Uganda will showcase its rich cultural diversity consisting of about 50 ethnic clusters alongside the unmatched flora and fauna at the 39th World Congress of the Africa Travel Association (ATA) congress

Uganda will showcase its rich cultural diversity consisting of about 50 ethnic clusters alongside the unmatched flora and fauna at the 39th World Congress of the Africa Travel Association (ATA) congress.

President Yoweri Museveni will open the conference officially on Wednesday.

Referred to as the “Pearl of Africa” by war time British Prime minister Winston Churchill, Uganda is regarded as the only country in the region where a traveller does a 21-day safari and adventure with a different experience everyday from experiencing a different culture, seeing the source of the River Nile and water sports, big five safari, tracking the gorilla, urban tourism, city tours among others.

It is this that will be laid bare to close to 500 local and foreign delegates as global focus turns on Uganda once again as the country positions to completely turn the corner in growing the tourism industry which has emerged as the number one foreign exchange earner roping in more than $1b in 2013.

Both tourism revenue and arrivals (over 1 million in 2013) are set to rise as government begins to invest in marketing in a sector whose linkages have a huge trickle down impact on almost all segments of the economy from agriculture, transport, accommodation, fuel, tax revenue among others.

Top travel industry leaders will congregate and traverse the country’s diversity including American top media outlets like National Geographic, Voice of America and CBS some of who have already jetted in the country and are undertaking field excursions.

Sylvia Kalembe, senior marketing officer at Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) says delegates will also see what tourism money does in the everyday lives of the community through pro-poor projects.

“We want to reemphasize the fact that tourism is everybody’s business,” noted Kalembe.

UTB and Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) and the ministry have also lined up a series of outdoor activities that the guests will relish including world famous sites like Murchison Falls where the River Nile is forced through a seven meter gap before thundering down 60 meters making it one of the most spectacular falls in the world.

Other activities are the world famous mountain gorillas of which Uganda hosts more than half the surviving world population, the Rwenzori, Africa’s third highest mountain ranges.

UTB chief Stephen Asiimwe said the seven day high level congress will open Uganda to more global visibility.

“We are going to tell the world that Uganda and Africa are the best places to visit,” noted Asiimwe.

ATA's signature event in Africa provides a networking, learning and agenda-shaping platform for the most diverse group of tourism industry stakeholders of any travel industry event on the continent. The 2013 edition was held in Cameroon.

Asiimwe said it is also a prime moment for investors to position to invest in the country’s diverse tourism sector.
There will be forums for investment and destination marketing.

A special session on Wednesday will focus on highlighting destination Uganda whereas Uganda Investment Authority will highlight the overall investment opportunities in the country.

The ATA congress addresses timely industry topics, offers a lineup of educational and professional development opportunities and showcases the host Destination’s newest products and services.

There will also be business-to-business and networking events, an African Bazaar at the Uganda Museum.

Wildlife song Launched

Last Friday was a special one for tourism players – as UgandaWildlife Authority (UWA) unveiled a new conservation song, Follow Me To Uganda, at the Sheraton Kampala hotel.

The hotel’s Rwenzori ballroom had been deserving decorated for the evening – with benefiting dinner round tables.

The MCs of the night, comedians Tindi and Richard Tuwangye took to the floor at 8:30pm, pulling off their usual jokes.

But the audience, which comprised of tour operators, conservationists, Makerere University students of tourism, and the chairman of Uganda Chamber of Mines and Petroleum, Elly Karuhanga, among others, was not an easy one to crack.

Yet even the first performer, Howard, a Makerere University student of tourism using hip-hop to communicate to young people about tourism, wasn’t up to the task.

It was fast-rising vocalist Jemima and Joshua, who were backed up by a group of friends on the musical instruments, that put guests in the appropriate mood by taking us to South Africa with songs such as Jabulani and Ndihamba Nawe. This set the mood for the launch of Follow Me To Uganda.

The song, which opens the tube-fiddle (ndingindi), was done by pop singer Patrick Musasizi aka Chosen Blood. Chosen first hit chats in 2012 when he did Pressure Ya Love with Walden. The pressure of separating with Walden could have taken a stall on him, but certainly Follow Me To Uganda is a good comeback for him.

The song relays Uganda’sbeauty, right from your arrival point at Entebbe airport to the countryside such as the source of the Nile, the Equator on Masaka road and the national parks. The unveiling of the song started with its video, which was played on the project, before Chosen joined Jemima and her band to perform the song.

But before that, guests, who were either invited or paid Shs 1 million for a table, were treated to a sumptuous dinner, with all kinds of drinks flowing the entire night. UWA also used the occasion to award media houses, among which was The Observer newspaper, for their continued coverage of the tourism sector.

WILD CHRISTMAS AT PARAA SAFARI LODGE

WILD CHRISTMASAT PARAA SAFARI LODGE

Celebrate this Christmas with Kjong safari ltd in Murchison Falls Park’s Paraa safari lodge built in 1954 and hosted a number of celebrities and legendaries like, Britain’s Queen mother, Ernest Hemingway, Katherine Hepburn and Humphery Bogart. Located in the northwest of country and overlooking the River Nile as it journey from Lake Victoria to join the Mediterranean Sea. The lodge offers a unique blend of comfort, relaxation and adventure. The rooms come complete with private balconies and bathroom and decor reminiscent of explorer days and a swimming pool with a great view of the river below giving chance to view elephants and hippos. The Murchison fall park  is the country’s largest national park is named after one of the largest falls on the river Nile is home to large population of buffalo, elephants and several species of antelopes, the Rothschild giraffe and the elusive lion and leopard. The launch trip on the river Nile is a nice way to watch the aquatics such as the hippos, crocodiles and both the aquatic and terrestrial birds as you make your way to Baker’s rock to watch the waterfall make their way through six meter cleft while plunging from a forty meter height.

