The Tourism industry has set yet another target after almost hitting the one million tourists target visiting Uganda by 2012.
This target was set in 2009. Now sector players want to see the industry contributing up to 9.2% of the total Gross Domestic Products for Uganda by the year 2015.
According to Mr. James Rutaro, the commissioner for conservation in the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, tourism today contributes about 5% of the country’s GDP.
“We’re repositioning ourselves to ensure social economic transformation as well as increasing our total GDP contribution to 9.2%,” said Rutaro while launching the Uganda Snapshot Safari Board Game at the Café Ballet in Kampala last week. However, figures from the world travel and tourism council indicate that the direct contribution of travel and tourism to GDP is expected to be Ush1.4 trillion (about $545m), which is 3.2% of total GDP this year, rising by 5.8% per annum to Ush2.4 trillion (about $958m), 3.1% GDP in 2021.
The World Travel and Tourism Council figures further show that the total contribution of travel and tourism to Uganda’s GDP, including its wider economic impacts, is forecasted to rise by 5.9% per annum from Ush3.3 trillion (about $1.3b), which is 7.6% of GDP this year to Ush5.8 trillion (about $2.3b) or 7.4% GDP contribution by 2021.
The Uganda Snapshot Safari Board Game is a brain child of USAID-Sustainable Tourism in the Albertine Rift programme, Wildlife Clubs of Uganda and Mr. Nicholas Kagongo Arinaitwe, an artist who provided the illustrations and concept of the game.
Mr. David Eckerson, the USAID Uganda mission director said since the commencement of the USAID-STAR programme two years ago, four serious conservation threats have been identified
Compiled by Jackie
Uganda Tourism news, Uganda safari news and gorilla trekking
