UGANDA’S TOURISM SECTOR WARY OF IMMINENT BUDGET CUTS
(Posted 08th November 2015)
The announcement by Uganda’s finance ministry, that budgets of government ministries will be slashed to deal with a widening budget deficit, has raised immediate alarm among the country’s tourism stakeholders. For the current financial year, which runs from 01st July 2015 to the 30th of June 2016, was a significant rise in budget allocation for tourism set aside, aimed to help the Pearl of Africa widen their marketing reach and bring more visitors, and more dollars into the country. Tourism however is not a ministry which has its budget ring-fenced, unlike more senior sectors like Defense and other ministries seen as more crucial to the proper functioning of the country.
One regular tourism source expressed immediate concern to this correspondent, when in an overnight mail it was stated:
‘We are just coming back from a successful WTM. Next week we will host our second Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo at the Serena for which we have invited buyers, fellow tourism boards and media. I want to sound a strong warning not to touch the budget for the tourism board and for our ministry. Cutting funds will wreak havoc on our ability to follow through on so many activities planned until the end of the financial year. When the Pope comes to Uganda in less than three weeks we need to be able to build on that. We want to promote pilgrimage tourism, we want to use the high honours we as a country were given by Lonely Planet and National Geographic. If we face budget cuts we cannot exploit such external marketing boosts. In tourism it is all about the here and now, we miss the train and it is gone and not come back. I am speaking of experience which you also know very well, that when budgets are cut tourism has always taken a beating. But as a sector we bring in a lot of foreign exchange and if that dwindles the deficit will get even worse. Tourism is one of the country’s high profile performers and should not be touched. Let government cut down on waste. They should stop creating more districts when they then say there is no money to sustain them. This makes no sense. We as a sector will be pressing for answers, let us not be victims of budget indiscipline in other portfolios’.
The Uganda Tourism Board will be operating three media and hosted buyers familiarization tours across the country after the Pearl of Africa tourism expo to showcase the many attractions the country holds. Visits to the key national parks like Kidepo Valley, Murchisons Falls, to the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, Queen Elizabeth and of course the gorilla park of Bwindi will give those on the tours the guarantee to be in for a very special treat.
For more information about Destination Uganda click on www.visituganda.com or check out the country’s national parks and game reserves at www.ugandawildlife.org
