Uganda’s tour operators want easier visa access, better roads and connectivity, lower business costs and more staff training to help the sector attract visitors while protecting natural resources and benefiting local communities.
Uganda’s tourism operators have called for reforms in visa access, infrastructure, taxation and staff training, warning that persistent barriers could undermine efforts to attract visitors and meet growing international expectations for sustainable tourism.
The Association of Uganda Tour Operators (AUTO) says poor access to tourism destinations, limited telecommunications connectivity, expensive international marketing and inadequate training are constraining businesses that depend on the country’s natural attractions.
Matilda Iremera, AUTO’s chief executive officer, said tourists could choose neighbouring countries where entry procedures were easier, urging the government to consider measures such as visas on arrival to improve Uganda’s competitiveness.
“It’s really hard to get a visa to come to Uganda. Many times, we need to learn from our neighbours,” Iremera said, adding that some travellers opt for other destinations because obtaining visas is easier.
She said poor roads leading to protected areas and unreliable internet and telephone connectivity at some accommodation facilities also affected visitors’ experiences.
Iremera called on the government to support investment in hospitality facilities, provide affordable long-term financing to tourism businesses and help operators attend international travel exhibitions, where they connect with foreign clients and promote Uganda.
She said operators often use their own resources to participate in the exhibitions despite the high costs, limiting their ability to market the country effectively.
James Mwere, an AUTO board member, said better infrastructure and investment in training were also essential to helping tourism businesses adopt sustainable practices.
Mwere said some operators lacked the knowledge and resources needed to implement environmental protection measures, making government-supported capacity building necessary.
“We need government, of course, to come in and support on the area of capacity building, making sure that there’s adequate funding that we can teach our people on what to do,” he said.
He also called for improved transport links to tourism destinations, including domestic air connections to areas such as Kisoro and Kidepo, arguing that air travel could reduce lengthy road journeys and associated fuel consumption.
Mwere said Uganda needed to protect its natural attractions while ensuring communities around tourism sites benefit from the industry.
“What we sell today needs to be sold in the next 50 years, and that means our level of practising sustainable tourism services has to be improving and has to be consistent and continuous,” he said.
The concerns come as the Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) urges tourism businesses to prepare for changing international sustainability expectations.
Daniel Irunga, a senior branding officer at UTB, said tourism enterprises needed to balance environmental protection, community welfare and profitability to remain competitive.
He warned that businesses could lose access to some markets if they failed to meet applicable sustainability requirements, noting that international regulations were increasingly addressing environmental and social responsibility.
“My call is to everyone along the value chain to adjust or to start to adjust towards sustainable tourism,” Irunga said, urging operators to adopt responsible waste management and resource-use practices.
Irunga also acknowledged concerns about the tax burden on tourism facilities, saying the government had been directed to examine ways of consolidating multiple taxes.
He said the sector was dealing with more than 20 taxes and that a proposed review by the Ministry of Finance could help ease the burden on businesses. He did not specify when any changes would take effect.
The three officials made the remarks ahead of the second AUTO Tourism Gala, scheduled for November 27 at Mestil Hotel in Kampala under the theme Sustainability Is a Responsibility for Everyone.
The event is intended to encourage tourism businesses to protect natural resources, reduce their environmental footprint and ensure communities benefit from tourism.
The calls highlight the challenge facing Uganda’s tourism sector: attracting more visitors while improving the infrastructure, business environment and conservation practices needed to sustain the industry over the long term.