Uganda is and will be “The Pearl of Africa,” A Slogan that says it all.
Keep and Promote the Tagline-Uganda “the Pearl of Africa” – it’s synonymous with Uganda.
Make No Change-Keep “Uganda the Pearl of Africa” as the Tourism Slogan. In June 2018, the New Vision Newspaper in Uganda had this Article Headline – “Researchers tell Uganda to drop ‘Pearl of Africa’ tag. The subline stated: that US-based University of Berkeley researchers and stakeholders in the tourism sector have agreed to change the brand to ‘Small Africa.’ Or a recent local online newspaper article in May of 2019 that suggested. The failed “Gifted by Nature” Tagline and the slogan would be revived. Breathtaking Uganda is also an option for some since it is used in Domestic Tourism Campaigns.
Who will assist in rebranding Uganda’s Tourism Image? Wise men and women from the West (with their financial interests at stake) will help Uganda market itself as a Premier Tourism Destination through a magical rebranding.
Hired marketing gurus, whether Ugandan or Foreign, lack the passion that someone such as Winston Churchill had the reason. He was a Tourist who came to Uganda through Kenya, but it was Uganda that he fell in love with. He went beyond a Tagline,
“the Pearl of Africa,” and defined it as befitting his time and audience. He explained why Uganda was the Pearl of Africa in a Book -“My African Journey.” The Uganda Tourism Board Ministry of Tourism needs to do the same in the 21st Century – Define Uganda in Terms of Tourism beyond mere slogans,
President Museveni, committed to Tourism, chimed in on the Pearl of Africa Debate when he wanted to copyright the tagline “Pearl of Africa” when a North African Country began to use it.
President Museveni would be the last person to settle for a Tagline such as “Uganda-small Africa.” Uganda – is Africa condensed into one country, and small Africa does not tell you that.
Why, in 2019, do Tourism Officials with few proven marketing skills rely on Western Tourism Consultants? Fueled by the dollar and not by passion, do you want to throw away “the Pearl of Africa”? A slogan they have not used, defined, and promoted does not take our word for it. Search for the Official “Visit Uganda” Tourism website.
We would have at least named the Website “Visit Uganda – the Pearl of Africa” – they do not mention it – do a site search for Pearl of Africa. Unless they recently changed something, the results will be 0.
Uganda – the Pearl of Africa – a Timeless Tagline
Do not mess with the Slogan “Pearl of Africa” – Define why it stands out as Africa’s Pearl.
Reality- Taglines alone do not Bring Tourists to Uganda or any other Country:
- Taglines alone are marketing a Country – they are at the most influence. I never bought a car because the slogan was “zoom-zoom.”
- The Quality of the Experience is foremost. Uganda offers what no other Safari Destination offers-Define it.
- Use what you have and build on it. “The Pearl of Africa” puts Uganda into a league of its own – explain why Uganda is the Pearl of Africa and why it is a Total and Complete Safari Destination.
- Know the audience you are trying to reach. Do not assume – that it produces nothing.
- Focus on the Leisure Tourist (foreign and domestic) that wants to go on an African Safari. Focus on increasing the number of National Park visitors, rather than on arrivals, counts as a tourist from Kenya or Rwanda visiting their Uncle or Aunt in Kampala.
- Remember – no one is coming to Uganda because of a Tagline. They come because of influencers. Friends who have visited, Social Media posts (In 2019, Uganda was named the 3rd most photographed country in the World. No Ugandan Tourism officials have taken advantage of it, maybe because it was free.
- Use the Awards and Accolades that Uganda has received to promote Uganda.
Uganda’s Tourism Obstacles is not a Tagline – but Perceived Images Accentuated by news reports and Photos:
Uganda makes world news for all the wrong reasons, such as the recently isolated kidnapping of an American Tourist and the images of Bobi Wine or Kizza Besigye being arrested. Suppose anyone has promoted their cause and made either one a Martyr figure in the eyes of the World. In that case, it is Uganda’s overzealous Security Forces.
Uganda is known by most in the World not for the beautiful realities found in this country but for the lingering Ghost of Idi Amin. Uganda is seen by many as a dangerous place. A place where strange viruses and diseases come from, a place where guerillas dwell, where Gay Travelers will be arrested and put into prison.
Few potential Visitors know that Uganda is one of Africa’s most welcoming and Friendliest Countries. They do not know that Uganda is the most ethnically diverse country in the World, where refugees have not been turned away at the border,
Uganda has over one million refugees in the country. They do not know that Uganda is safe and secure; there are no mass shootings or terrorist attacks on hotels or anywhere else. They do not know that Uganda is one of the most biodiverse nations in the World, and Uganda has the most remaining Mountain Gorillas and the most Chimpanzees in East Africa. They do not know about the Mufumbiro Mountains that cook, the Virunga Volcanoes, or the tallest Mountain Range in Africa – the Rwenzori Mountains of the Moon. They do not know that the River Nile has its source in Uganda and runs through it.
