GEOGRAPHY PAPER 3 UGANDA: TOURISM IN UGANDA

TOURISM IN UGANDA

Tourism in Uganda is focused on Uganda’s landscape and wildlife. Uganda is one of the most beautiful countries in Africa. With its dense misty forests, snow-peaked mountains, glassy lakes and sprawling savannas, it’s no wonder Winston Churchill dubbed this wonderful country the ‘pearl of Africa’. While mountain gorillas are the allure for many visitors, there’s an astounding variety of attractions for tourists.

MAP OF UGANDA SHOWING ITS TOURIST POTENTIALS

Factors favoring the growth of Uganda’s tourism industry

• Presence of a wide range of tourist attractions which ranges from physical to human aspects. These include land forms such as spectacular lakes and rivers like Victoria with beaches like Lido, Botanical, and water falls on river Nile such as Karuma, Murchison, etc, all attract tourists.
• The presence of fauna and flora within the forest reserves and natural forests like Mabira, national parks like Kidepo with different animal species such as giraffes, lions, zebras attract tourists thus development of the industry.
• Historical sites of Uganda museum in Kampala, kasubi tombs in Mengo, martyrs shrines in Wakiso, Kinyankole dressing style, Baganda dances, all attract tourists to Uganda leading to development of the industry.
• The climate of Uganda being warm and wet tend to attract people especially from European countries during winter seasons between November and February each year contributing a lot of income for the development of the industry.
• Improved transport network of roads like from Kampala to Kasese, air transport of Entebbe international air port to Kotido air strip help to transport tourists to tourist potentials.
• Well developed and maintained hotels and lodges like Mweya Safari lodge in Rwenzori N.P, hotels in Kampala like Africana, Sheraton, Equatorial, etc, which provide accommodation services to the tourists.
• A wide capital base provided by the government of Uganda and foreign investors for establishment and maintenance of modern tourist facilities like accommodation, advertisement and transport facilities.
• Well established advertisement network over local TVs like Bukedde TV, radios like Simba, news papers like Monitor and in magazines so as to inform tourists of what Uganda can offer.
• Hospitality of local people to foreign tourists who come into Uganda for tourism purpose. The Baganda and Basoga are hospitable which encourage tourist to visit Uganda again and again.
• The prevailing peaceful political atmosphere especially in central, East and southern Uganda which has attracted tourists from abroad and within to visit all tourist potentials throughout the whole country.
• Availability of skilled labour produced by Makerere and other Universities and semi-skilled labour in the tourism industry to work in the hotels like Africana, game guides like in Kabalega N.P, transport tourist, etc.

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On a local basis, the Uganda Tourism Board has also managed to create awareness amongst the nationals and East Africa at large. Exhibitions and programs, for example, miss tourism in different regions of the country have increased awareness about the country’s tourism and its potentials.

Good government policy; this ranges from infrastructures like road networks, accommodation facilities and conservation policies. The government has tried to establish good road networks that connect to different destinations from the city center, a live example can be the road network that connects to Bwindi and Mgahinga National Parks, homes to the mountain gorillas that has facilitated movement of large numbers of tourists to these parks.

Conservation policies have also been established through putting stringent policies on poaching in national parks like Queen Elizabeth, Murchison falls among others, a live example are the park regulations in the Bwindi National Park where a visitor is expected to stay 4 meters away from the gorillas to prevent them from being infected with various infections like colds among others. The Uganda tourist board has also gone ahead to fund community-based projects, for example, the Buhoma community-based initiative around Bwindi Impenetrable forest in southwestern Uganda.

These initiatives have helped to empower the livelihoods around these parks which has made them see the need for conserving these parks, the fees and revenues got from the parks are also used to construct schools, health centers among other facilities. On the accommodation side, there has been the establishment of stringent requirements by Uganda Tourism board quality assurance department to help eradicate construction of poor accommodation facilities that don’t suit the required standards by the clients.

In summary, Uganda’s tourism industry growth is majorly attributed to the above factors, however more effort in expected especially in the marketing area because the tourism industry is a people industry and they have always to be aware of what is there to offer in all aspects.

