Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo targets over 1,500 local consumers
Uganda Tourism Board unveiled Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo (POATE) 2023 at Sheraton Kampala during World Tourism Day celebration. The Expo, an annual event was officially launched by the State Minister of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities Hon. Martin Mugarra Bahinduka in the presence of UTB Board Chairman Hon. Daudi Migereko, UTB Director Vivian Lyazzi and Marketing Manager Claire Mugabi. The sixth POATE will take place from April 26th to 29th, 2023.
The Board Chair Hon. Migereko explained that this edition is expected to draw more than 1,500 local consumers over the course of three days. He said that the event will be held as a hybrid exposition involving Business to Business and Business to Consumer activities into both physical and virtual form. The expo will also serve as a means of marketing destination Uganda with the new destination brand to national, regional and global markets.
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The Regional Tourism Boards, International Tour Operators and Associations, Hoteliers, International media, and Airlines are just few of the high-caliber international exhibitors the POATE 2023 will draw. The Expo will reignite tourism in destination Uganda, create over 500 business linkages for Uganda’s travel trade and consolidate Explore Uganda, The Pearl of Africa brand.
Claire Mugabi, the UTB Marketing Manager highlighted that POATE 2023 is anticipated to bring together various tourism stakeholders for the three days, along with other service providers intended to increase Uganda’s profile as a preferred destination for tourists. “Over the years, the event has offered a unique opportunity for the tourism business operators to meet new clients, network and discuss business deals by the world’s tourism and travel trade partners,” she stated.
Tourism in Uganda has its roots to when British prime minister Winston Churchill visited the nation in 1907 and dubbed it as the "Pearl of Africa" for its colourful nature.
In the late 1960s, Uganda was visited by 100,000 international tourists each year. Tourism was the country's fourth largest earner of foreign exchange. The tourist industry ended in the early 1970s because of political instability. By the late 1980s, Uganda's political climate had been stabilized by the NRM Government and conditions were suitable for reinvestment in the tourism industry.
In October 2014 the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities released the 2014–2024 Tourism Development Master Plan with support from the United Nations World Tourism Organization and the United Nations Development Programme. Among other strategies, the Plan divides the country up into several geographical "Tourism Development Areas.
