{"id":57872,"date":"2023-10-20T14:38:42","date_gmt":"2023-10-20T14:38:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/?p=57872"},"modified":"2023-10-20T14:17:40","modified_gmt":"2023-10-20T14:17:40","slug":"tourism-sector-out-to-regroup-from-terror-setback","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/tourism-sector-out-to-regroup-from-terror-setback","title":{"rendered":"Tourism sector out to regroup from terror setback"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Uganda. <\/strong><\/span>Barely days after Uganda\u2019s central bank announced in its 2022\/2023 annual report that the country\u2019s foreign reserves had dipped to $4.07b (Shs15.2 trillion), one of the major forex earners suffered a sledgehammer blow.<\/b><\/p>\n

In 2022, per the Uganda Tourism Board (UTB), Uganda fetched $736m (Shs2.7b) after registering 814,508 tourists. The country has already registered hundreds of thousands of tourists this year. Two of them, newlyweds, were this week in the Queen Elizabeth National Park for their honeymoon.<\/p>\n

The park, says Ms Lilly Ajarova, UTB\u2019s executive director, \u201cis recognised for its breathtaking landscapes and diverse wildlife.\u201d Only this time, suspected Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) militia had creeped into it. The gunmen, in an orgy of bloodletting, claimed the lives of the newlyweds and their driver, who doubled as a guide.<\/p>\n

Yesterday, Britain\u2019s Foreign Office advised its citizens \u201cagainst all but essential travel\u201d to the hugely popular park. One of the tourists who died at the hands of the gunmen was a Briton.<\/p>\n

Observers fear that Uganda\u2019s robust tourism industry could be handicapped by a flurry of cancelled bookings at the time when tourists usually loosen their purse strings. Players in the sector, however, remain hopeful.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have faced such adversities in the past. However, with our robust and vigilant security system, I know our security forces will handle the situation,\u201d Ms Susan Muhwezi, the chairperson of Uganda Hotel Owners Association, said yesterday, adding, \u201cWe appeal for calm and also encourage tourists not to shy away from coming to Uganda because the country is peaceful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ms Ajarova was just as sanguine, saying \u201ctourism remains a vital pillar of Uganda\u2019s economy, and we are fully committed to maintain and improve the safety and security of our visitors.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr Gesa John Simplicious, the UTB spokesperson, added that \u201cmore than ever, Queen Elizabeth National Park is now secured.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the tour operators, a cautious optimism was clearly palpable. It is, perhaps, best captured by Mr Ivan Paul Wassaaka, the team leader at Gorillas and Wildlife Safaris, who told that the industry will bounce back from the setback just as it did when Covid-19 landed a telling blow.<\/p>\n

The blow of Tuesday\u2019s macabre attack, though, cannot be shrugged off. In Kigezi Sub-region where the three lives were lost, a section of tour operators reported registering many cancellations. Mr Jason Niwamanya, the executive director of Safari Vacations and Travel Service Ltd, said assurances are needed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe appeal to the government to provide enough security to ensure these tourism sites remain safe for all the tourists and their guides,\u201d Mr Niwamanya said.<\/p>\n

Mr Ivan Mbabazi Batuma, the chairman of Kigezi Tourism Cluster, said intensifying security deployment in all the protected areas is but one of many things that should be done. Tour operators, he added, must also exercise caution by avoiding late-game drives.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe tour operators should also be vigilant by asking for armed security officials from the Uganda Wildlife Authority before carrying out any game drive,\u201d he further advised, adding that counselling services to the scared tourists will also come in handy.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere, Mr Seith Byarugaba, the executive director of Silverback Gorilla Safaris Ltd, \u201cappeal[ed] to the media industry in Uganda to avoid sensational reporting about the Tuesday incident in Queen Elizabeth National Park that he said may result in scaring off the tourists who have already booked to visit other national parks in Uganda.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nicholas Kagongo, the manager of Katwe Eco Tourism Information Centre in the Katwe-Kabatooro Town Council, Kasese District, expressed his concerns regarding the recent events.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn Wednesday, I had visitors who had booked with me, I was expecting them to arrive in the morning but after the Tuesday evening incident, they all cancelled, they were from Kumi University and another from two primary schools in Mbarara City,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Uganda<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Uganda. Barely days after Uganda\u2019s central bank announced in its 2022\/2023 annual report that the country\u2019s foreign reserves had dipped to $4.07b (Shs15.2 trillion), one of the major forex earners suffered a sledgehammer blow. In 2022, per the Uganda Tourism Board (UTB), Uganda fetched $736m (Shs2.7b) after registering 814,508 tourists. The country has […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":57871,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,5,7],"tags":[233,240,234],"class_list":["post-57872","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-economy","category-head-lines","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-uganda","tag-uganda"],"yoast_head":"\nTourism sector out to regroup from terror setback - Uganda<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Barely days after Uganda\u2019s central bank announced in its 2022\/2023 annual report that the country\u2019s foreign reserves ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/tourism-sector-out-to-regroup-from-terror-setback\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Tourism sector out to regroup from terror setback\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Barely days after Uganda\u2019s central bank announced in its 2022\/2023 annual report that the country\u2019s foreign reserves ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/tourism-sector-out-to-regroup-from-terror-setback\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Uganda\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-10-20T14:38:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/uganda\/sites\/34\/2023\/10\/sm_1697798798.429907.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/tourism-sector-out-to-regroup-from-terror-setback#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/tourism-sector-out-to-regroup-from-terror-setback\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Tourism sector out to regroup from terror setback\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-10-20T14:38:42+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/tourism-sector-out-to-regroup-from-terror-setback\"},\"wordCount\":652,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/tourism-sector-out-to-regroup-from-terror-setback#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/uganda\/sites\/34\/2023\/10\/sm_1697798798.429907.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Africa Press\",\"Africa Press-Uganda\",\"uganda\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"economy\",\"head lines\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/tourism-sector-out-to-regroup-from-terror-setback#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/tourism-sector-out-to-regroup-from-terror-setback\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/uganda\/all-news\/tourism-sector-out-to-regroup-from-terror-setback\",\"name\":\"Tourism sector out to regroup from terror setback - 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