Tourism could have best year yet, as government injects Shs 140bn more

In the recently released national budget 2025/2026, the tourism sector was allocated Shs 430bn in direct funding, and it also expects to benefit from an additional Shs 2.2 trillion the Finance ministry set aside for cross-sectoral developments, likely to benefit tourism indirectly through infrastructure and more.

While tourism is still a top foreign exchange earner for Uganda (Shs 5.8 trillion this financial year, up from Shs 5.2 trillion according to Finance minister Matia Kasaija during his budget speech on June 12), stakeholders have always been the proverbial Oliver Twist, asking government for some more financing for the sector.

Government seems to have listened and taken notes, and from the miserly allocation of Shs 289.6bn in the 2024/2025 budget, there was a 140.4bn increase in the budget Kasaija released last week – a definite win for the sector.

“It is a very welcome development for government’s increased allocation to the tourism sector as it is timely and strategic investment in Uganda’s economic recovery and transformation. This funding will empower the Uganda Tourism Board to aggressively market Destination Uganda, improve tourism infrastructure, and support product development across the country,” Uganda Tourism Board’s head of Public Relations, Dr Simplicious Gessa, told The Observer.

“With this boost, we are better positioned to attract more visitors, create jobs, and enhance Uganda’s competitiveness on the global tourism map.”

Through the eyes of a British national who recently toured Uganda, the country’s many colours and beauty deserve more recognition, especially considered that she (Alice Morrison) spent 30 percent less per day in Uganda, compared to what is needed in Kenya, and a gorilla permit in Uganda costs half that of Rwanda.

From game drives in Murchison Falls national park, to the sereneness of Lake Bunyonyi and the culinary delights and culture, Morrison was swept away by the Pearl of Africa and documented her journey for UK’s Daily Mail.

UGANDA THROUGH THE EYES OF A BRITON

“Our riverboat guide looks at me earnestly. ‘Did you know that hippos are actually really bad swimmers but elephants can swim very well?’ asks Clinton.

“We are on a small boat in Murchison Falls game park on the Victoria Nile river in north-west Uganda. There are hippo eyes all around our boat, their crinkly eyebrows peeping above the water.

“They look like they’re swimming but their feet are on the muddy ground flats,” he says.

Just then, there is a gasp from my fellow travellers. In the middle of the river, a family of elephants is crossing. They are up to their bellies in water, feet on the shallow bottom. Two babies have their trunks firmly wrapped around their mothers’ tails for security. The big bull flaps his ears as the boat approaches.

At the back of the line are the teenagers. They’re having a ball, lolloping around like overgrown labradors. They suck water up and then spray it every which way. One of them ducks under and rolls over. Another dives submarine-style and uses his trunk as a snorkel.

‘See how they swim?’ says Clinton. Uganda is a small landlocked country in East Africa. It shares borders with Kenya and Tanzania and is crammed with wildlife, but the price of its safaris is comparatively cheaper. A good-value safari costs about 200 pounds per day – 30 percent lower than in Kenya. And the bonus is that you are not competing with crowds.

You won’t have to share your lion with 20 other vehicles jostling for the best camera positions [unless you are in Queen Elizabeth national park]. If you have the budget, there is also the option to visit gorillas in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest – a permit in Uganda costs half that of one in Rwanda. Another plus is the accommodation.

There are lots of authentic options, built with techniques in harmony with the environment. Murchison Falls is the country’s biggest game park. Ibra, my driver, and I head out at first light for a land-based adventure.

‘Look,’ says Ibra. Ahead is a small herd of giraffes, walking with that peculiar swaying grace. One stretches up its neck and nibbles a delicacy from a thorn tree. We are so close that I can see the individual chin hairs on the big male.

‘Giraffes have the same number of vertebrae in their necks as humans – seven. But it’s just that theirs can be 10 inches long,’ says Ibra. One for the pub quiz. As we drive on, four different types of antelope play tag with our jeep.

A sullen group of water buffalos – the most dangerous animal in the bush – glare out at us from a water hole. We seem to have the park to ourselves but then we spot a small cluster of vans. A lion is moving slowly through the grasses, coming in and out of view. It’s an adrenaline rush.

Later, I spot two sets of furry ears in the bush and then a hyena breaks cover and gallops straight ahead of us for several hundred yards. ‘I’ve never seen one do that before,’ concedes Ibra. Uganda is not all about safari. It has good restaurants and a busy nightlife scene in the cities. Music and dancing are a major part of life and Ugandans will twerk at any opportunity.

Women wear wrap skirts and headscarves in bright colours. They rule the open-air markets, sitting in front of piles of mangos, pineapples and large avocados. Don’t try Ugandan food if you are on a protein or keto diet. It majors in carbohydrates and the portions are vast. My favourite food is the Rolex.

It’s an omelette wrapped in a chapatti and made fresh in front of you on an iron griddle at tiny roadside stalls. After the excitement of seeing the Big Five, I want to relax for my last few days so, I head to Lake Bunyonyi, known for its peace and bird-watching. I’m picked up by boat and cruise across the water to my lodge on one of the 29 islands.

Blue kingfishers and regal-crested cranes swoop over the boat. I’m billeted in a thatched hut with no door; the shower is outside and warmed by the sun. My last day is spent watching a family of kingfishers dart in the shallows as regal-crested cranes fly by – and remembering those mischievous teenage elephants snorkelling down the Nile.”

RECOVERING SECTOR

According to the ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities 2024 Tourism Performance Statistics: “In 2024, Uganda welcomed 1,371,895 international visitors, recovering to 89.2% of pre-pandemic levels”.

This is still significantly lower than what Uganda’s neighbours and competition Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda welcome annually, but the projections are good for Uganda as it continues to leverage its MICE tourism (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) in addition to its unique offerings such as mountain gorillas, huge cultural diversity, religious tourism and other non-wildlife attractions.

What the neighbouring countries have over Uganda is mostly easier access to their parks and other attractions; if the latest budget allocations are indeed disbursed, UTB and stakeholders are hoping this is the boost the sector has been waiting for, and 2025/2026 should be a good year.

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