The top and senior management of Uganda’s tourism sector has gathered in Jinja for a three-day strategic retreat aimed at aligning efforts to transform the country into a globally competitive tourism destination.
The retreat, convened by the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities at the Crested Crane Hotel on Tuesday, brings together board chairpersons, executive directors, accounting officers and senior management from ministry agencies under the theme “Reflecting, Transforming and Aligning for a Competitive Tourism Destination.”
In his opening remarks, the Minister of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, Col Tom Butime, commended sector leaders for steering the industry through recovery and growth, noting that Uganda’s tourism sector has now surpassed pre-COVID-19 performance levels.
According to the minister, Uganda registered about 1.64 million tourist arrivals in 2025, the first time the country has exceeded pre-pandemic figures, signaling renewed confidence in the country as a preferred destination.
“This recovery is a strong signal of renewed confidence in Destination Uganda and a testament to the resilience and commitment of all stakeholders,” he said.
He highlighted key milestones achieved across the sector, including improvements to tourism infrastructure and sites such as the Source of the Nile, protected areas and cultural heritage sites, as well as the reintroduction of rhinos into the wild and the development of a new national tourism policy.
The minister also cited growing investor confidence, pointing to new and ongoing hospitality investments including the Marriott Hotel, Hilton Hotel and the Gorilla Forest Lodge, alongside expansion of conference infrastructure such as the Speke Convention Centre.
He further noted that international tourist confidence had been boosted by the lifting of the United Kingdom travel advisory on the Queen Elizabeth National Park and Semuliki National Park, strengthening the western tourism circuit.
Tourism promotion initiatives, including the Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo (POATE) 2025, the Rwenzori Marathon and the CHAN Games held in August 2025, were also credited for raising Uganda’s global tourism profile.
However, the minister acknowledged persistent challenges affecting the sector, particularly poor road infrastructure on key tourism routes and recent negative publicity surrounding the national carrier, Uganda Airlines, which he said government hopes will be addressed promptly.
He urged sector leaders to adopt a results-oriented approach as tourism has been identified as a key driver under Uganda’s tenfold economic growth strategy, with a target of generating up to USD 50 billion in revenues.
“This is not business as usual. Tourism must transform, compete and succeed in an increasingly competitive global environment,” he emphasized.
The Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Ms Doreen Katusiime, welcomed participants to the third joint retreat, noting that it builds on previous engagements aimed at strengthening coordination and accountability across the sector.
She said the retreat will review progress made since the previous meeting in October 2024, draw lessons and focus on performance, institutional culture and accountability as the sector works toward achieving a projected 25-fold growth over the next 15 years.
Participants are also expected to undertake field visits to key tourism and training sites in Jinja to enhance their understanding and become ambassadors for promoting Uganda’s tourism potential.
Key of the sites to be visited is the Igenge Palace, progress of construction works at the Source of the Nile, Uganda Hotel and Tourism Training Institute among others.
During engagements on day one, representatives from the different agencies of the ministry provided detailed updates of how far they had gone to achieve goals set last years.
These included the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), Uganda Tourism Board (UTB), Uganda Wildlife Research and Training College (UWRTC), and Uganda Hotel and Tourism Training College (UHTTC)
By the end of the three-day retreat, new annual targets are set to be announced for each agency for this year.
Minister Butime expressed confidence that with renewed government support, improved budget allocations and stronger collaboration among agencies such as the Uganda Wildlife Authority and the Uganda Tourism Board, the sector is well positioned to drive economic transformation.
He called for candid reflection, stronger inter-agency collaboration and a unified government approach to ensure Uganda fully harnesses its tourism potential.
The retreat is expected to produce actionable strategies to strengthen the sector’s competitiveness and accelerate its contribution to national development.
