The African Tourism Board President Mr. Cuthbert Ncube has heaped praises on the Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo (POATE) saying its core purpose as a vehicle for marketing Uganda, East Africa and Africa as a whole is unmatched.
Ncube made the remarks on Thursday while giving his key note address for day two of the Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo held at the Commonwealth Resort in Munyonyo where tourism industry stakeholders converged for line seminars.
This is the seventh edition of POATE, a tourism event that has over the years become a regional and global link for exhibitors, buyers, investors and suppliers of services in the tourism sector.
“I thank UTB for creating this initiative where we get to celebrate our Africanism and diversity, where we showcase our uniqueness as Africa in Africa. I thank the government of this great nation for supporting the cause, you are doing well,” Ncube said.
The ATB President noted that the POATE initiative is a great tool for pushing the African tourism agenda by African players who value and appreciate what the continent has to offer in its diversity.
Ncube decried the tendency of foreign authorities to sideline Africa in major discussions as regards tourism and the economy dynamics as a whole, noting that it’s not right for the continent to be considered only as an afterthought.
“I have always wondered why our rating agencies are foreign agencies…because they don’t appreciate Africa. We need to create our own ratings and have agencies that will talk to us and reflect our interests as Africans,” he said.
He called for partnerships between tourism boards and the private sector which he said will reinforce the various aspects and components of tourism especially in the domestic setting.
“Let’s join hands with our private sector. As policy makers, let’s drive the agenda of pushing our policy ideals. Africa is not a stand alone continent, we are part of a diplomatic community however, our friends (the Western world) have discarded Africa. In international conferences, Africa is barely given its position. It’s always an afterthought. This is a wake up call to the continent to have discussions within ourselves. We need to appreciate what we have at our disposal as nations, regions and a continent,” Ncube added.
Regional Partnerships
Forming regional partnerships as tourism stakeholders, Ncube said, will enhance uniformity and create better lobbying opportunities for regions and the continent as a whole.
“I am quite pleased with the East African Community because of the collaborations the nations have made in regards to creating a regional bloc that pushes various agendas. As African Tourism Board, we call upon other regions to emulate EAC and have strong regional communities with a combined effort towards lobbying and speaking for Africa.”
This was reiterated by Doreen Katusiime, the Ministry of Tourism Permanent Secretary who called for the idea of “borderless borders” as an effort towards marketing regional destinations.
“Yes, sometimes we operate as competitors because we are in the same industry but we need to embrace partnerships as neighboring countries. The more we work together, the more we benefit. Each country has an attraction that is unique to it and we all are blessed with abundance as regards attractions. Marketing East Africa as a single destination benefits all member states,” Katusiime said.
MICE, a Booming Tourism Component
Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE), also referred to as business tourism, represents a lucrative part of the tourism sphere across the globe.
For the tourism industry to gain strides towards sustainability, Ncube says niches such as MICE must be exploited as a supplementary product to the traditional tourism offerings.
Statistics from the Uganda Tourism Satellite Account 2023 indicate that the tourism sector registered 40.9% visitors who travelled for business-based reasons while sectors like leisure and holiday registered 19.3% and 28.2% of travellers were friends and relatives.
This, Ncube emphasized, presents a lucrative venture for tourism boards to harness since it’s already a booming niche in the tourism industry.
Speaking during an engagement with Journalists during day 3 of the expo, UTB CEO Lilly Ajarova said they have long embarked on the idea of positioning Uganda as a MICE destination and the journey is progressive.
“In 2019, representatives from UTB led by Mrs. Susan Muhwezi the Vice Chairperson of the Board along with tourism sector players attended the IBTM World 32nd edition where they marketed Uganda,” Ajarova said.
This, she said, was part of the strategies to market Uganda’s MICE industry in the leading MICE markets and to position the country for more hosting opportunities.
In 2019, Uganda was ranked the 6th most popular destination for hosting international conferences and events in the 2019 statistics report issued by the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA).