The tourism value chain employs a plethora of workers both in the formal and informal sectors, directly generating 803,691 jobs in 2023, accounting for 7.2% of total employment in Uganda, according to records from the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities.
Statistics from the Uganda Tourism Satellite Account (TSA)2023 indicate that females constituted 68% of all persons directly employed in the tourism industry, however, males dominated all the major sectors except the food and beverage services as well as the accommodation sector.
The TSA 2023 also shows that male employees in the tourism sector generally earned more money than their female counterparts.
This was illustrated by the higher earnings for persons in the passenger transport industry and the Travel Agencies – sectors dominated by men at 95.5% and 61.2% respectively – against the workers in the food and beverage serving industry who earn the least. This, is where females take the lead at 66.7%.
In 2023, tourism accounted for 7.2% of total employment, up from 5.7% in 2022 and 6.6% in 2019, reflecting its growing share in Uganda’s workforce.
Industry experts argue that female entrepreneurs, in their various categories, can have better odds at earning more from the industry by, among others, participating in line events and exhibitions such as the forthcoming Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo (POATE).
These note that being part of POATE enables exhibitors to meet numerous sector stakeholders, real time clients and also forge business links for future partnership and businesses.
Now in its 9th edition, POATE is slated for May 21st to 23rd at the Speke Resort Convention Center, Munyonyo and renowned tourism, travel and hospitality personalities are lined up to lead the various symposiums on Day 1 and Day 2 of the Expo.
Business to Business (B2B) and Business to Consumer (B2C) meeting sessions will also be underway at the exhibition grounds.
Tested and true? – what previous exhibitors say
One of the young female entrepreneurs who have curved their nook in the relatively virgin cultural and eco-tourism sector, Aisha Mayanja Nabwanika of Ewaffe Cultural Village says for women entrepreneurs who are able, taking on the exhibition is to their advantage.
“POATE presents an opportunity for female entrepreneurs to network with all the major stakeholders, fellow tour operators, hosted buyers and numerous other sector experts. You find that you have over a thousand people in one place who are interested in doing business within the tourism space so it’s upon us the entrepreneurs to know who we need to meet and spark conversations with for possible collaborations,” Nabwanika told Prime News in a brief engagement on Tuesday.
She added that POATE gives women entrepreneurs a grand chance to showcase their brand and tell their story, market their products and services to a wider audience.
For businesses that are young and find the exhibition fees hefty, Nabwanika tips on booth sharing and looking out for organisations that support start-ups with small grants that could cover the fees.
Ewaffe Cultural Village gives tourists the traditional feel of Uganda through culinary experiences, cultural exploration and immersion into the traditional setting of a Buganda homestead.
Themed “Tourism and Sustainable Transformation: Explore Uganda – An Adventure of a Lifetime”, POATE 2025 is expected to draw in 260 exhibitors, 70 hosted buyers and over 5,000 trade visitors and consumers.
For Irene Allen Namisango, Founder Uganda Uncovered, POATE is much more than just a meeting space for sector players, it’s a marketing pool where female entrepreneurs who deal in tangible products close off with a month’s worth of sales in two days.
“Last year’s POATE was our third time exhibiting as Uganda Uncovered and we sold over 90% of the merchandize that we shipped to the Expo. People from different countries bought our merchandize, some booked us for the other services that we offer such as blog and article writing, and drafting itineraries. The business leads we got have overtime become clients for our products and services,” Namisango says.
Uganda Uncovered markets destination Uganda through various ways among which is selling branded merchandize including shirts, hats, caps, hoodies among others. The latest addition to the stock is their Uganda Uncovered Magazine which tells the Ugandan story through literary works.
“Beyond the sales we made and the clients we got, brand awareness was our bigger win. People, and line female entrepreneurs in particular, should embrace POATE because you will have a big number of your target audience in one place at a limited cost,” Namisango adds.
She notes that compared to the money paid for stalls at the exhibition grounds, the return on investment is greater.
She adds, “If we were to make a marketing budget for all the exposure we got, the brand awareness we created and the direct sales we made, it would overwhelmingly exceed the money we paid to exhibit. I highly recommend this.”
POATE – An Ideation Hub
In the dynamic global tourism sphere, POATE serves as a strategic opportunity for sector players to benchmark various innovations in the industry and acquire knowledge to create models to fit given needs.
Namisango says meeting other entrepreneurs, hearing about and witnessing how they operate has often birthed new ideas for her.
According to the Ministry of Tourism, the key note speakers headlining given symposiums are meticulously selected to share knowledge that benefits the tourism fraternity, inspire new beginnings from lived experiences and dissect plausible trends that can be adopted by sector players to thrive.
This year, according to the Commissioner Tourism Development Mr. Vivian Lyazzi, the conferences will tackle more topics under Regional Tourism considering it’s Uganda’s largest tourist source market contributing 80% to 90% of the total inbound tourist traffic.
Topics like Transboundary product development, Inspiring regional travel & Promoting as One will be discussed. This will be conducted under the theme; Borderless Borders with engagements among the key Tourism Ministers from the region, tourism boards, IGAD, UNECA and regional corporations.
Tourism Investment and Destination Marketing are also lined up for discussion.
