In bid to increase business and profitability for the national carrier, Uganda Airlines looks forward to increasing the flight frequency between her domestic hub Entebbe International Airport and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The decision is poised to facilitate ongoing efforts by the country’s tourism authorities geared towards attracting visitors from the United Arab Emirates and other gulf countries.
The national carrier intends to increase its frequency on this route from the current four flights a week to seven, a move tourism authorities in the country believe will boast a long term desire to make the gulf region a new tourist source market for Uganda.
Speaking about the plan, the marketing manager of Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) Ms Claire Mugabi said that UAE is one of the priority source markets that UTB has been targeting for tourism and investment and the move by Uganda Airlines to increase its flights on this route is much welcome.
“An increase in the frequency of flights from Dubai will significantly enhance tourist convenience to access Destination Uganda which will in turn spur tourism growth. UAE and Dubai in particular, is a meeting point of all world cultures and businesses making it an attractive market to tap into for tourism arrivals of not only the resident locals and expatriates living and working in the UAE but also the visiting masses of people that travel to Dubai from across the world,” she said.
Already, Uganda Airlines and UTB have in place a three year memorandum of understanding to combine efforts to promote the tourism potential of the country. The MOU requires the two entities to share a responsibility in developing the tourism industry by promoting it as a favored destination, its people, culture, environment and attractions.
The Dubai route was Uganda Airlines first long-haul route outside Africa and is currently one of the most profitable. According to Ms Shakila Rahim Lamar, the corporate Affairs and Public Relations Manager at the airline, performance on the Dubai route has been on an upward trajectory since its launch five months ago.
“The passenger rate of travel has spiked since the reopening of the economy and it coincided with the closure of the Dubai expo as well as the festive season. We are confident that we shall hit our half year target,” she told the media recently.
She added that the airline was working with embassies, partners and agents abroad to push for it as the choice for tourists visiting Uganda.
The increase in the frequency will make the airline the busiest on the route ahead of Emirates Airlines which operates 5 times a week. Other airlines on the route are Flydubai and Air Arabia which flies to Sharjah, UAE.
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