The 9th edition of the Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo (POATE) officially kicks off today, May 21, 2025, at the Speke Resort and Convention Centre in Munyonyo.
Running through May 24, this year’s edition carries the theme Tourism and Sustainable Transformation, aiming to foster collaboration among tourism stakeholders, international buyers, investors, and media as they explore Uganda’s vast tourism potential.
Despite making significant strides, Uganda’s tourism sector has yet to fully rebound to its pre-2019 levels. In 2023, the country recorded 1,274,210 international arrivals, a 56.4 per cent increase from 814,508 in 2022, a strong recovery from the pandemic lows, although still below the 1.542 million visitors in 2019 and 1.505 million in 2018.
Speaking ahead of the expo, Doreen Katusiime, permanent secretary at the ministry of Tourism, emphasized the importance of POATE as a platform to showcase Uganda’s unique and diverse attractions to the world.
“This expo enhances Uganda’s visibility on the international tourism map,” she said.
Uganda’s appeal remains firmly rooted in nature-based tourism. The country is home to 12 national parks, three game reserves, 12 wildlife reserves, 10 wildlife sanctuaries, and five community wildlife management areas.
More than 18 per cent of Uganda’s surface area is covered by lakes, rivers and wetlands, with five of East Africa’s great lakes; Victoria, Kyoga, Albert, George and Edward, located within its borders. Uganda also boasts of the world’s largest population of mountain gorillas, with about 459 individuals (53 per cent of the global total). The Kibale Forest national park alone is home to over 1,000 of Uganda’s 5,000 chimpanzees.
Add to that an array of monkeys, baboons, bush babies and pottos in unspoiled environments. For bird lovers, Uganda is paradise. With over 1,083 recorded species, the country hosts nearly 50 per cent of Africa’s bird species and 10 per cent of the world’s.
Notable birding sites include Bwindi Impenetrable Forest national park, which was voted Africa’s number one birding site by the African Bird Club in 2012, and Queen Elizabeth national park, home to more than 605 bird species.
A UN report ranks Uganda as the happiest country in East Africa, while a BBC survey named it the friendliest country globally for expatriates. However, critics argue that natural beauty alone is not enough as the country still lags in strategic marketing and infrastructure investment, areas where regional competitors Rwanda, Kenya and Tanzania have made significant headway.
This concern is reflected in the national budget, where tourism was once again among the least-funded sectors. In the recently-approved Shs 72.4 trillion national budget for FY 2025/26, only Shs 427.6 billion was allocated to tourism, less than half of the Shs 976.9 billion for inland travel, Shs 633.2 billion for consultancy services, and Shs 492.9 billion for food and beverages.
Still, there have been bright spots. Katusiime highlighted the ministry’s $75,000 investment in marketing on Expedia, which she said yielded $580,000 in confirmed tourism bookings.
“What better return on investment would you need?” she asked.
Last year’s POATE was a resounding success, attracting 230 exhibitors, 423 trade visitors, 505 seminar participants, and over 3,050 consumers. Vivian Lyazzi, the acting commissioner for the Tourism Development department, said POATE 2025 will open with a regional tourism conference to highlight the significance of intra-African tourism, which accounts for 80-90 per cent of Uganda’s inbound traffic, especially from Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania.
The conference will tackle key issues including regional marketing, e-marketing strategies, visa policies and investment opportunities, with a focus on promoting East Africa as a single destination.
Lyazzi also noted the growing importance of MICE tourism (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions), aligning with global tourism trends that emphasize business-related travel.
According to the Tourism Satellite Account Report 2023, the top reasons for visiting Uganda remain business travel and visits to friends and relatives (VFR). In 2019, 40.9 per cent of visitors came for business while 28.9 per cent visited friends and family.
By 2022, VFR had taken the lead at 38.2 per cent, with business visits at 36.5 per cent. Intriguingly, holiday and leisure still remains the least reasons for tourists to visit Uganda.