Deputy Speaker Tayebwa calls for more investment in tourism

The Deputy Speaker of Parliament Thomas Tayebwa has called for more investment in the tourism sector in Uganda.

"Thank you for a memorable Easter break Queen Elizabeth National Park. The two days of unwinding in the park have shown me why we need to invest more in tourism. I interacted with several tourists and tour guides who made me appreciate more areas of improvement,” Tayebwa stated in a tweet on Saturday.

Reacting to Tayebwa’s tweet, Isaac Nuwamanya, said: “Great work done our dear speaker in promoting tourism. Tourism can fetch good monies into our economy if we all decide to promote Uganda irrespective of our political differences".

Meanwhile, Apollo Wangalwa, said investing in tourism means investing in peace and Ugandans.

In January, this year, CNN, one of the world’s biggest news networks, listed Uganda among the best destinations for tourists to visit in 2023, on account of its beauty, products and growing hospitality industry.

Tourism is a fast-growing sector supported by the fact that Uganda is ranked as a top tourist destination and one of only three countries with about 50% of the world’s known population of endangered mountain gorillas.

Game viewing is the most popular tourist activity in the country’s national parks. This is because the country has a variety of game, including the rare tree-climbing lions of Ishasha, white rhinoceros and elephant. The country is also home to 11% of the world’s bird species (a total of 1,060 bird species). It is also blessed with unspoiled scenic beauty including forests, hills and mountains, rivers and lakes.

Steadily growing tourist numbers are estimated to have reached 1.5 million per year, contributing 7.7% to the country's gross domestic product