Addis Abeba, Ethiopia | AFP | Millions of lost jobs, mounting debt woes and plunging remittances are among the economic hardships African countries can expect because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the African Union said in a study published Monday. “Nearly 20 million jobs, both in the formal and informal sectors, are threatened with destruction on …
Read More »International tourism to plunge up to 30% due to virus: UN
Madrid, Spain | AFP | International travel will likely fall by 20-30 percent in 2020 due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, putting millions of jobs in the global tourism sector at risk, the World Tourism Organization said Friday. This revises sharply lower a forecast made on March 6 of a …
Read More »Tourism paying price for coronavirus outbreak
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | When China finally publicly admitted that what was killing people in the city of Wuhan was coronavirus, no Ugandan would even remotely think its effects would reverberate as far as far as Kanungu, Nwoya, Kaabong, Kisoro or Rubirizi districts. The five districts have one …
Read More »Hotels, tour operators register surge in booking cancellations
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The tourism and hospitality industry in Uganda is dealing with the worst surge in cancellation of bookings as the global coronavirus outbreak takes a toll on businesses. Jean Byamugisha, the Uganda Hotel Owners Association chairperson, said many people who were scheduled to travel to Uganda …
Read More »Author petitions registrar over delayed judgment in NDP II copyright case
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | An Author Edward Mashate has petitioned the Registrar in Charge of the Commercial Division of High Court seeking judgement in a case filed against the government for infringing on his copyright. Mashate dragged the government to court seeking compensation for damages and costs for allegedly …
Read More »2020 Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo
A big opportunity for Uganda, African economies Kampala, Uganda | JULIUS BUSINGE | Tourism players from across Africa gathered at Speke Resort Munyonyo located approximately 20 kilometers southeast of Kampala City starting Feb.4-6 to discuss the industry’s future prospects. This was the 5th Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo (POATE) organized …
Read More »The Independent tourism book on sale at Pearl of Africa Expo
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Lilly Ajarova, the Chief Executive Officer of Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) has told delegates to the ongoing 2020 Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo (POATE) that Uganda is full of abundant tourism opportunities characterised by the richest tourism attractions portfolio, best value for money for investors …
Read More »Uganda showcases top attractions at Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo 2020
✳Forex earnings from tourism have grown by 22% over the last 5 years from $1.31 billion to $1.6 billion an average growth of 4% per year ✳The tourism sector in 2018, contributed Shs8.3trillion worth of GDP- equivalent of 7.7% of Uganda’s GDP ✳ Tourism created 670,000 jobs in 2018 (6.7% of total …
Read More »Uproar as Kigezi district council chairs are left to waste
Kigezi, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | There is uproar among leaders across Kigezi over the failure by Kabale district to preserve the seats during the sittings of Kigezi district council. Before it was split, Kigezi district council used to host councilors from Ndorwa, Bufumbira, Rujumbura, Kinkiizi, Rubanda, and Rukiga counties. Each …
Read More »Tiny Seychelles island coaxes bird back from brink
Cousin Island, Seychelles | AFP | Giant tortoises amble across Cousin Island as rare birds flit above. The scene attests to a stunning success for BirdLife International, a conservation group that bought the tiny Seychelles isle in 1968 to save a songbird from extinction. Thick vegetation smothers ruins that are the only …
Read More »