POPE’S VISIT SET TO USHER IN NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR PILGRIMAGE TOURISM
(Posted 07th September 2015)
The upcoming Papal visit in November to the Central African Republic, Uganda and Kenya is expected to bring tens of thousands of additional visitors to these countries, especially Uganda and Kenya, where the Catholic Church is hugely influential. In Uganda, already on the map through the annual Martyrs Day national holiday when the faithful from the entire region, as far as Nigeria and increasingly from around the world flock to the shrine in Namugongo to pray, is this the key calendar of events milestone every year, supported by the regional tourism boards and private sector bodies who are regularly represented by large delegations.
Lesser known is the Rwandan site of worship and pilgrimage in Kibeho, where the apparition of Mary, mother of Jesus appeared in 1981 and 1982. The site has two years ago been launched as a tourism attraction but while there is a steady flow of visitors to Kibeho is the pilgrimage not marketed in key markets from where Catholic faithful might visit.
The Papal visit though is likely to change this all as a meeting of tourism gurus at the Kigali Serena Hotel this morning concluded. Carmen Nibigira, Coordinator of the East Africa Tourism Platform, was joined by among others the West African tourism guru Ukechi Uko, Serena’s country manager Charles Muia, Serena’s Director of Marketing Rosemary Mugambi, Sandra Idossou of The ServiceMag which is published in Rwanda and Burundi and this correspondent to discuss a closer East African cooperation and which events to push and promote to get added visitor numbers into both countries, especially from Nigeria and other West African countries with large Catholic populations.
Air connections are now readily available for instance via RwandAir from Lagos, Accra, Douala, Libreville and Brazzaville to Kigali and from there on to Uganda, allowing for pilgrims to combine visits to two sites during one trip. The common tourist Visa under the Northern Corridor Integration Projects countries is a further plus point when visitors come to Eastern Africa and intend to visit both Uganda and Rwanda.
While in Uganda and Rwanda they can then add other activities while in country, such as partaking in a safari, playing golf at the Lake Victoria Serena Golf Course or exploring Lake Kivu by boat out of the Lake Kivu Serena Hotel.
Most important was it agreed to use Ukechi Uko’s tourism trade contacts in Nigeria and across West Africa to get the message out about the Pope’s visit to Uganda as well as the two pilgrimage sites and the upcoming AKWAABA African Travel Market in Lagos between 22nd and 24th of November will offer a perfect opportunity to promote such packages just days before Pope Francis visits Uganda from the 27th to the 29th of the same month.
More information about AKWAABA will go out later this week but hotels and even beach resorts should know that during the 2015 event will a special Wedding Show be held on the 22nd November where exhibitors can avail a fast growing market for East Africa from Nigeria all required information, about the airlines connecting East and West Africa and wedding packages at the Kenya coast, the shores of Lake Victoria or the shores of Lake Kivu.
Stakeholders spoken with beyond the participants of the meeting earlier today equally expressed enthusiasm about the opportunities arising from the Papal visit to Uganda. After being briefed they in fact expressed their hope about the boost the regional pilgrimage sites of Namugongo and Kibeho will receive, besides the anticipated rise in visitor numbers from this market segment across the year and not just for the main commemoration dates. Tourism cooperation in East Africa in action.
