Uganda Tourist Board offices shift to Kololo
The Uganda Tourist Board (UTB) Offices, aka Tourism Uganda, have finally shifted to their new location in the upscale Kololo suburb on Acacia Avenue, near Protea Kampala Hotel and the Metropole Hotel, after years of hiding in a much criticized basement location.
For many years the supposed showcase for Uganda’s tourism industry was located on the lowest floor of the Impala House on Kimathi Avenue in the city center. The offices were often overlooked, and even when they were found, they gave a rather not too inviting impression to their visitors.
UTB also operates two "window shops" at the Entebbe International Airport’s arrival lounge and the Garden City shopping mall, making contact for arriving tourist visitors easy and simple.
The new premises are now fully operational and open for business – aimed to bring more tourists and commercial visitors to the "Pearl of Africa."
Compiled by
Uganda Tour Operators urge Government to construct Roads
The Uganda Tour Operators have asked the Government to construct roads leading to major tourist destinations to ease the transportation of tourists.
The president of the Association of Uganda Tour Operators, Boniface Byamukama noted that bad roads had been a major hindrance in the transportation of tourists to national parks.
“When it rains, it’s almost impossible to take any tourist to these destinations,” said Byamukama who was speaking at the official opening of the association’s new offices in Kololo, last week.
Byamukama pointed out the Kagadi-Wima road, Kihihi-Kitunguru road in Kanungu district, Kabale-Kisoro-Bwindi road and Rukungiri-Bwindi road as the worst roads that hinder the Business.
Julius Onen, the permanent secretary at the tourism and trade ministry, urged tour firms to keep the dynamism to take tourism ahead.
He said construction of the roads would soon be done by the Uganda Wildlife Road Network Company.
Onen was also happy that the Tourism sector was slowly recovering from the effects of the recent Kampala bomb attacks that had got Tourists worried for their lives.
Compiled by
Jackie
Buganda Totems become tool for Uganda wildlife preservation
The Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC) has adopted Buganda’s totem system to supplement the conservation effort, an official has said.
In his speech, UWEC Executive Director Andrew Seguya said that People have forgotten this but during the old times, the Baganda knew that it was a taboo to kill your totem or even to eat your totem. And If we re-invent this, it may be a useful tool in our conservation.
Dr Seguya was briefing the Vice President, Prof. Gilbert Bukenya, about UWEC’s activities during the Buganda Tourism Expo 2010 yesterday. Prof Bukenya officially opened the exhibition, now an annual event.
Traditionally, a totem was an animal that represented a clan or familial group in order to distinguish them from other clans and thus prevent inbreeding or incest, and help one to monitor the kinship.
Dr Seguya said the cultural attachment to some of the animals helped in their conservation as Baganda held those animals sacred.
Last month alone, Dr Seguya said, five lions had been poisoned by unknown people in Queen Elizabeth National Park and the wild cats are now an endangered species.
UWEC exhibited a lion, a crested crane, an ostrich, pythons, fishing eagles and parrots among others.
Prof. Bukenya promised to become an ambassador for the bird’s conservation efforts. He said he was interested in the crane, which is a national bird yet it is becoming extinct
“I am interested in getting a male and a female crane,” Prof. Bukenya requested. And this was considered since Uganda crested crane is getting extinct.
Prof. Bukenya urged people to take part in cultural tourism that is one of the ways to effect development and conservation of culture.
Compiled by
Jackie
You must take a Safari in Uganda
Uganda is a small, land-locked country in Eastern Africa. It borders Kenya, Sudan, DR Congo, Rwanda and Tanzania and is home to one of the most diverse landscapes in all of Africa. Within Uganda's borders lie lush mountains, vast lakes and dry grasslands that teem with all sorts of wildlife, making it a wonderful safari destination.
Of recent, Uganda was not as popular a tourist destination as it neighboring countries. This means that adventurous visitors here can enjoy a type of authentic African landscape and culture that is less available in the better trodden countries such as Kenya and Tanzania.
One of Uganda's most famous and unique aspects are its abundance of Endangered Mountain wild gorillas, many of which are accessible on Ugandan safaris that take visitors into the national parks where they live. It is only because of Uganda's uniquely lush environments that gorillas can be observed up close here.
Chimpanzees come second to Uganda's unusual wildlife staying in their natural habitat. Typical Ugandan safaris also incorporate a chimp element, in addition to gorilla treks.
The River Nile is a very different setting on a safari through Murchison Falls National Park. Here, the massive river plunges down 45 meters into an amazing waterfall and wild hippos and crocodiles roam the waters.
Despite the rocky reputations of several of its neighbors, Uganda is one of the safer countries for tourists to visit in the entire Eastern African region. The nation boasts a stable government and lacks the insurgents and war that characterize many African nations, making it the perfect place to experience an Excellent African safari.
Compiled by
Jackie
Tanzania Tourist Board gets new Managing Director
Dr. Aloyce K. Nzuki has been appointed as the new Managing Director of the Tanzania Tourist Board
Dr. Nzuki brings years of experience in the tourism industry to the position. He previously worked with Tanzania’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism as an Assistant Director in Tourism Development and Tourism Research, Training and Statistics.
