UGANDA FACING A SHORTAGE OF TOUR GUIDES AND ACCOMMODATION—-EXPERT.

By Moses Kidandi

Tourism experts have raised concerns about a growing shortage of tour guides to serve various National tourism destinations in Uganda.

This has been raised by Uganda tourism expert Amos Wekesa who says the number of tourists coming into Uganda has more than doubled thereby causing a shortage of experienced tour guides and places of accommodation within and around the National parks.

Amos Wekesa was speaking at the commissioning of Impact Safaris one of Africa’s best-performing tour operators that has opened up shop in Uganda to help cover the gaps.

Amos Wekesa who is a founding member of Great Lakes Safaris says Uganda’s tourism has huge opportunities for citizens and businesses to tap into and get money.

Uganda is the biggest tourism action and the Government putting in money to market tourism has had a positive impact on the tourism industry in Uganda.

Last year, tourism grew by 24.7 per cent but projections show a growing demand for service providers both in accommodation and labour, ”if you look at all our lakes and rivers are empty and need more people to utilise the opportunity. Tanzania currently has 6000 tour operators compared to uganda which has 300 tour operators which now presents a big opportunity for Ugandans to establish and grow businesses” says Wekesa.

We as a country need labour and accommodation in National parks to the tune of over five thousand rooms.

In July Uganda was relying on tour guides from Kenya because of the big shortage of tour guides which has increasingly become a problem.

In 2012 statistics show Uganda registered 1.3 million arrivals through Entebbe while in 2018 the number increased to 1.62 million tourists that came in through Entebbe airport.

Davidson Mugisha the C.E.O Impact Safaris Africa says they have already sold out over one hundred Gorilla permits to tourists that have expressed interest in visiting Uganda in the shortest time they have been operating in Uganda, ”Uganda being the newest in our chain, we have already brought in 60000 dollars and we intend to conduct a responsible tourism approach which will have a social economic impact through the employment of more people to change the livelihoods of the people, conservation and environmental protection through our approach of Eco-Tourism” says Davidson.

Impact Safaris which operates in over 12 countries in Africa also conducts honeymoon packages, honeymoon to schedules, Mauritius, India, Israel, Tanzania and Kenya.

Mugisha says they are also introducing medical tourism where Ugandans can go for treatment abroad but also get to key places where they can get business ideas and linkages.