Uganda Tourism News

ANOTHER BRIDGE BREAKS DOWN.

Administrator — Mon, 14 May 2012 06:48:07 +0000

It has been such bad news for Uganda tourism industry as another bridge that connects to Bwindi impenetrable national park also broke. This is the second major bridge connecting to Bwindi that has broken in a spell of one month. With thin Enengo Bridge breaking, it leaves out the connection between Queen Elizabeth and Bwindi a nightmare, with the only option taking the longer route via Kabale. This is a major hingerance to the tourism activity as the cost of fuel have to increase as well as time. Also, it leaves out Ishasha sector where the tourists always have game drives to see climbing lions. When contacted, the director of Uganda roads Authority said that they are working around the clock to restore the two broken bridges, that is Enengo Bridge and Itungo Bridge. He assured the Uganda tour operators that they hope to have repaired the bridges in a period of two months, and their activities will go on normally. Bwindi impenetrable forest national park is majorly visited for gorilla tracking and thereafter, clients always connect to Queen Elizabeth National park for wildlife viewing and chimpanzee tracking.

PRESIDENT ATTACKS WILDLIFE BODY

Administrator — Thu, 03 May 2012 10:06:16 +0000

The Uganda President has attacked the Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) and the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) over failure to market Uganda tourism internationally.
The president attacked the bodies during a conference at Serena hotel arguing that the two only promotes specific animals like Mountain Gorillas leaving the beauty in parks.
He admitted that marketing mountain gorillas is good but they also need to market the beauty of other Uganda national parks. He noted that there is no reason why tourists should only be coming in Uganda for gorilla tracking and go to other neighboring countries like Kenya and Tanzania to see wildlife as buffaloes, lions, elephants when Uganda has plenty of these in her national parks such as Murchison falls national park, Queen Elizabeth national park among others.

The President called the general manager of UTB, Mr Cuthbert Baguma, to explain why they only have promotions of mountain gorillas but he was speechless.
He lashed out at UWA for being ruthless while evicting people from national parks.He said people should be told that the revenue from tourism is better than that from farming and link them to park hotels to buy their crafts instead of ordering them off park land like they have no stake in Uganda.
“I need to see these confused UWA people. Telling people to vacate for better revenue does not need much thinking,” he said.
He urged UWA officials to design proper user-friendly methods of ordering people to leave national parks than using a lot of force to evict them.

BROKEN BRIDGE TO TAKE LONG TO REPAIR.

Administrator — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 07:18:34 +0000

The Ishasha bridge that fell in a few days may take long to be repaired than expected. This is because of the magnitude of the damage of the bridge compared to the size of the bridge. The bridge, which connects Queen Elizabeth National park and Bwindi National park is a major tourism contributor as the tourists have to do game drives in Ishasha sector where they get opportunity to view tree climbing lions. The Uganda tour operators have raised this issue to the association chairman to push the matter to the concerned parties to quicken the process of repair as it is hindering the activities immensely. The tourists connecting from or to Bwindi impenetrable national park for gorilla tracking have to use the the long route to via Rukungiri-Kihiihi, and thus miss the tree climbing lions in the Ishasha sector as well as fuel and time consumed is high.

UGANDA TO USE SOCIAL MEDIA IN PROMOTING TOURISM.

Administrator — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 06:14:38 +0000

The Ministry of Tourism has launched a campaign to promote the tourism sector online.
The tourism minister who launched the social media campaign on Facebook and Twitter, ‘dubbed My Uganda’, noted that this will give Ugandans and international visitors an opportunity to share their experiences of the country.
Through this forum, tourists will be able to share impressions, experiences and memories of the country, its people, wildlife, Gorilla tracking adventure, scenery and culture online through the social media channels.

Uganda was ranked number one tourist destination center for the year 2012 by lonely planet, a thing that has seen increased number of tourists in the country. There are many attractions in Uganda like mountaineering experiences, Gorilla trekking experiences, wildlife, cultural experiences, nature. Tourism is the second foreign exchange earner of the country, though has been long been neglected through less budgetary allocations. However, the government has since come up to support and improve the industry by allocating it with increased budget which will see roads in the parks improved and marketing strategy improved. In two years time, Uganda will be the leading tourist country in Africa.

ISHASHA BRIDGE BREAKAGE DISRUPTS TOURISM

Administrator — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 14:50:24 +0000

There has been interruption of tourists following the breaking on Ntungwe bridge that connects Queen Elizabeth National park and Bwindi national park. The bridge collapse has been as a result of heavy trucks which use that road on the way to DR Congo or Kihiihi. National roads authority is working down the clock to ensure they put back the bridge, but it has been a really big problem to the tourism business. Currently, the tourists have to use a long route via Rukungiri to connect between Bwindi impenetrable national park and Queen Elizabeth National park. Ishasha sector is the main and easy road that tourists who are going or coming from Gorilla trekking in Bwindi NP use to connect to Queen Elizabeth national park for wildlife safaris.

