After months of closure and lockdown, on Sunday 20th Sep 2020, while appearing on national television to convey the country’s advances in the fight against Covid-19 disease, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni lifted the ban on air travels and communicated that schools would resume in the near future too.
Following this announcement, stakeholders in the tourism industry have expressed their readiness to welcome international tourists.
Recently, in a public appearance, the Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) CEO, Lilly Ajarova, said tourists are now welcome to track gorillas, watch birds and have an adventure in Jinja, but under very strict measures as set by numerous authorities.
“We have Standard Operation Procedures (SOPs) that was put in place by the Ministry of Health. For instance, tourists need a COVID-19 test within 72 hours before arrival in Uganda. The SOPs also require that when commuting to any destination, tourists have to occupy 50% of the carrying capacity of the boats, vehicles and aeroplanes to enable social distancing,” she added.
Concerning hotels, tourists will be required to sanitize, take a temperature reading and wash hands as regularly as possible not forgetting having their face masks on in public space.
Tourism has been one of the immensely affected sectors due to the travel restrictions brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic. Recently, the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) predicted that Uganda is bound to lose $5m in revenue during this COVID-19 period.
The Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) CEO Lilly Ajarova coincides with the prediction, noting that nothing is going to be the same again. However, she adds that fortunately tourists want to resume going to their dream destinations.
“Good enough UTB and the entire tourism fraternity are not sitting on their laurels as the old adage has it,” she said.
The Great Lakes Safaris director, Amos Wekesa, said despite the challenges presented by COVID-19, Uganda still remains a must-go destination for gorilla trackers.
“Tourism was the first COVID-19 causality and is likely to be the last to recover from this global threat but Uganda still has its niche in gorilla tracking, bird watching, scaling Mountains and lots more,” he observed.
The Association of Uganda Tourist Association Organization (AUTO) chairman, Everest Kayondo said the opening up of passenger flights is good for the industry but barring the drivers, guides and rangers from getting close to the guest is unworkable.
“The guides spend more hours with the guests telling them about what appeals in; Fort Portal, Kidepo Valley National Park, Jinja or Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. There are person to person contacts in the trade that are inevitable, much as most of the communication is digital,” he noted.
On a happy note, the senior spokesperson of Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), Bashir Hangi said the gorillas have reproduced during the lockdown as they have never before.
“Uganda boasts of more than five babies since the Lockdown in March. This is record reproduction since Gorilla Tracking got global acclaim is evidence the habitat is conducive for humanities’ closest relative,” he said.
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