NEW ROAD DEAL SET TO OPEN UP UGANDA’S ALBERTINE TOURISM ATTRACTIONS
(Posted 29th August 2015)
A financing deal worth at least 145 million US Dollars was signed between Uganda and the World Bank during the week, aimed to improve the road network in and around the Albertine Graben.
Access to Lake Albert, in particular the Lake Albert Safari Lodge which is located in the Kabwoya Game Reserve, is already possible from Kampala in the space of a few hours on excellent tarmac roads, completed earlier this year, supporting the flow of visitors to the area.
The same is hoped for other Albertine tourism attractions along the axis from Murchisons Falls via Masindi to Hoima and on to Fort Portal, the latter municipality strategically located as a tourism hub. From Fort Portal, which is also the seat of the Tooro Kingdom, can visitors with ease get to the Semliki National Park, the Semliki Tooro Game Reserve, drive into the foothills of the Rwenzori Mountains and of course to Kibaale National Park, all part of the Western Uganda safari circuit.
While the Ugandan government sees the new road network, due to be completed over the space of five years, mainly as providing access to the oil rich parts of the country and to key agricultural growth centres have tourism stakeholders immediately seen their own opportunity to take advantage of better roads, as several gravel tracks are due to be upgraded to bitumen standards under the project.
Tourism, inspite of the relatively poor facilitation by government over many years and subject to often excessive tax burdens, has become one of Uganda’s leading foreign exchange earners and continues to be a growth industry regardless of intermediate setbacks.
For more information about Destination Uganda click on www.visituganda.com or check out the national park and game reserve website via www.ugandawildlife.org