He was appointed by H.E. Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, President of the United Republic of Tanzania
Under Dr. Nzuki’s direction, the Tanzania Tourist Board will continue to promote sustainable tourism domestically and internationally.
“As Tanzania’s tourism industry, which accounts for 17.2 percent of the country’s GNP, keeps growing, we will remain focused on high quality, low impact tourism to ensure the sustainability of the tourism product. We look forward to continuing the momentum started in the United States, which remains our number-one market,” said Dr. Nzuki.
Dr. Nzuki studied Statistics at Makerere University in Uganda and completed a master’s degree in Tourism Marketing at University of Surrey in England. He holds a doctorate
Degree in Parks, Recreation & Tourism Management from Clemson University of South Carolina.
Until last month, Dr. Nzuki was an Assistant Professor of International Business Administration at the College of Applied Sciences in Salalah, Oman. He has also worked as a member of the United Nations World Tourism Organization’s World Committee on Tourism Ethics, the body responsible for interpreting, applying and evaluating the provisions of the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism.
Compild by
Jackie
UNESCO needs 1 mln dollars to reconstruct Uganda’s Kasubi Tombs
Located on a hill in Uganda's capital Kampala, Kasubi Tombs was a former palace of the Kings of Buganda, built in 1882 and converted into the royal burial ground in 1884.
Four royal tombs lay within the main building, which is circular and surmounted by a dome. It was made of wood, thatch, reed, wattle and daub.
The tombs were a tourist attraction as well as an important spiritual and political site for the Baganda, Uganda's largest ethnic group. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2001, but was set ablaze by an identified fire
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) are seeking one million U.S. dollars for the rebuilding Uganda's world heritage site which was burnt down in March, an official said here on Friday.
Irina Bokova, UNESCO director general told delegates from 40 African countries that the organization has taken the responsibility of mobilizing funds for reconstructing Kasubi Tombs, a 126 year old burial site for ancient kings of one of Uganda's oldest kingdoms.
"We are committed to preserving culture. Culture is very important and significant for the economic growth and development of African continent," she said while closing the 12th conference of national commissions for UNESCO and director general consultations of Africa region.
Yesterday Bokova met President Yoweri Museveni at State House, Entebbe, 40km south of the capital, Kampala Uganda where by Museveni called upon UNESCO to support Uganda's efforts to preserve its oldest cultural sites.
"We welcome any support towards Kasubi. However, Kasubi is more recent in 1884. There are other sites that were as ancient as 1600AD. We should develop programs to ensure that we protect this rich history as living memory," the statement quoted Museveni as saying.
According to the release, Bokova said that UNESCO has already raised 50,000 dollars from various donors for the reconstruction of the tombs and hoped to jointly work with Ugandan government to restore it.
Compiled by
Jackie
Uganda Tour Company wins Wild card space
One of Uganda-based Tour Company recently won free Wild Card space to exhibit in Frankfurt, Germany at the recently concluded IMEX 2010 exhibition.
IMEX in Frankfurt is the essential worldwide exhibition for meetings and incentive travel and their Wild Card programmer allowing undiscovered destinations to be put on the global business map. IMEX brings together international buyers and sellers and over 3,500 exhibitors from more than 150 countries attended IMEX 2010.
Great Lakes Safaris was the only African company that won free space; alongside two others, Morzine, France and Hof Conference and Cultural Center, Iceland.
Information obtained from the IMEX website indicates that to qualify for a winning place, Wild Card entrants have to justify their potential as a brand new meeting and incentive travel destination or a new convention and conference centre from a new and emerging destination.
On what significance the exhibition is likely to have for Uganda, the managing director Great Lakes Safaris Amos Wekesa told East African Business Week in an interview last week that the exhibition cast Uganda in the spotlight and is likely to open up opportunities for doing business. "There were many international companies at the exhibition that will sell Uganda as an ultimate destination," said Wekesa. "Charters that last came to Uganda in the 1970s will soon start bringing tourists as a result," he said.
As a company, Wekesa said winning the Wild Card free space means growth provides a challenge and opened eyes about the opportunities available. "They looked at our organization, our facilities, the people we deal with and our website and found that we qualified to be there. The contacts of the companies we met are going to help us market Uganda as a destination," said Wekesa.
Some other benefits to each winning destination of the Wild Card programmer include free exhibition space within the Wild Card Pavilion, access to discounted air fares, complimentary hotel room for three nights in Frankfurt, plus a free ticket to the IMEX Gala Dinner.
The winners also benefit from marketing support to assist them in presenting their destination to the audience of international buyers at the show
Compiled by
Jackie
30 hippos die of suspected anthrax in Queen Elizabeth Park
So far 30 hippos have died of suspected anthrax in Queen Elizabeth National Park.
The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) boss said that the hippos died on Friday and were buried on Saturday and Sunday and were waiting for experts to confirm whether the animals died of anthrax.
