Juliana Kagwa: Uganda aims to increase visitor numbers to four million by 2030
Apart from traditional safaris, there are three other good reasons to visit Uganda: religious, cultural and sports tourism. This is confirmed by Juliana Kagwa, Chief Executive Director of the Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) in the following interview.
Uganda, which participated in FITUR 2026, wants to increase its visitor number to four million by 2030, in addition to promoting sustainability, diversification and deseasonalisation.
How important is the tourism industry in Uganda?
Tourism is the primary driver of employment, providing jobs for 830,000 people. These figures do not include positions related to catering, transport or food suppliers. It is also important because it brings foreign exchange into the country.
Apart from traditional safaris, Uganda can also be visited for other reasons including religious, cultural and sports tourism. As for the former, from sacred hills and shrines to historic churches and mosques, the country's religious heritage reflects its deep connection to faith and tradition.
In relation to cultural tourism, Uganda is widely recognised for its exceptional hospitality and rich cultural diversity, and each tribe has its own unique customs, language, and cultural values that define its identity. All these values are based on traditional tribal activities in all spheres of life, including food and well-being, traditional dances and dress, and the organisation of societies. Many regions of Uganda have kingdoms, including Buganda, Busoga, Bunyoro and Toro.
And when it comes to sports tourism Uganda offers a wide variety of activities for adults and children alike, ranging from adventure rafting on the Nile River to hiking in the snow-capped Rwenzori Mountains, cycling on the Nile Run, and the Kabaka and MTN marathons.
What steps is the country taking towards boosting sustainability and technology?
In terms of sustainability, UTB collaborates with tour operator associations such as AUTO (the largest association) or ESTOA (an association focused on sustainable tourism) and the UHOA (hotel owners association) to achieve a sustainable tourism industry. As an example, many hotels source food from nearby villages. This provides income to the rural communities surrounding the national parks.
What actions are being carried out to promote the diversification and deseasonalisation of tourism?
In terms of diversification, we at UTB believe that we cannot rely solely on the "safari tourism" model, so we created a special unit, the Uganda Convention Bureau (UCB). The main objective of this unit is to promote Uganda as a destination for the incentive industry. Diversification also means opening up the country to other markets, especially non-English speaking ones.
Finally, in terms of seasonal adjustment, we are actively working with other government stakeholders to create or host international events throughout the year. This will make it possible to have a year-round influx of visitors, which will have a major impact on employment: jobs will be more stable, rather than being temporary in many cases.
How important is it to promote your country in new markets?
As I mentioned before, promoting the country in new overseas markets is very important. With the valuable help of our representations abroad, we have launched a campaign at various tourism fairs in Europe (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the Nordic countries), the United Arab Emirates, India, China and Japan. We want to increase the number of visitors to four million by 2030.