Uganda’s answer to increasing Tourism Numbers is not changing a Tagline and rebranding. The problem that Ugandan Tour Operators face -the Elephant in the Room is the image- people’s perceptions of Uganda. The current, though new, Election Season and how authorities deal with the opposition do not help us in Tourism, but who is asking? Seeing a gentler response to those with opposing views would be nice.
Keep Uganda “the Pearl of Africa” There is no better Tagline:
President Museveni, who used the slogan “no change” in an election, wanted Pearl of Africa to be registered as a copyrighted Trademark. According to the New Vision, the Wise Advisors from the West have stated that the Pearl of Africa lacks meaning for 21st Century Travelers and Tourists. Tourism Stakeholders (AUTO did not send out a Tagline Survey to its members) have agreed with the University of California – Berkeley researchers.
Some local Tourism Experts have suggested that Pearl of Africa is not descriptive enough. One could ask them whether they think “Magical Kenya or Remarkable Rwanda is descriptive enough. One has to go beyond the slogan and define it through what Uganda, the Pearl of Africa, offers.
Each day, many potential Visitors use search terms such as “Pearl of Africa” or “Why is Uganda the Pearl of Africa?” The search leads to our site, where they find out what a visit to Uganda is like.
You can change the tagline, but you will not change the fact that Uganda is wedded to the “Pearl of Africa” tagline.
Define what the Pearl of Africa is- What it means:
Uganda – the Pearl of Africa must be defined, described, and promoted. Uganda became the Mountain Gorilla Destination of choice in the last few years, and the Ministry of Tourism had nothing to do with it. That change occurred when Rwanda gave Uganda a gift – they doubled their permit price. Meanwhile, Uganda Wildlife Authority remained level and did not give in to the Greed Factor but kept the cost of permits at 600 USD.
They were even more level-headed when they chose not to raise permit prices for 2020. How did this happen? Social Media, Accolades from National Geographic putting Uganda on the UK Cool list because of Gorilla Trekking, Newspaper Articles, and Tour Operator websites in Uganda informed potential trackers that Uganda was affordable and safe for Gorilla Trekkers.
Similar success stories can be replicated and created elsewhere in Uganda, from Kidepo Valley Park to Lake Mburo National Park and everything in between.
On our website, we continuously define what the Pearl of Africa is. We have one page where that is all we do. Does it pay off? The answer is a resounding “Yes.”
Rebranding is Costly and Risky – Dust off “The Pearl of Africa” – it is already a known Brand:
Rebranding is costly; the so-called foreign marketing experts now work for free. A rebranding is expensive, and Uganda has the example of the failed “Gifted by Nature” campaign that went down like a dud with no increasing tourist numbers.
Developing a new brand takes years and is the Cornerstone of Tourism marketing. Does any US, UK, Australian, or German visitor remember the Tourism tagline? More already known – Pearl of Africa.
“Improve marketing the Pearl of Africa with UWA, Uganda Tourism Board, the Ministry of Tourism, the Uganda Media Centre, every Embassy website, TUGATA, AUTO, USAGA, Entebbe Airport, and Tour Operators. Get everyone on board with the Pearl of Africa.
Look around you in Uganda. You will find Pearl of Africa businesses everywhere. 1somebody still believes that it is a timely slogan. Many companies are proud to incorporate Pearl of Africa into their business name.
Uganda is and will be “the Pearl of Africa.”
Kabiza Wilderness Safaris will continue to market Uganda as the Pearl of Africa on every page of its website. The tagline “the Pearl of Africa” has proven to be the best, correct, and most profitable. No matter what bureaucrat’s foreign tourism marketers may come up with – for us – no Change, the timeless Pearl of Africa remains.
Our “Why is Uganda called the Pearl of Africa? It Is viewed over 50 times a day. ” The Pearl of Africa” is featured on our home page. We only create Memorable Safaris in Uganda, the Pearl of Africa. Uganda, the Pearl of Africa, has been and continues to be our Focus. We do not dabble in Safaris all over Africa, and we focus on Uganda, best described as the Pearl of Africa.
We have empirical evidence that the Pearl of Africa is the right formula for Tourism success. We have prevailed, prospered, and grown, finding our niche in Ugandan Tourism. No matter what – our Brand of Choice is “Uganda – the Pearl of Africa.”
No matter what, Uganda has moved away from what we call “Accidental Tourism,” where visitors accidentally wind up in Uganda on their own. And not because of any advertising from the Uganda Tourism Board. We are thankful for that but throwing away “The Pearl of Africa.” One is motivated to ask, “What are you thinking?”
The Kingdom of Uganda is a fairy tale. The scenery is different, the climate is different, and most of all, the people are other from anything elsewhere to be seen in the whole range of Africa….what message I bring back….concentrate on Uganda.” Winston Churchill 1908.
Thank Goodness, The New Tourism Slogan unveiled in Uganda is “Explore Uganda, the Pearl of Africa.”
Uganda in the Words of Sir Winston Churchill