KONY VIDEO A TOURISM THREAT.

Administrator — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 15:17:43 +0000

The recently released video highlighting the activities of the Lord’s resistance army warlord Joseph Kony has been welcomed with mixed feelings especially in the tourism sector. A largely misleading video, which depicts Kony as if he is still committing terror activities in Uganda has scared many tourists into the country fearing to meet the same threats as the video indicates. Uganda was ranked number one tourism destination center by lonely planet for the year 2012. Uganda is blessed with many attractions, ranging from mountains, which are attract mountaineering safaris, Mountain gorillas, that attracts gorilla tracking safaris, various wildlife parks, which attract wildlife tours, many lakes, rivers, which attract sightseeing tours, various cultural settings, which makes cultural tours more interesting. With the misleading Kony video, many tourists have had to cancel their bookings with most Uganda tour operators.

ANOTHER WHITE RHINO BORN

Administrator — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 06:23:34 +0000

The tourism industry in Uganda has good news, another baby Rhino has been born at the Ziwa Rhino sanctuary, off the Kampala-Gulu highway, Nakasongola district in the Kafu river basin. This new born has brought the total number of the formerly extinct white rhino given birth to in Uganda to five in less than years.

Rhinos were mostly found in Murchison falls national park and Kidepo national park. But with the wars in 1970’s, they were extinct through poaching and currently, they are only in Ziwa rhino sanctuary. Tourists en route to Murchison falls national park for wildlife tour always make a one hour stop over to track the rhinos before proceeding to the park.

The government has a future plan to re-introduce the rhinos in the parks once they breed a good number of them.

Angie Genade the executive director of the Rhino Fund Uganda noted that this newly born Rhino came months just after the recent birth of “Malaika” calf on 2^nd July, 2011 and added that it’s a blessing to Uganda’s conservation society as she is the only country worldwide with such an advancement in Rhino conservation.

Wildlife tours generate more foreign exchange in the tourism industry in Uganda, only second to Gorilla tracking tours which is done in Bwindi Impenetrable national park and Mgahinga national park

TOURISTS INCREASE AS ALSHABAAB THREAT ESCALATES.

Administrator — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 09:05:14 +0000

Uganda has registered an increase number of tourists in this month of December and is likely to receive more tourists in the coming months as a result of the relative stability in the country. This has also been triggered by the increased alshabaab threats in the neighboring Kenya. Kenya has been leading in wildlife safaris, but with the alshabaab threats, she has received many cancellations and the tourists who are interested in wildlife adventure opt to come to Uganda.

Uganda has other wildlife attractions such as Gorilla tracking in Bwindi impenetrable national park, Mountaineering in Mt.Rwenzori National park and Mt.Elgon National park, Cultural tours among others.

UGANDA RANKED FIRST IN WORLD TOURISM.

Administrator — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 11:39:26 +0000

Uganda has been ranked to be the leading tourist destination country in the world, according to Lonely planet survey. Lonely planet is the world’s leading travel website, and according to the survey which was made, most tourists around the world agreed that Uganda has the best tourist attraction sites and is best to travel to.

Uganda has many national parks, all of which are virgin with many flora and fauna. There is also many bird species with over 1000 bird species recorded. Queen Elizabeth national park itself has over 600 bird species, and Murchison National park has a concentration of animals and has the mighty Murchison falls which is a fascinating site.

Uganda also is a home to the half of the world’s remaining mountain Gorillas with two national parks;Bwindi impenetrable national park and Mgahinga national park. Most tourists are interested in Gorilla tracking and make it to Uganda to do the Gorilla tracking adventure.

Other factors considered apart from wildlife safaris. Birding tours and gorilla tracking tours were that Uganda has the ever glaciated mountain range in Rwenzori National park. Tourists who like hiking adventure come to climb the mountains of the moon. Other tourist destination centers and activities include the source of the Nile in Jinja, White water rafting, fascinating falls in Mt.Elgon national park among others.

COUNTING OF MOUNTAIN GORILLAS STARTS.

Administrator — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 10:22:03 +0000

Uganda wildlife authority in partnership with International Gorilla conservation programme has started the census of Mountain Gorillas in Bwindi impenetrable national park. This is the fourth time they are doing the census since 1991 when the park was established.

In the last cencus of 2006, the number of mountain gorillas was established to be 300, short of 20 of the 320 counted in 2002. Bwindi impenetrable national park harbors half of the remaining world’s mountain gorillas, other gorillas found in the virunga mountain ranges which is shared by the three countries that is Volcanoes National park in Rwanda, Virunga national park in DR Congo and Mgahinga national park in Uganda.

The census is being carried out by experts from the three gorilla countries Rwanda, DR Congo and Uganda, and the results are expected to be released next year after analysis.

According to the conservationists, the counting is done by counting the nests and feaces. The three countries benefit much from the Mountain gorillas through the sale of Gorilla tracking permits, with many tourists all over the world coming in to see the carry our Gorilla tracking adventure.