Moses Mapesa clarified that the deaths were not a threat to tourism because it occurred five kilometers east of the Katunguru Bridge towards Lake George, which is far away from the Kazinga Channel, a breeding area for hippos.
Tom Okello, the Queen Elizabeth Conservation Area manager, said UWA had set up a surveillance team to monitor the waters.
This comes six years after the park lost about 300 hippos, several vultures, hyenas and other grass-eating animals in the park to anthrax.
Several people died then in Bushenyi district and one in Kinyamaseke, Kasese district after eating meat of the infected hippos.
“But the situation is under control. After the 2004 anthrax attack, we are now more prepared to handle it,” he said.
He described to the incident as “part and parcel of nature, a normal phenomenon.”
Mapesa explained that whenever an animal grazes at a spot harboring the anthrax spores, the spores come with the grass.
“The bacteria are always dormant in the soil until there is something to trigger it,” he said.
Mapesa warned the public against eating wildlife meat and livestock keepers to avoid grazing in the park and also urged anyone who sees a carcass should immediately report to UWA authorities or other nearest authorities.
Compiled by
Jackie
Ugandan Lions to get Extinct
The Research projects done on lions in Uganda indicate that almost two males, and three females, are killed every year. This, therefore, implies that this year's share of lion death has been fulfilled already by those unscrupulous people in Kasenyi who poisoned the 5 lions in Queen Elizabeth National Park. And if the trend increases along with other occurrences, the annual death rate is likely to double resulting into extinction of lions.
This implies at that rate, Uganda is bound to have no lions to show to the tourists that flock the country for a unique wildlife experience. Worse still, there is cause for worry, as the children of tomorrow might not get to see lions.
According to the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), the total lion population in Uganda could be slightly over 750. They live isolated in groups in only three of Uganda's 10 national parks. The deteriorating population of lions faces lots of challenges. Human population outbursts have led to human and livestock encroachment on wildlife habitats, leading to predator-livestock or wildlife-human conflicts. The end result has been; livestock losses due to lion predation, killing of lions for medicinal or cultural practices, death of lions by hit and run vehicles, loss of prey animals as they are poached by people or killed by diseases.
UWA indicates that the greatest decline in lion populations was during the civil wars in Uganda between 1970s and the early 1980s, due to lawlessness. Protected areas like Lake Mburo National Park are reported to be devoid of the lion populations that once lived there. They were all killed by the neighboring pastoral communities but a few of them have been spotted some where in the park.
The Uganda Wild life Authority has put a lot of effort in conservation of lions by making partnership with various stakeholders to uplift the cause. Through its collaboration with institutions like Makerere University, through the Lions Project, NGOs like CARE and other foreign donors, conservation efforts have been put up to improve the survival rate of lions. This they are doing through research, neighboring community involvement and donor support.
Compiled by
Jackie
Uganda Safari news
Ugandan Lions to get Extinct
The Research projects done on<a href="http://katonatours.com/aboutuganda.html"> lions in Uganda </a>indicate that almost two males, and three females, are killed every year. This, therefore, implies that this year's share of lion death has been fulfilled already by those unscrupulous people in Kasenyi who poisoned the 5<a href="http://katonatours.com/safaris/uganda/3days-queen-elizabeth-safari.html"> lions in Queen Elizabeth National Park</a>. And if the trend increases along with other occurrences, the annual death rate is likely to double resulting into extinction of lions.
This implies at that rate, Uganda is bound to have no lions to show to the tourists that flock the country for a unique wildlife experience. Worse still, there is cause for worry, as the children of tomorrow might not get to see lions.
According to the <a href="http://katonatours.com/safaris/uganda/7days-cultural-wildlife-safari-uganda.html">Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), </a>the total lion population in Uganda could be slightly over 750. They live isolated in groups in only three of Uganda's 10 national parks. The deteriorating population of lions faces lots of challenges. Human population outbursts have led to human and livestock encroachment on wildlife habitats, leading to predator-livestock or wildlife-human conflicts. The end result has been; livestock losses due to lion predation, killing of lions for medicinal or cultural practices, death of lions by hit and run vehicles, loss of prey animals as they are poached by people or killed by diseases.
UWA indicates that the greatest decline in lion populations was during the civil wars in Uganda between 1970s and the early 1980s, due to lawlessness. Protected areas like <a href="http://katonatours.com/safaris/uganda/3days-mburo-wildlife-safari.html">Lake Mburo National Park </a>are reported to be devoid of the lion populations that once lived there. They were all killed by the neighboring pastoral communities but a few of them have been spotted some where in the park.
The Uganda Wild life Authority has put a lot of effort in conservation of lions by making partnership with various stakeholders to uplift the cause. Through its collaboration with institutions like Makerere University, through the Lions Project, NGOs like CARE and other foreign donors, conservation efforts have been put up to improve the survival rate of lions. This they are doing through research, neighboring community involvement and donor support.
Compiled by
Jackie
<a href="http://katonatours.com/tours/uganda-safaris.html">Uganda Safari news</a>