Uganda’s tourism sector is going places like never before as more tourism accolades come the way of this beautiful pearl of Africa. The same was the case at the recently concluded Indaba Festival that took place in Durban South Africa where Uganda brought home the Golden Award in the Africa category.
Uganda also stood out during the entire event which is mainly among countries within the Southern African Development Community at Africa’s premier tourism expo. Previously Uganda had come top at the same Indaba Africa travel festival in 2015 and 2016 cementing its place as a power to reckon with in the tourism industry across the African continent and across the globe as well.
Uganda Tourism Board’s Chief Executive Officer Lily Ajarova said “This triumph denotes that Uganda is positioned in pole position to grab its rightful place as the ultimate tourism destination in Africa and the world at large.
According to UTB CEO Lily Ajarova, a lot of work went into ensuring their exhibition stall showcased all the outstanding elements of tourism in Uganda especially its rich wildlife and cultural heritage. An enabling and welcoming environment was also created around our stall to ensure a great and very interactive experience for the visitors she added.
The win is a true testament to Uganda’s immense natural endowment and also shows the world is finally appreciating the country’s tourism potential. A concerted effort from all stakeholders is therefore needed to further market Uganda’s great tourist attractions to the world Ajarova emphasized.10 leading Uganda tour and travel firms were part of the exhibition contingent and these include Uganda Safari, Asyanut Safaris, Abacus Africa vacations, Gecko Safaris, Bantu Africa Travel, Speke Uganda Holidays and Park view Safaris to mention but a few.
The Indaba festival which held annually in Durban South Africa aims at giving African countries an opportunity to market themselves as tourist destinations. The festival is used as a platform to bring together African countries to jointly market the continent as a great tourist destination under the ‘brand Africa’ initiative.
Some of the countries that exhibit and participate in this festival include Rwanda, the Kingdom of Lesotho, Uganda, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Namibia, Madagascar, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Indaba festival is a world-renowned tour and travel event having won the award for a best travel show in Africa previously and this was presented to it by the Association of World Travel Awards.