Tourism Ministry, partners with domestic players to launch Easter campaign

The Ministry of tourism, wildlife and antiquities has on Monday morning launched a domestic tourism Easter holidays getaway campaign package encouraging Ugandans to use the period to go out and recharge in various destinations across the country.

Hon Martin Bahinduka Mugarra the minister of state for tourism, wildlife and antiquities told the media that in this domestic tourism campaign, they are working with different stakeholders to come up with packages that are tailor-made specifically for Ugandans bearing in mind their unique travel needs and interests.

“As a ministry and most especially after the Covid 19 pandemic, we have decided to make some very strategic inroads towards promoting the domestic tourism service. In order to be able to achieve this, we have teamed up with private sector members like the Uganda Hotel Owners Association, the Domestic Tourism Forum comprised of leading domestic tourism service providers like Breathtaking Uganda, TravelNeza, Umoja Conservation Trust, Vilakazi Safaris, Ikorom Safaris, various domestic airlines plying the local routes like Aero Link, Bar Aviation, public transport providers and several leading regional tourism clusters,” says the Minister.

He noted that for many years, the marketing of tourism services in Uganda has been heavily leaning towards key international markets, with very little effort being targeted towards the domestic form of the service or the domestic market.

The minister says that based on research they have carried out and the partnerships, they have built, the Ministry has identified some destinations as the major domestic holiday hubs that attract the bulk of Ugandans.

These are; Kabale-Lake-Bunyonyi, Ssesse-Islands-Kalangala, Jinja Adventure City, Mbale-Kapchorwa-Sipi falls, Fort Portal, Kibale, Semuliki, Queen Elizabeth, Kasese, Rwenzori Mountains, Bwindi, Kihihi, Kanungu, Ishasha sector, Masindi, Hoima, Murchison falls and Pakwach, Kampala, Mukono, Entebbe, and Mpigi.

According to Hon Mugarra, Aero link and Bar Aviation Airlines have offered Ugandans preferential flight rates for return tickets to Murchison Falls National Park either Bugungu or Pakuba or Chobe landing strips, Queen Elizabeth or Kasese or Semuliki landing airstrips, Kisoro or Kabale landing strips, Mbarara or Lake Mburo National Parks for only $250 or UGX890,000 during the Easter break starting 10th April to the 22nd of April, 2022.