MAP OF UGANDA SHOWING HER NATIONAL PARKS, GAME RESERVE HISTORICAL SITE AND RESORTS

Top tourist attractions in Uganda

Bwindi Impenetrable Forests National Park

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park lies in southwestern Uganda on the edge of the Rift Valley. Its mist-covered hillsides are blanketed by one of Uganda’s oldest and most biologically diverse rainforests, which dates back over 25,000 years. The forest is one of the richest ecosystems in Africa, contains almost 400 species of plants. An estimated 320 mountain gorillas – roughly half of the world’s population, 350 species of birds, 120 mammals and a lot more…

Rwenzori Mountain National Park

The Rwenzori Mountain also known as “Mountains of the Moon” a UNESCO World Heritage Site, lie in western Uganda along the Uganda-Congo border. The equatorial snow peaks include the third highest point in Africa, while the lower slopes are blanketed in moorland, bamboo and rich, moist montane forest. The national park hosts 70 mammals and 217 bird species including 19 Albertine Rift endemics, as well as some of the world’s rarest vegetation.

Queen Elizabeth National Park

Queen Elizabeth National Park is located in western Uganda and is Uganda’s most-visited National Park. Named after Queen Elizabeth II and was established in 1954.  The park’s diverse ecosystems, which include sprawling savanna, shady, humid forests, sparkling lakes and fertile wetlands, make it the ideal habitat for a classic big game, ten primate species including chimpanzees and over 600 species of birds.

Murchison Falls National Park

Murchison Falls National Park is Uganda’s largest national park. It measures approximately 3,840 square kilometres (1,480 sq mi). The park is hosting 76 species of mammals and 451 birds and a lot more…

Kibale Forest National Park

Kibale National Park is a national park in South Uganda protecting the moist evergreen rain forest. It is 766 km^2 in size and is located between 1100 and 1600 meters in elevation. Despite encompassing primarily moist evergreen forest, it contains a diverse array of landscapes.  Kibale is one of the last remaining expenses to contain both lowland and montane forests.  In East Africa, it sustains the last significant expanse of pre-montane forest. The park is home to a total of 70 mammal species, most famously 13 species of primate including the chimpanzee, contains over 375 species of birds.

The source of the Nile

There is something magical about the Nile, the longest river in the world and the source of life for many great civilizations throughout the ages. The source of the Nile alluded to hazily in the ancient writings of Ptolemy, stood as one of the great geographical mysteries of the Victorian Age. Closer to home, the Nile downriver from Jinja, Uganda, offers some superb white water rafting and game fishing.

At 4,000km² Mt. Elgon has the largest volcanic base in the world. Located on the Uganda-Kenya border it is also the oldest and largest solitary, volcanic mountain in East Africa. Its vast form, 80km in diameter, rises more than 3,000m above the surrounding plains. The mountain’s cool heights offer respite from the hot plains below, with the higher altitudes providing a refuge for flora and fauna. Mount Elgon National Park is home to over 300 species of birds, including the endangered Lammergeyer. Small antelopes, forest monkeys, elephants and buffalos also live on the mountainside.

Semliki National Park

Semuliki National Park sprawls across the floor of the Semliki Valley on the remote, western side of the Rwenzori. The park is dominated by the easternmost extension of the great Ituri Forest of the Congo Basin. This is one of Africa’s most ancient and bio-diverse forests; one of the few to survive the last ice age, 12-18,000 years ago. While Semuliki’s species have been accumulating for over 25,000 years, the park contains evidence of even older processes. Hot springs bubble up from the depths to demonstrate the powerful subterranean forces that have been shaping the rift valley during the last 14 million years.

Kidepo Valley National Park

Kidepo Valley National Park lies in the rugged, semi-arid valleys between Uganda’s borders with South Sudan and Kenya, some 700km from Kampala. Gazetted as a national park in 1962, it has a profusion of big game and hosts over 77 mammal species as well as around 475 bird species.

Lake Mburo National Park

Lake Mburo National Park is a compact gem, located conveniently close to the highway that connects Kampala to the parks of western Uganda. It is the smallest of Uganda’s savannah national parks and underlain by ancient Precambrian metamorphic rocks which date back more than 500 million years. It is home to 350 bird species as well as zebra, impala, eland, buffalo, oribi, Defassa waterbuck, leopard, hippo, hyena, topi and reedbuck.

Lake Victoria

Lake Victoria is one of the African Great Lakes. The lake was renamed Lake Victoria after Queen Victoria by the explorer John Hanning Speke, in his reports- the first Briton to document it. Speke accomplished this in 1858, while on an expedition with Richard Francis Burton to locate the source of the Nile River.

Kasubi Tombs

The Kasubi Tombs in Kampala, Uganda, is the site of the burial grounds for four Kabakas and other members of the Baganda royal family. As a result, the site remains an important spiritual and political site for the Ganda people, as well as an important example of traditional architecture.

