Parliament has urged the government to provide an additional Shs4bn to the Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) to engage international and national media houses to produce positive media stories for improved destination image.

The Members of Parliament took this position following reports of a drop in the number of tourists from the United States of America (USA), Europe, and China visiting Uganda. 

“The National Development Plan targeted to cumulatively attract 281,760 International Tourist arrivals from the US, Europe & China but only 67,252 arrivals were registered by the end of the first half of FY 2023/24. The U.S., Europe & China were key target sources for leisure tourists who stay longer than business tourists. 

“However, statistics show that international arrivals from the aforementioned areas have continued to drop. The UTB requires Shs4Bn to engage international & national media houses in the production of positive tourism stories to improve destination perception in light of recent controversies that shade the destination in a bad light. However, this has remained unfunded,” said Catherine Lamwaka, the Chairperson Tourism Committee.