establish partnerships with the major Tourism players in this market to position Uganda as the ultimate destination. This will guarantee New Delhi Mission makes a significant contribution in ensuring Tourism contributes towards the Country’s ambition to grow the economy 10-fold to USD 500 billion within the next 15 years.
In the next two months, the Uganda High Commission in New Delhi working with the relevant stakeholders is scheduled to organize a FAM trip for leading and major Tour Operators from India to Uganda to purposely, to provide the latter with the “experiential” of the product which, thereafter, they should be able to recommend to their clientele. In addition, to the Tour Operators, the Mission is eyeing influencers including leading Travel and Tour magazines as well as Bollywood film actors and producers who commandeer sizeable social media following as means of breaking into the 19.5 million Indian market. For instance, Mr. Ramji, an iconic Indian film producer and celebrity who had started work in Uganda, has accepted to rekindle his aspiration to produce a movie capturing all tourism iconic features and scenic areas in Uganda. The potential viewership of such a movie/film by over 50 million people in both India and Asia majorly, could raise at least one million Tourist to visit Uganda.
On our end, Uganda Tourism Board shall be expected to identify reputable Tour Operators with the ability to become Domestic Market Representatives for match making with the Indian firms.
On a very good note, the launch of the Uganda Airlines direct flights between Entebbe and Mumbai (3x a week) since October 2023 has incentivized travel to the Pearl for tourism, trade and investment.
Government of Uganda is greatly appreciated for providing the requisite resources for Missions abroad to lead a whole of government approach to participate in promotional events like OTM. However, to realize this objective of Tourism contributing US$50 billion in the next 15 years, it must sustain participation and visibility at such international fora.
