Sustainable Destination Management
Strategies in the OIC Member Countries
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human resources trained in sustainable tourism strategies to drive forward a high-quality
service delivery.207
In order to manage waste generated by tourism-related activities, UWA management will
procure waste bins and place them in appropriate locations. Deliberate efforts will be made to
sort waste so as to separated biodegradables and non-biodegradables for easy management.208
Managing seasonality is important to sustain the industry and to finance conservation efforts
more thoroughly. UTB have put some emphasis on domestic tourism to increase volumes in
times of low international seasons. They have focused on recreation, sports and events to tap
this market. Regional tourism clusters were funded and steered to organize regional signature
events with the target of attracting domestic tourists. These included cultural festivals, a world
tourism day event, faith-based tourism, wildlife marathons, and cycling. The knock-on effect to
local hoteliers, restaurants, and other businesses was a success. In the low season, less than half
the numbers of visitors received in high season visit the park for gorilla tourism – UWA
introduced discounted gorilla permits for tourists in certain months which successfully
increased the demand in offseason periods. This has now stopped as the demand has grown in
the last year.209
UWA promotes protected areas as tourism destinations at national, regional, and international
levels. Their strategy is to partner with private service providers to make the tourism products
and the protected areas as destinations, develop mechanisms for increasing visitation during
low seasons, create global and national awareness of the protected areas and their tourism
potential, and develop and strengthen e-marketing programs.210
UWA uses zoning as a planning tool to subdivide protected areas into distinct spatial areas
according to their resource values and/or sensitivity. Four zones have been identified i.e.
Tourism, Wilderness, Administrative, and Collaborative zones. The zoning strategy for BINP
seeks to achieve harmonious balance between the following:
- Protection of representative areas of biodiversity and ecological processes
- Infrastructure development necessary to manage the park
- Tourism activities, which generate income and raise the profile of BINP
- Sustainable extraction of natural resources by the local people
- Cultural values promotion
In the tourism zone, this follows the primary tourist activity routes of the park’s interior,
especially gorilla tracking. The primary management objective is to protect the natural and
cultural values of routes, simultaneously with a quality visitor experience.211
207 National Planning Authority. (2018). Enhancing Competitiveness in Uganda’s Tourism Sector for Growth and Employment.
Retrieved from
208 Uganda Wildlife Authority. (n.d.). BINP General Management Plan 2014 – 2024. Retrieved from
2023.pdf.
209 UTB interview.
210 Uganda Wildlife Authority. (n.d.). Strategic Plan 2013-2018. Retrieved from
211 Uganda Wildlife Authority. (n.d.). Website.