The Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities (MTWA), through its agencies, including the Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) and the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), successfully convened a five-day Media Stakeholders study tour and a familiarization trip across Northern Uganda. The tour and training ran from 11th to 15th March 2026.
Session engaged with journalists, news editors, and other media practitioners from the Acholi sub-region on the importance of telling positive and informative stories through destination reporting was more than just a meeting; it was transformational.
Dr. Gessa, Head of Public Relations, emphasized that one good story can create an unimaginable impact and encouraged journalists to continue telling meaningful stories while remembering that our country existed before us and will continue to exist long after us. Uganda’s story is rich, diverse, and full of promise. It only takes one well-told story to create an unimaginable impact, one story that inspires curiosity, shifts perception, and invites the world to experience our beautiful destination.
The Tourism Sector has been earmarked as one of the major 4ATMS to catapult Uganda’s 10-fold strategy to USD 50BN by the year 2040. Tourism development is about increasing tourist inflows five-fold and doubling average spend-per-tourist and average stay-per-tourist. The familiarisation tour aimed to enhance media coverage of Northern Uganda as a premier travel destination, highlighting conservation efforts, community-based tourism initiatives, and investment opportunities in the region.
Designed to strengthen collaboration between the tourism sector and the media, the initiative brought together journalists, content creators, and tourism stakeholders to explore and document the diverse attractions of the Acholi sub-region and greater Northern Uganda. Participants engaged with local communities, visited key tourism sites, and witnessed firsthand the region’s rich cultural heritage, wildlife, and emerging tourism infrastructure. The key attractions and sites that were visited include: Pian Upe Game reserve, Karatunga community-based tourism initiatives, Aruu Falls, Fort Partiko, Small Church in Nebbi, Murchison Falls NP and other sites in West Nile.
