A high-level Ugandan delegation has concluded a successful outing at the World Agro-Tourism Conference in Scotland, marking another milestone in the country’s growing engagement on the global tourism stage. The delegation was led by Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities Permanent Secretary Doreen Katusiime, alongside Uganda Tourism Board CEO Juliana Kagwa and Board Chair Pearl Hoareau Kakooza.
Over the course of the engagement, the team benchmarked hospitality models and toured working farms in Aberdeen and Edinburgh, gaining firsthand insight into how Scotland has successfully woven agriculture into its tourism offering. The visits offered the delegation practical lessons on farm-to-table experiences, rural hospitality standards, and visitor engagement models that blend agricultural heritage with tourism appeal, approaches that could be adapted to Uganda’s own agro-tourism ambitions.
The timing of the visit is significant. Uganda is in the early stages of exploring the possibility of hosting the World Agro-Tourism Conference in 2029, and this outing offered the delegation a firsthand opportunity to study the conference’s format, scale, and organisational standards ahead of a potential bid. Agro-tourism, which blends farming, culture, and hospitality, represents a growing segment of the global travel industry, and one that aligns closely with Uganda’s agricultural identity and its ambition to diversify its tourism product beyond traditional wildlife and adventure offerings.
For Uganda, whose economy remains deeply rooted in agriculture, the sector presents a natural opportunity to develop a distinct tourism niche. Showcasing coffee, tea, and banana farming traditions, alongside rural life and culinary heritage, could position Uganda as an emerging voice in the global agro-tourism conversation, drawing visitors keen to experience the country’s rural landscapes and farming communities rather than only its parks and reserves.
The Scotland engagement builds on Uganda’s broader strategy of participating in international platforms to benchmark best practices and forge partnerships that support the country’s tourism growth. With the possibility of hosting the 2029 edition on the horizon, this visit signals early, deliberate groundwork, positioning Uganda not just as a participant in global agro-tourism conversations, but as a potential future host shaping the sector’s direction on the continent.
