The Uganda Tourism Board, alongside the sector’s principal agencies, participated in a high-level three-day strategic retreat at the government-owned Crested Crane Hotel in Jinja from February 18 to 20, convened by the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities to address systemic inter-agency coordination failures through structured policy dialogue, as the sector registered a record 1.64 million international arrivals in 2025.
Held at Crested Crane Hotel, the retreat brought together board chairpersons, executive directors and senior leadership from the Uganda Tourism Board, Uganda Wildlife Authority, Uganda Wildlife Research and Training Institute and Uganda Hotel and Tourism Training Institute. Deliberations were conducted under the theme, “Reflecting, Transforming and Aligning for a Competitive Tourism Destination,” with sessions examining sector performance, mandate clarity, budget optimisation and alignment with the National Development Plan IV.
Minister of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities Col. (Rtd) Tom Butime acknowledged the sector’s trajectory while underscoring the structural work that remains. “With renewed government support, improved budget allocations, and stronger collaboration among agencies such as the Uganda Wildlife Authority and the Uganda Tourism Board, the sector is well positioned to drive economic transformation,” he said.
The record arrival figure reflects sustained recovery from pandemic-era contractions, though the Ministry has not yet met its more ambitious targets for visitor volumes and foreign exchange receipts. International tourism receipts stood at $1.28 billion in 2024, representing 16 percent of total national exports. The sector contributed 3.2 percent to gross domestic product in 2023 and accounted for direct employment of more than 803,000 Ugandans.
The convening was driven in substantial part by recognized deficiencies in how the sector’s lead agencies function together. The relationship between the Uganda Tourism Board and the Uganda Wildlife Authority, institutions whose mandates are operationally interdependent yet have historically been administered with insufficient coordination, has been subject to repeated government review, with previous assessments recommending structural reforms that have seen uneven implementation.
Uganda Tourism Board Chief Executive Officer Juliana Kagwa addressed her agency’s marketing posture during plenary deliberations. “We have employed a robust digital marketing strategy that included working with influencers, content development, and brand ambassadors to further reach the market segments enshrined in the national marketing strategy,” she said.
Permanent Secretary Doreen Katusiime characterized the extended retreat format as a deliberate mechanism for substantive engagement, noting that the three day structure permitted institutional dialogue that routine ministry schedules do not ordinarily accommodate. The Ministry confirmed that specific policy recommendations would be formally communicated through official channels following an internal review process.
The sector continues to contend with insufficient airlift capacity, visa processing delays, infrastructure deficits in secondary destinations and heightened competition from regional economies that have invested more aggressively in destination marketing. The extent to which the Jinja retreat translates into measurable institutional improvements will be determined by the rigor of implementation in the months ahead.