UTB hosts Rwanda tour agents

Travel 

Saturday, May 28, 2016 

GORRILA TRACKING: The efforts put towards regional tourism marketing among EAC member states are carried out under the Joint Tourism Marketing Committee through the Northern Corridor Infrastructure Project. COURTESY PHOTO

KAMPALA, UGANDA - Uganda and Rwanda tour operators have come together to promote Joint Tourism Marketing in the region.  

Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) among other strategic partners in the Gorilla Highlands, hosted ten Rwanda tour operators to Destination Uganda familiarization trip in the spirit of promoting East Africa as a single destination.

The Tour Operators were hosted to key tourist attractions in South Western Uganda including Queen Elizabeth National Park. This particular familiarization trip with the Rwanda operators took place from the 24th – 29th May 2016.

This comes barely a week since Uganda contracted three firms from the US and Europe to represent the country in the global travel markets.  The visit by Rwanda tour operators to Uganda shows the determination by the relevant agencies and ministry of tourism in Uganda to popularize the country's tourism sector world over.   

"The benefits of promoting the region as a single destination, is the use of the single East Africa tourist visa. At only US$100, a tourist can move between Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya on a single visa valid for 90 days." said Stephen Asiimwe, CEO, UTB. 

The efforts put towards regional tourism marketing among EAC member states are carried out under the Joint Tourism Marketing Committee through the Northern Corridor Infrastructure Project.

Asiimwe said with Kigali International Airport of Rwanda just a few hours away from most of Uganda's south western tourist attraction, the western circuit to the Rwandan itinerary gives variety to visitors.

Some of the tour operators who visited Uganda include among others Wildlife Tours - Rwanda, Thousand Hills Expeditions, Primate Safaris, Amahoro Tours, Intore Expeditions and Business Tours, Rwanda Eco-tours, Songa Africa, ITT, Sunrise Eco-Tours and Jean Marie - Eagle Ride.

The East Africa Tourism Platform (EATP) is the private sector body for tourism in East Africa, working towards promoting the interest and participation of the private sector in the East African Community (EAC) integration process. 

EATP is the first regional tourism apex body put into place, able to lobby at the EAC level and at the level of national governments with the vision of creating and promote a vibrant and diverse single tourism destination is the driving force.

EATP promotes intra and inter-regional tourism though advocacy, marketing, skills development, research and information sharing, the main strategic objectives include among others provide Intermediate and reduce obstacles to intra and inter-regional tourism, Promote an intra and inter-regional tourism marketing approach, Facilitate continuous skills development in the tourism sector, Promote harmonized standards and codes of conduct of tourism facilities and services, Facilitate access to finance and risk management services and Share information and provide networking opportunities

By Sam Okwakol, Saturday, May 28th, 2016

Source: UTB hosts Rwanda tour agents