The Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) together with the Uganda Hotel Owners Association (UHOA) have called on hotel owners and respective stakeholders to embrace the just rolled out nationwide grading and classification exercise.
During a press conference held at UTB headquarters addressed by Lilly Ajarova CEO (UTB), Uganda Hotel Owners Association (UHOA) Chairperson and Vice Chairperson Board of UTB, Susan Muhwezi, Broadford Ochieng, Deputy CEO (UTB) and Jean Byamugisha, Executive Director (UHOA), it was revealed that the exercise will be conducted in phases to cover the entire country.
The first phase that begun on 1st August to 4th September, 2023 will be conducted around Kampala, Entebbe, Jinja, Masaka, Mbarara, Fort- portal and Mbale.
According to Ms. Ajarova, the exercise is in fulfillment of one of UTB’s mandates to carry out Quality Assurance of the tourism sector as enshrined in the Tourism Act 2008.
“Section (J) of the Act requires UTB to enforce and monitor standards and (K) mandates us to register, inspect, license and classify tourism enterprises,” she said.
She added, “The exercise aligns the country and tourism players to the provisions of article 115(2) of the East African Treaty. In the treaty, Tourism is one of the identified sectors where partner states work together in a coordinated manner, to develop the quality of accommodation and catering facilities for visitors within the region.”
The assessment is aligned with the East African standards and guidelines for grading and classification. The exercise is done every after two years by certified East African assessors and the facilities are then given new grading status respectively.
It should, however, be noted that the exercise has not been done in the last 5 years, the previous one having been in 2018. This, Ajarova said, was largely due to the disruption brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic which hit the sector hard and restricted assessment procedures.
Mrs. Susan Muhwezi explained that UHOA and the private sector were fully in support of the exercise and urged hoteliers to participate for the good of the industry.
“Grading will add value to your investments through increased marketing of the facilities within the accredited grades. This exercise is a vital component of marketing Uganda as a competitive tourism destination that observes good standards for visitor enjoyment,” she said.
Mr. Broadford Ochieng revealed that UTB was working tirelessly to tick off all the Five “As” of tourism that include Attractions, Amenities, Activities, Accessibility and Accommodation.
He explained that accommodation was one of the important components in streaming standards that make Uganda a competitive destination.
Ms. Jean Byamugisha, noted that grading is important in aligning the industry to international standards as well as managing guest expectations ant it supports the pricing systems of hotels.
“The exercise will therefore create a positive impact because of the improved quality of tourism products and services offered to tourists. Field assessment teams have received ICT equipment that are preloaded with an automated E-classification System making it efficient and effective to carry out their work seamlessly,” Byamugisha said.
Uganda Board Tourism is determined to ensure enforcement of the standard protocols for the well-being and growth of the sector.