A team from the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities (MTWA), Uganda Tourism Board (UTB), and other officials are off to Egypt to promote and market destination Uganda alongside the Uganda Cranes who are making a second consecutive appearance at the biennial event after appearing at the 2017 showpiece.
The team, led by the State Minister for Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, Hon. Godfrey Kiwanda, will be in the North African country to not only promote Uganda’s tourist attractions to the global audience that will be gathered in Egypt during the tournament, but also rally support for the national team.
According to Hon. Kiwanda, the African Cup brings together several travelers and holiday makers from all over the world to a host nation and this makes it a bountiful opportunity for Uganda to market her tourist attractions. “Egypt is well-known world over for the pyramids and the River Nile. As the country that has the source of the Nile, we feel that this is a great opportunity to market the source of this river as well as our tourism potential to the rest of the world, while utilizing this sports platform,” he explains.
This comes on the heels of a Ugx200m sponsorship agreement signed between UTB and the Federation of Uganda Football Association (FUFA) with UTB as the official tourism partner.
The agreement will see the two institutions work hand in hand to promote brand Uganda at both the domestic and international scene.
The partnership gives UTB rights to brand Destination Uganda at local and international games in which the Uganda Cranes are participating as well as work with the players in destination marketing campaigns.
As the Uganda Cranes prepare to take on neighbors Democratic Republic of Congo on Saturday, June 22, then Zimbabwe on June 26 and the final Group A game against hosts Egypt, Uganda will also be showcasing her tourism potential.
According to UTB CEO, Lilly Ajarova, the agency will set up a hospitality tent in Egypt where visitors will get the chance to learn more about Uganda as well as understand her tourism packages with emphasis on the uniting attraction that is River Nile.
“We have invited dignitaries from all the AFCON 2019 participating nations and we shall treat them to the Ugandan experience. We have also planned an open day where everyone will be invited to try out the Ugandan cuisine, learn the Ugandan culture as well as experience Ugandan hospitality,” Ajarova explains.
Ajarova adds, “Football is the world’s greatest sport viewed by billions of fans across the globe. In Uganda, the Cranes is the greatest football brand- but more importantly the leading sporting ambassadors to the region and the world. We want to open up brand Uganda to the massive sports audience where our national team participates.”
At the start of this year, UTB embarked on initiatives to promote sports tourism in the country. The agency inked a partnership with the Uganda Golf Union in which the countrywide golf Tours were born. These allowed golfers to traverse different parts of the country playing the game of golf whilst touring their country.
