Increase Tourism – KISS-Keep it Short and Simple for Tourists coming to Uganda on a Safari.
Simplify Tourism in Uganda – Remove the Bureaucratic Hassles for Tourists and Safari Goers
Increase Tourism with KISS-Keep it Short and Simple for Tourists coming to Uganda on a Safari. Well-meaning government ministries, parliamentarians, and agencies of all types can make decisions affecting the flow of leisure tourists going on Safari. Due to the COVID Pandemic, International Safari-Goers have been a rarity, and tour Operators have significantly suffered since 2020.
As we look forward to the return and increase in numbers of International Tourists, we must do all we can to remove the bureaucratic hassles that hamper the Safari-Goer’s experience as they “Explore the Pearl of Africa.”
The Ugandan Government and various tourism agencies have been promoting Domestic Tourism. While we applaud such efforts, domestic tourism cannot replace international leisure tourists. Tour Operators fondly look back to 2019 when life was good for all involved in Tourism.
If you could replace all Safari Going Tourists with domestic ones, Uganda Wildlife Authority would still be hurting since domestic tourists pay a fraction of the Tariffs that foreign tourists are charged. Midrange and Luxury Lodges would remain empty even when Ugandans are offered a lower price rate, and Tour Operators would be unable to stay in business. A prosperous middle-class with disposable income needs a thriving domestic tourism industry.
The answer is to keep promoting Domestic Tourism and make it easier for Safari Goers to come and leave Uganda. The Uganda Tourism Board should examine the safari-going tourist experiences as they arrive and leave the country. That includes any Tourism COVID-19 protocols in place but may not be necessary.
Let us look at just one example. Kampala nightlife woke up from its two-year slumber on January 25, 2022, and the sights of masks were few. Yet, according to the COVID Standard Operating Procedures, a Tourist must wear a mask while hiking in a park.
Keep it Short and Simple for Tourists coming to Uganda – we would add a welcoming, friendly and hospitable Attitude.
KISS-Keep it Short and Simple for Tourists coming to Uganda on a Safari
Be a more Welcoming Uganda – Remove the Bureaucratic Hassles that annoy Tourists anywhere
The acronym KISS – keep it simple stupid by the US Navy developing new concepts. We changed it slightly to “Keep it short and simple” since we do not want to offend anyone. Traveling to Uganda as a safari-goer should be accessible in our hopefully post-pandemic world. Uganda is competing with every other country in the world for tourists, and the Pearl of Africa needs to be and remain competitive with other tourist-bound countries.
The Uganda Tourism Board, consulting with others, such as the Association of Uganda Tour Operators, removes obstacles that leisure tourists now face that keep them from a whole Safari experience. We all need to put ourselves into the Tourist’s shoes and see what they experience.
One positive move was removing the COVID PCR test for incoming visitors. That was only a first step, but one hopes more such positive changes are on the way. Previously a Tour Operator’s welcome area for arriving tourists was a giant leap forward, avoiding the chaos that tourists often encounter.
We want Safari-Goers to experience Uganda in ways they are compelled to tell others to explore Uganda, the Pearl of Africa. We all like to see positive reviews about Safaris in Uganda, not ones that tarnish the country’s image. Keep it Short and Simple for Tourists coming to Uganda, remove as many Bureaucratic Hassles as possible, and allow the Leisure tourists to immerse themselves in Exploring Uganda on their Safari, which is both an inner and outer journey. For Tourism to thrive beyond 2019, we need to show the Heart of Ugandan Hospitality by making tourists feel “most Welcomed.”
No Rules governing or affecting Leisure Tourists should be implemented without consulting the Uganda Tourism Board:
The Uganda Tourism Board has a better understanding of how rules affect tourists. A bureaucratic government entity sometimes will not understand how its decision, decree, or regulation may negatively affect tourism. Implementing the $20 Entebbe International Airport exit tax was a case in point. In the opinion of many Tour Operators, the tax implementation was unnecessary, and Ugandan travelers seem to concur with that feeling.
