Africa-Press – Uganda. Nature lovers and digital media enthusiasts are in for a pleasant surprise as they can now share awesome experiences in popular tourist attractions comprising of Kidepo Valley National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.
This follows the installations of a Wi-Fi satellite at either park’s information centers.
“Talk about a global village and this is it,” confided an impressed Henry Andrews from the USA. “I have taken a selfie with these apes only seen on Nat Geo and shared the clip with my family back home in Miami. My followers branded me nicknames Tarzan and my followers instantly shot up by hundreds!”
Some are asking about the state of the COVID-19 threat in destination Uganda and what standard operating procedures are in place.
“People are curious about what post-COVID-19 travel is going to be,” confided Andrews. “This Wi-Fi will answer the questions about what the impact of the pandemic has been to Uganda and what one should prepare for.”
“Since the opening up we have received numerous inquiries from individuals and destination dealers from source countries,” said Bwindi chief warden Newton Guma. “And already the volume of trackers has peaked 500 visitors since the lifting of the lockdown.”
One challenge the trackers have is being cautioned to keep a distance away from the primates but while in their vicinity the babies playfully touch people and pull faces.
“The trick is to ignore it or risk a blow from the silverback who might mistake your friendliness to kidnap,” says Guma. “You risk receiving a blow similar to being hit by a sack weighing 50kg of sugar. You might not live to tell your experience after such a blow – at least it has not happened.”
Asked what the installation of the communication gadget means to the tourism industry triggered a variety of responses from officials from the ministries of tourism, ICT and the Uganda Wildlife Authority.
“Times have changed,” said Brian Mulego representing tourism state minister Godfrey Kiwanda. “We expect destination Uganda to be in the face of potential travelers through this service. This will imply whenever one is searching for gorillas or the Big Five – Uganda will pop up.”
The senior information scientist added that this implies a boom in the volume of tourists destined to Uganda and more information shared about the variety of attractions in place.
“There is lots more in Uganda than just gorilla tracking and Kidepo Valley National Park that have attracted prominent politicians, the corporates and celebrities of international repute,” said Malego.
“We had Charles Njonjo here in his late 90s. This is in addition to software developer Bill Gates but we learned about their visit here so many months after they went back home.”
Haruna Nyanzi the CEO of Sombha Solution Store said the digital connection is destined to give destination Uganda mileage when one is searching for adventure, wildlife, nature walks, birds and culture.
“Tourists will post incidents as they unfold during their trip in Uganda,” said Nyanzi. “This implies that besides informing, the services are also advertising attractions in Uganda. This is the easiest way to reach thousands of people today.”
Clips that have been shared on social media and gone viral include that of a courageous Maasai armed with a spear going to a lion’s den to chop off a chunk of an antelope it was eating.
“The courage to disturb the king of the jungle dining was phenomenal,” said Nyanzi. “On its heels came the gorilla tracker who was approached by a silverback that grabbed his camera but gave it back to him as he was sweating profusely with fear. It must have been shot in Uganda.”
Sombha Solution Store operations manager Moses Wamono says in the new normal, the world of advertising has changed.
“That is why popular travel agencies like Thomas Cook closed down,” said Wamono. “People now go to places recommended by people they follow or access information digitally through search engines. It is the new normal. This Wi-Fi facility means double benefits for destination Uganda.”
