KAMPALA, Uganda — The Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) has intensified efforts to attract high-value leisure travellers from Europe following a tourism marketing roadshow conducted in the BENELUX region, covering Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg.
The delegation, which included officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Uganda), the Uganda Wildlife Authority, and private sector tour operators, engaged European travel buyers and industry stakeholders in structured business discussions aimed at strengthening Uganda’s destination visibility.
According to UTB Chief Executive Officer Juliana Kagwa, the roadshow formed part of Uganda’s National Destination Marketing Strategy, which is shifting focus from visitor numbers to visitor spending value.
“Over the past few days, Uganda participated in a structured tourism roadshow in Luxembourg and Ghent, engaging buyers from Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg as part of focused market development across the BENELUX region,” Kagwa said.
She explained that Uganda is pursuing a strategy that prioritises high-value tourism segments rather than purely increasing visitor arrivals.
“Our strategic objective is to shift from visitor volume to visitor value. Today, international leisure visitors account for 15.7% of arrivals, with average spending of about US$1,052 per trip,” she noted.
Government tourism planners aim to increase the proportion of high-value leisure travellers from 20% to 40% while also raising average visitor expenditure per trip.
Europe Market Expansion
The marketing mission brought together tourism authorities and private operators to showcase Uganda’s natural attractions, including wildlife reserves, mountain landscapes, and cultural heritage sites.
Officials made presentations to Belgian travel professionals and potential business partners, highlighting why Uganda is being positioned as a premier African travel destination.
“The Pearl of Africa deserves a prominent place on Europe’s travel map,” Kagwa said, adding that partnerships with European travel distributors are key to long-term tourism growth.
Strategic Tourism Development
The roadshow supports Uganda’s broader tourism development agenda, which emphasises quality visitor experiences, wildlife conservation, and sustainable destination marketing.
Industry analysts say European tourists generally have longer stay durations and higher spending patterns, making the market attractive for Uganda’s premium tourism strategy.
Tourism authorities say similar promotional missions will continue across key international source markets as Uganda seeks to strengthen its global tourism competitiveness.