Remember to Keep it Short and Simple for Tourists coming to Uganda on a Safari. Keep as uncomplicated as possible for the leisure tourist. Remove as many bureaucratic hassles for Tourists to have a fuller safari Experience that they will talk about for years to come.
We tell potential clients that Uganda is one of Africa’s friendliest and most welcoming countries. That warm welcome, a reflection of Ugandan Hospitality, should be the Attitude of every staff person at Entebbe International Airport. The first friendly face a tourist encounters should not be their tour guide but the person that directs tourists as they disembark the plane. The medical staff, immigration, and customs officials might need some customer service with smile training.
Whether Police, Uganda Wildlife Authority Staff, National Forest personnel, or anyone meets tourists, it leaves a positive or negative impression on domestic and international Tourists on Safari. One can learn from an experienced tour guide who smiles even when he is personally having a dreadful day.
KISS-Keep it Short and Simple for Tourists coming to Uganda on a Safari
Remove the Bureaucratic Hassles -Things that should be considered!
1.-The COVID Standard Operating Procedures for Tourism need to be looked at!
Things have changed with the Pandemic. Countries worldwide are returning to living without mandates and restrictions, and science has come out with new findings based on research. We would encourage using masks in the presence of primates since that should have been done years ago.
Uganda is open for Business – Where are the Tourists? Many that want to travel are confused by the various pandemic regulations in different countries. Some countries, such as Australia, locked their borders and many months later reopened them.
As Tour Operators, we sell Safari experiences. Through words, pictures, and videos on our websites, we try to inform and describe the experiences. We tell Uganda’s story and set right the misinformation that abounds on the Internet.
However, the reality on the ground that awaits the Tourist arriving in Uganda is different than what they thought. Instead of experiencing the Wilds of Africa, Tourists are forced to follow COVID mandates and restrictions they felt they were leaving behind. Upon arrival, they must comply with regulations limiting the Safari Experience in Uganda.
Oddly, tourists have more stringent COVID requirements than someone who wants to spend a night in the town enjoying the reopened Nightlife in Kampala, the City that never sleeps. You will not find nighttime revelers masked, which should be due to the lack of social distancing. Which causes those in Tourism to ask: What’s up with that?
At the same time, a tourist in Uganda’s most remote and least visited Kidepo Valley Park are required to wear a mask during Activities causing Tour Operators and leisure Tourists to ask: “What’s up with that?
2.- Protect and guard Uganda’s Image
Uganda still suffers from an image problem that we call the “the lingering ghosts of Idi Amin.” When some notable is arrested, international news organizations jump in and keep harping about Uganda’s Human rights record. No one reports that Uganda is safer for tourists than NYC, LA, Chicago, and other American cities. Uganda has not defunded the Police; it even has a Tourism Police. The safest place to be in Uganda is on a Safari.
Tourists read such things and choose other locations such as Rwanda for their Safari. In Rwanda, Tourists overlook the human rights records, including paul Rusesabagina – a one-time hotel manager portrayed as a hero in a Hollywood film about the nation’s 1994 genocide was found guilty of being part of a group responsible for “terrorist” attacks and sentenced to 25 years in prison by a Rwandan court.
3. – UTB should Promote Tourism through Social Media
Daily social media posts on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram are necessary. Up-to-date videos on YouTube should take place monthly and focus on different tourist offerings. Tour Operators can then link to the videos on their website and increase the views of such tourism videos.
4. – Open Facebook
In the 21st Century, a Facebook page is a must for tour operators. We are forced to keep an illegal Facebook presence. We do not disseminate dissent with the Government but use it to promote Uganda as a free business tool. You can use Google’s my business, but it differs from Facebook. Additionally, many tour operators use Facebook messenger to conduct business.
5.-Simplify the Tourist Visa Process easier.
Tourists loved the simple Visa on arrival process. Many get hung with the online process, making coming to Uganda easier for leisure tourists.