 Wild Christmas itinerary   

Day 1: 23/12: travel to Murchison falls and Ziwa rhino sanctuary

Travel after breakfast to Murchison falls national park, stopover at Ziwa rhino sanctuary to visit the rhino, the private ranch is home to twelve white rhino under the rhino fund international, where a breeding program is under way, with growth in number these will be introduced back in their former range which was Murchison, an hour interaction with a guide to explain the behaviors of the animal, Accommodation Paraa lodge and meal plan breakfast/lunch/dinner.

Day 2: 24/12: Murchison falls national park and game drives

After breakfast head for morning game drive, the drive is scenic and goes to the delta area where the Victoria Nile joins Lake Albert. Murchisonfalls park is Uganda’s largest wildlife park the palm straddled grassland supports dense populations of lion, buffalo, elephant and Uganda Kob, together 

with the localized Rothschild giraffe and patas monkey, Immense concentration of hippos and bird.

Have a leisurely afternoon with at the lodge pool and again head out in the late evening for another game drive each drive give one different animal opportunity and experience with chances seeing cats come out to way lay their prey, Accommodation Paraa lodge and Meal plan breakfast / lunch/ dinner.

 Day 3:25/12: Murchison falls national park and afternoon boat

Have a leisurely morning and nice Christmas breakfast spend half of day at the lodge cerebrating have the morning to your selves, after lunch head for the jetty for the afternoon boat cruise on the Nile an opportunity to catch on the aquatics as you head to the foot of the Murchison falls where the Nile thunders through a small gap. The banks of the river are home to crocodiles, hippopotamus, birds and other animals that usually come down to quench their thirty, Accommodation Paraa lodge and meal plan breakfast/lunch/dinner.

Day 4: 26/12: Kampala and top falls

 Morning departure after breakfast home, stopover at the top of Murchison fall to view the falls from above, these spectacular waterfalls for which the park is named after is an electrifying sight on the trip the water travel‘s through a six meter wide gorge before plunging down forty meters on its way to the Mediterranean sea thereafter head for Masindi Hotel the oldest hotel in Uganda for lunch, Meal plan breakfast and lunch end of service.

Price per person

Foreign Non Resident

Safari Option	2Persons	4persons	6persons	8persons
Paraa safari lodge. FB	$1260	$1085	$1025	$995
Fort Murchison Lodge	$1006	$830	$770	$740

Ugandan

Safari option	2persons	4persons	6persons	8persons
Paraa safari lodge FB	UGX.2,501,250	UGX.2,085,850	UGX.1,947,350	UGX.1,878,100
Fort Murchison Lodge FB	UGX.1,888,900	UGX.1,473,500	UGX.1,335,000	UGX.1,265,750

Trip includes

4x4 safari vehicles, driver/guide and fuel

Park entry fees, activities specified in the programme

Accommodation as specified in the program

Meals as specified in the programme

Bottled water in the car

Trip Excludes:

All items/services of personal nature, laundry, bar bill/drinks

Personal insurance

All phone calls

Air fare, visa, insurance, water

Driver/guide’s gratuity/tips

   

Uganda, Rwanda to promote East Africa as single Tourism destination

Uganda,Rwanda to promote East Africa as single Tourism destination

In its commitment to promote East Africa as a single Tourism destination, Uganda has partnered with Rwanda to jointly promote two way tourism traffic between the two sister-countries.

Speaking during the 52nd Post Ugandan Independence celebrations at Serena Hotel-Kigali, Louise Mushikiwabo, Rwanadan Minister for Foreign Affairs said the move which was championed by the Uganda Tourism Board in partnership with the Rwandan Development Board is purposed to defend both the security and business developments of the two countries.

“People to people relations between Uganda and Rwanda is a very important step to strengthening the tourism sectors of the two economies-both of which come as their country’s biggest revenue earners, contributing over $1b to either countries.”

Mushikiwabo said while addressing over 5,000 celebrants including Ugandan fraternity in Rwanda, High Commissioners and friends of Uganda in Rwanda.

According to Stephen Asiimwe, UTB Chief Executive Officer, under the merger, the two countries will have healthy tourism exchanges whenever marketing opportunities such as tourism marts and expos arise in the two countries and the Great Lakes Region in general.

As a result, social-economic problems such unemployment will be effectively addressed because Tourism is the world’s biggest employer, employing at least one of every ten people in its various sub-sectors such as Roads and Transport, Hotel and accommodation among others.

To aid in this realization, Uganda’s High Commissioner to Rwanda, Richard Kabonero said Rwanda will with immediate effect start by stamping out hindrances that have over the years suffocated a healthy business exchange between the two countries such as the border to border bureaucracies.

According to Edwin Muzahura, Head of Marketing UTB, the board’s choice for Rwanda was highly influenced by the fact that no other country in the region feeds Uganda with as much tourists as Rwanda.

“Though most of these come for casual visits, a relatively good number also come for both leisure and business tourism in Uganda and spend during their stay,” Muzahura said.

 Uganda was honoured by East Africa as the country with the best tourist guides in the region

According to Asiimwe, this realization which is expected to translate into a huge influx of tourists to Uganda has been made possible thanks to an over 10 years consistent training of tour guides. It was conducted by President of the Uganda Tourism Association, Herbert Byaruhanga through the Uganda Safari Guides Associations (USAGA).

Since 2000, USAGA has trained over 1000 tour guides through short courses of between 1-3 weeks, in various parts of the country.

Among the many skills imparted during the training include discipline, wildlife knowledge and communication skills.