Uganda Museum

The Uganda Museum is located in Kampala, Uganda. It displays and exhibits ethnological, natural-historical and traditional life collections of Uganda’s cultural heritage. It was founded in 1908, after Governor George Wilson called for “all articles of interest” on Uganda to be procured.

Types of tourists in Uganda

A Tourist is a person who travels away from home more than a day, less than a year for different occasions like Business tour, leisure tour based on their needs and reasons for traveling.

Uganda has different types of tourism activities which are organized on a daily basis in the country. Uganda Tourism Board is the main organization or board which is in charge of Tourism growth, economy and it’s under the Ministry of Tourism.

Uganda Tourism Board is a private sector which joins Uganda as a Tourist destination and promotes Tourism products like landscape and wildlife, Uganda welcomes different visitors which are grouped as Tourists.

Types of Tourists in Uganda include

Cultural Tourists

These kinds of Tourists are interested in culture to learn about the behavior, culture art, dance. Culture festivals and norms, they prefer to witness the world heritage site of the country, in Uganda, they are different cultures with different interests and norms, for example, the Buganda culture, Busoga culture, Banyankole culture, Karamojong culture.

Leisure Tourist

These Tourists are interested in relaxation refreshing their minds away from a tiresome day they prefer cruising, bird watching, beach relaxation, mountain hiking and these activities are all organized to meet the Tourist needs, for example, cruising at different water bodies like Murchison falls, Kazinga channel in Queen Elizabeth, mountain hiking at mountain Elgon and Rwenzori etc.

Religious Tourists

These kind of Tourists Travel with the main purpose of region for example Bahia temple is always visited since it was the first temple of Bahia religion in East Africa, Namugongo shrines this place is always visited and has a special day for pilgrims every 3rd June in every year who travel from different countries to remember the killing of Martyrs by Kabaka Mwanga for their faith, we have the Gaddafi Mosque this mosque is for Islamic region and it was built by a famous late president of Libya and one of the biggest mosques in East Africa and Uganda, Namirembe Cathedral commonly also known as Saint Paul’s cathedral it’s one of the oldest cathedrals in Ugandan Anglican church etc.

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Business Tourists

These Tourists engage in tourism activities well on different business trip they travel for business but add on different activities on their travel plan.

Educational Tourists

The Tourists travel to study, learn about a specific area, country or to add more qualification in different area of study for example students who travel away from home to study or learn in a specific field.

Volunteer Tourists

These Tourists travel to different local communities to gain more experience on their firsthand interest for example volunteers in orphanages, hospitals, wildlife education centers etc.

Youth Tourists

This is an independent trip of less than a year away from home or another country with a desire to learn culture, get opportunities, benefit from formal and informal education to gain more experience in the area of education. These youths are aged 15-30 and can be able to take care of themselves in any way.

Medical Tourists

These are Tourists who live in one country but travel to another country to acquire medication or care with the aim of curing their medical problems.

IMPORTANCE OF THE TOURIST INDUSTRY TO THE ECONOMY OF UGANDA

• Uganda has earned foreign exchange in form of invisible export from thousands of tourists who visit the country from Europe, Asia and from other continents due to her tourist potentials. Such income has been used to rehabilitate roads, set up heath units, etc.
• The industry has provided employment opportunities to many Ugandans such as those working in Hotel like Serena, tour and travel agencies, game guides like in Queen Elizabeth N.P. This has earned income to workers and thus improved standards of living.
• It has led to conservation of wildlife of flora and fauna through gazetting and restricting of areas such as Bwindi impenetrable, Semulik N.P, forest reserves, etc. this has helped to modify Uganda’s climate by forests and protecting her heritage for future generation.
• Tourism facilitate the development of important infrastructure such as air fields like Kasese air field to link Queen Elizabeth N.P, roads like Kampala-Gulu-Kitgum to access Kidepo N.P, health units, lodges like Mweya Safari lodge in Semulik N.P for tourist accommodation. These have led to the development of Uganda.
• It has promoted and reflected the cultural heritage of Uganda i.e. historical sites like Bigobyamugenyi, museums like Uganda museum in Kamwokya-Kampala, cultural sites like Kasubi tombs, all protect Uganda’s image abroad.
• Tourism has led to development of the craft industry and agricultural sector through providing market to the products of such sectors like at the source of the Nile. This means provision of more jobs and income from craft industry thus improved living standards of Ugandans.
• Tourism has led to diversification of Uganda’s economy from over dependence on the agricultural sector. This has resulted into increased foreign exchange used to set up schools and health centers thus Uganda’s development.
• It has improved on international relationship between Uganda and the countries like Norway, Germany and Britain, where tourists come from. This has helped Uganda to become politically stable.
• Training of skilled man power like hotel attendants, game guides, etc.
• Government revenue through taxing tourist transport companies, tourists hotels, etc.
• Growth of urban centers like Kasese town
• Promoted environmental conservation through forest reserves, gazzetting of national parks like Kidepo.
• It has promoted education and research in botany and zoology.

