Sustainable Destination Management
Strategies in the OIC Member Countries
64
2.1.3. Uganda
Background
Uganda, located in East Africa, is tremendously diverse with spectacular scenery and rare
biodiversity - it is predominately a nature-based and adventure tourism destination, combining
the Rift Valley landscapes, tropical rainforests, savannah plains, snowcapped mountains,
volcanoes, the source of the River Nile, as well as a diversity of cultures such as the indigenous
tribes of Karamajong and the Batwa. Uganda has a combination of temperate and tropical
climates with substantial rain creating its green lush landscapes. It has two dry seasons,
December to February and June to August, which are the peak visitor periods. Tourism is
seasonal but experienced all year round in Uganda. Uganda’s leisure tourism product is focused
around its 10 national parks and 3 game reserves. Two of Uganda’s national parks (Bwindi
Impenetrable National Park and Rwenzori Mountains National Park) have UNESCO World
Heritage status. Overall, Queen Elizabeth National park currently receives the highest volumes
of visitors, including foreigners and nationals, followed by Murchison Falls National Park.
Foreign visitor volumes are the highest in Murchison Falls National Park followed by Queen
Elizabeth National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, home to the mountain gorillas.
The River Nile at Jinja is also a popular location for adventure sports such as white-water rafting,
as well as mountain climbing in the Rwenzori’s and Virunga Volcanoes at Mgahinga National
Park. Bird watching is a niche which offers significant potential with many endemics in the
country. Primate viewing is one of the key products of Uganda, particularly mountain gorillas
and chimpanzees, but there are 13 species in the country.189
Table 5: Uganda - Tourism Statistics
International tourist arrivals 1,303,000
International tourism inbound receipts US $1,149.0 million
Average receipts per arrival US $881.8
Travel and Tourism%of GDP 3.1%
Travel and Tourism employment 464,305 jobs
(3.1% of total)
Source: Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2017
Mountain gorilla tourism is the flagship activity of Uganda for foreign tourists and without a
doubt Uganda’s competitive edge globally, an activity often combined with secondary more
traditional safari destinations and other primate experiences. However, regionally the mountain
gorilla product is shared with Rwanda and DR Congo which means it must compete for market
share. It is not an inexpensive product by any means, with the individual tourist permit sold at
$600, on top of relatively high-priced accommodation and transportation that accompany the
experience. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is the best example on the subject of this report
because tourism has played a pivotal role in this part of Uganda for both the conservation of the
ecosystem and the socio-economic development of the adjacent communities. Gorilla tourism
has been developed into a high value product which generates substantial revenue for
conservation as well as the local and national economy. Historically, Bwindi forest generated
189 International Trade Centre. (2011). Uganda Inclusive Tourism. Retrieved from