UGANDA TOURISM TAKES A FRESH LOOK AT THE FUTURE
(Posted 02nd December 2013)
The Uganda Tourism Board, aka Tourism Uganda, is ending the year with a flurry of consultative workshops to take on board input from the private sector.
One of the initiatives is the UNDP supported cooperation with the United Nations World Tourism Organization, which aims to implement the ‘Support for the Development of Inclusive Markets in Tourism’.
According to information received from UTB this project is focusing on raising participation of the poor and local communities in the industry such as enterprises, employees and consumers. It aims to empower poor and disadvantaged people through access to labor and markets for their produce and increased opportunities for salaried work and incomes. In a national workshop later this week will UTB engage with key stakeholders to create a broader understanding of the project and towards taking stakeholder input on board how best to achieve the three main outputs the project envisages, namely: Develop and operationalize market linkages, develop pro-poor tourism products and services and finally to promote and build capacity of business enterprises and selected tourism support / development institutions like the Uganda Community Tourism Association.
According to added information received has UTB conducted surveys conducted in October 2013 in the Western, South Western and Eastern TDA’s, aka tourism development areas. Now, in preparation of the implementation phase has the project organized an awareness-raising seminar and inclusive tourism linkages workshop. The main aim of this national workshop is according to UTB to impart knowledge and skills; the key concepts and principles for pro-poor tourism; mechanisms to address poverty through tourism; importance of private sector participation in tourism development and approaches in working with communities and to facilitate the formation of business linkages. The workshops later this week will be on invitation only basis for key members of the Ugandan tourism stakeholder fraternity. Watch this space.
