Uganda aims to greatly increase annual tourism revenue

KAMPALA, UGANDA | Xinhua | Uganda’s tourism authorities have said the country expects to increase annual tourism revenue to about 1.9 billion U.S. dollars and increase inbound tourism revenue per visitor from 1,052 dollars to 1,500 dollars.

This was revealed by Ugandan Minister of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities Tom Butime, who launched the “Dissemination of Tourism Industry Performance 2023” report here on Tuesday.

The minister said Uganda’s tourism revenue for the year ending 2023 increased to more than 1 billion U.S. dollars from about 687,200 million dollars registered in the year ending 2022, which he attributed to massive tourism promotion by the ministry and other players.

The report showed that international tourism arrivals reached about 1.3 million in 2023, up 56.5 percent from 2022. Arrivals from Africa continue to dominate Uganda’s inbound tourism with a share of 89.2 percent.

Tourism is one of Uganda’s major foreign exchange earners, contributing approximately 5 percent to the country’s gross domestic product, according to data from the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development. ■