Team Uganda made up of 20 private companies and four government agencies are exhibiting at stall AH100 at the Excel International Convention Centre in London Docklands.
“As a country, we are going into London riding on the endorsements from global media. Rough Guides, a top travel publication in the UK, put Uganda at the top of countries to visit in 2017, and we believe we have more for 2018,” says Stephen Asiimwe, the chief executive officer at the Uganda Tourism Board (UTB).
Uganda is showcasing its great weather, wildlife, culture, heritage, investment opportunities and unique location as the ultimate destination under the Pearl of Africa brand.
WTM organisers have this year introduced wedding destination seminars – a niche Uganda can benefit from because of its cultural diversity and great weather throughout the year.
According to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) which monitors global tourism trends, Uganda’s receipts and arrivals are projected to have a 7.1 average growth over the next 10 years.
In 2016, Uganda’s tourism industry contribution to GDP was sh6.1715 trillion ($1.8b), which is 6.6% of GDP.
On the employment side, the industry supported 504,000 jobs representing 5.8% of total employment. Tourism contribution to GDP is projected to rise by 14.5% in 2017, while jobs contribution rises by 12.8% to 568,500.
Travel exhibitions play a major role in the marketing of a destination and eventual economic benefits. It is at exhibitions that private link up with other firms and sign deals for 2018 and beyond.
The Government of Uganda facilitates the process by booking exhibition space, setting up the exhibition stand and opening an online platform through which the tourism business make appointments with counterparts.
Other activities booked include seminars and training workshops for the business owners.
“Beyond the exhibition which primarily focuses on business to business dealings, we shall also have offsite engagements,” says Asiimwe.
“We shall hold destination training sessions with our High Commission staff; meet the media and the Indian community— specifically members who migrated from Uganda.”
The meeting with the Indians of Ugandan origin is being coordinated by the Uganda High Commission led by Amb. James Moto.
Uganda is also co-exhibiting with its neighbors Kenya and Rwanda under the borderless borders brand and the Joint Tourism Marketing Committee, an initiative that was signed on by the heads of State summit of the Northern Corridor Infrastructure Projects initiative.
Uganda is this year’s lead agency for the joint marketing, a role taken on a rotation basis between the tourism agencies of the three countries.
Source: www.newvision.co.ug