Negative importance includes

• Foreign tourists bring in Uganda social evils like homosexuality, promotes prostitution in small towns like Kayabwe and Nakasero which hinder Uganda’s cultural heritage.
• Tourism promotes terrorism as such people pretend to be a tourist leading to death of people as it was at Lugogo bombings.
• Profit repatriation caused by foreigners like Madhvan group who invest in Mweya Safari lodge
• Displacement of people to reserve parks and forests like in Kiruhura due to L. Mburo
• The wildlife in parks destroys people’s property and leads to loss of lives.
• Conserved areas for tourism habour and multiplies tsetse flies like in Queen Elizabeth Park.
• The overgrazing in parks has led to environmental degradation
• Encourages smuggling out of rare animal species and birds like parrots and monkeys from Bwindi

Problems facing the tourist industry in Uganda

• Political instabilities experienced in Uganda for a very long time. For instance the LRA and ADF scared away tourist from visiting Kabalega N.P and Queen Elizabeth N.P respectively. This also reduced on the total number of tourists in Uganda since they were scared of visiting the country.
• Increased poaching in national parks and game reserves like Kibale N.P and L. Mburo N.P which has led to reduction and depletion of some animal species like white rhinos, elephants and hippos.
• Population encroachment like in Masindi and Luwero on Kabalega N.P. the cattle keepers like in Kiruhura has encroached on L. Mburo N.P in search for water and pasture for their animals especially during dry seasons. All this affect the well being of wildlife and yet it’s the major tourist attraction of Uganda.
• Inefficient transport network especially air and road transport, roads during rain seasons are impassable like a road linking to Kidepo N.P in north eastern Uganda, the air strips like Kasese have limited handling facilities thus affecting the industry.
• Insufficient accommodation facilities of hotels, lodges and the well established ones like Sheraton and Serena are located far away from major tourist attraction. The available resorts are also too expensive discouraging local tourists.
• Inadequate advertisement to outside world of the tourist potentials available in Uganda for visiting. Also there is inefficient local advertisement rate thus many people are green about the tourist potentials in the country.
• Insufficient support from the government of Uganda to the Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) which is responsible for advertisement of Uganda’s tourist potentials both to local and abroad, which explain the low development of the tourist industry.
• Low domestic tourism due to poverty and ignorance of the locals, this has left tourism in Uganda dominated by foreign visitors like British, Germans, thus its low development.
• Hostility of some tribes in Uganda like the Karamajongs who are un friendly to Whites and this has continued to scare away visitors to Kidepo N.P making the industry to lose.
• Competition for foreign tourists with other African countries which has relatively similar tourist potentials like those of Uganda like Kenya has got relatively similar fauna, flora and climate. This claims a lot of tourists.

Measures to curb down the above problems

• Re-equipping and rehabilitation of existing tourist lodges such as Mweya, Chobe and Paraa. Other resort centers should be constructed with modern facilities to attract more tourists into Uganda.
• More training of labourers employed in the industry such as game wardens to fight poaching, hotel attendants to offer excellent service to tourists, so as to attract more tourists.
• Extensive advertisement to the international world about the existing tourist potentials with an aim of making the outside people aware of such existing potentials. This will fetch a lot of visitors into Uganda.
• The government has encouraged the development of the private local tour operations so as to provide efficient and modern reliable facilities in transportation.
• Massive campaign and education has been launched targeting local people especially encroachers and poachers to avoid their acts and protect wildlife resource.
• Privatization has resulted into an increased capital flow resource into the tourist industry. Also private Tours and travel agencies have helped to improve on the industry.
• There has been a check on political instabilities in Uganda. Today the LRA and ADF rebel groups no longer exist and now tourists access the once affected areas of North West and western Uganda parks like Mt. Rwenzori N.P.
• Anti-poaching units in the major parks in Uganda have been established like in L. Mburo N.P, and also strict laws dealing with encroachers on existing gazette areas have been enacted.
• Population pressure which has caused encroachers on fauna and flora has been checked through family planning awareness especially to local rural people and also resettlement of people from densely populated areas to sparsely populated areas.