Zurich, Switzerland | NEWS CORRESPONDENT | Uganda has signed a one-year sponsorship deal with the Champions Hockey League (CHL), Europe’s top club ice hockey competition, as it steps up efforts to attract high-spending Swiss travellers under the government’s Tenfold Growth Strategy.
The agreement covers the 2026-27 season. It was negotiated by the Embassy of Uganda in Switzerland together with the Uganda Tourism Board (UTB), and brokered by Infront Sports & Media, the international sports marketing agency that handles the league’s media and marketing rights.
Under the deal, the “Explore Uganda” brand will appear at CHL games in stadiums, on television and on social media, with promotional activities planned throughout the season.
According to the embassy, about 32 per cent of Swiss people identify as ice hockey fans, and nearly 65 per cent of those fans list travel as a hobby. The embassy also says the CHL has previously reached a cumulative seasonal television audience of about 153 million viewers in 53 territories, which would extend Uganda’s exposure beyond Switzerland.
The deal comes as government leans on tourism to deliver the Tenfold Growth Strategy, which aims to expand Uganda’s economy from about $50 billion to $500 billion by 2040. Tourism is one of the four pillars of the strategy’s ATMS framework, alongside agro-industrialisation, mineral development, and science, technology and innovation. Under the plan, government expects tourism to contribute about $50 billion by 2040 and is targeting a fivefold increase in tourist arrivals.
In the nearer term, government is targeting tourism revenue of $5 billion by the 2028/29 financial year. Uganda earned about $1.7 billion from tourism in 2025, with international arrivals rising to 1.65 million from 1.3 million the previous year. The 2026/27 budget allocated Shs567.3 billion to tourism, with destination marketing among the priority areas.
Ambassador Robert Marcel Tibaleka, Uganda’s envoy to Switzerland, said the partnership grew out of talks the embassy started with Infront. He described sport as a bridge between nations and said the following ice hockey enjoys in Switzerland offered a platform to tell Uganda’s story, from its wildlife and landscapes to its culture.
“We want ice hockey fans to know that beyond the thrill of the game awaits a destination offering equally unforgettable experiences and adventures,” Tibaleka said.
Idda Wadda, UTB’s head of legal and corporate affairs, said the board hoped the league’s reach would translate into visitor numbers.
“Our ambition is to turn this visibility into genuine interest in Uganda and, ultimately, more visitors choosing to experience our destination,” Wadda said.
Michael Witta, Infront’s senior vice-president for marketing, sales and services, said sport could help destinations convert visibility into engagement, and described the arrangement as a non-traditional sponsorship.
The value of the deal was not disclosed.
The ice hockey deal follows a campaign the embassy launched on public transport in Zurich, Switzerland’s largest city, a month ago. In partnership with Private Safaris, one of Switzerland’s longest-established Africa travel specialists, adverts showing Uganda’s wildlife and landscapes began running on Zurich’s trams on 16 September. A promotional video has also been playing on screens at Zurich’s main railway station since 1 September.
At the tram campaign launch, Tibaleka said the initiative was about “bringing Uganda to Switzerland”, adding that the embassy wanted the increased visibility to result in more Swiss tourists visiting Uganda.
Earlier this year, the embassy sponsored a Uganda pavilion at the FESPO travel fair in Zurich, where 13 members of the Association of Uganda Tour Operators exhibited at a subsidised rate. The embassy has said it will keep building partnerships in Switzerland to increase the number of Swiss visitors, how much they spend and how long they stay.
Tibaleka has previously described Switzerland as a priority market for Uganda’s tourism marketing in Europe, pointing to its high living standards and its residents’ appetite for travel.
Tourism boards have increasingly turned to sports sponsorship to reach foreign audiences
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