Uganda Launches Global Tourism Drive

Four Ugandan airfields will soon be welcoming international visitors, opening up some of the country’s most iconic National Parks to more foreign markets.

The news has been announced by the government’s Minister of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, Tom Butiime, at the country’s recent Peak of Africa Tourism Expo in the national capital of Kampala.

Four airstrips will be tarmacked and coded with immigration posts established in Kasese, Kidepo, Pakuba and Kisoro National Parks. This will enable visitors to land directly in national parks surrounded by a landscape rich in elephants, antelope and other wildlife, without the need to clear customs at Entebbe Airport.

Hailing the news as a “game changer”, Mr Butiime said the improvement had been ordered by the country’s President, Yoweri Museveni.

Previously the only airstrips at the new locations were ‘bush’ airstrips, thereby requiring visitors to enter Uganda via Entebbe near the country’s capital Kampala and then find alternative transportation such as a caravan aircraft or to travel by road to visit the locations.

Visitor numbers to Uganda have bounced back strongly in 2023 after the Covid pandemic with numbers expected to be back at pre-pandemic numbers next year. There are presently around 1.5 million visitors a year, contributing 7.7 per cent to the country’s GDP.

Uganda is home to 10 national parks, including the famous Bwindi Impenetrable National Park which is home to the endangered mountain gorillas. Uganda is also home to the source of the Nile, the world’s longest river, and has a rich cultural heritage that is characterized by diverse ethnic groups, languages, and traditions.