Mt Rwenzori Marathon will transform tourism, experts say

The tourism industry has good reason to smile after it was announced this week that the Tusker Lite Mt Rwenzori Marathon has become the first Ugandan marathon to be certified by the esteemed World Athletics Federation (WAF). 

This, according to tourism industry insiders, is especially good news for the tourism industry because the marathon’s certification means it is no longer a local marathon. It has become an internationally recognised athletics event, listed on the WAF website alongside the great global athletic events such as the Olympics and other great marathons of the world. That catches the attention of elite athletes.

The marathon is cleverly designed to showcase the country’s natural endowment to the world. The running track starts at the Equator crossing line in the heart of Queen Elizabeth National Park, heads northwards to Kasese Town, climbs through the foothills of Mt Rwenzori to Kilembe mines passing along the scenic River Nyamwaba which is fed by the melting ice caps and glaciers of the Rwenzori Mountains. You could say this is a very good PR event for Uganda’s tourism.   

Now that it has been certified by the global athletics body, elite athletes from around the world will be travelling to Uganda every year together with their large management teams in order to participate in the marathon, which is a boon to the tourism industry. Because elite athletes don’t travel solo.  On average, an elite athlete travels with a coach, a physiotherapist, a nutritionist, a communications manager and lots of foreign currency. The potential for this to become a cash cow for the industry can’t be overstated.  

Impact so far
Despite being only two years old, the Tusker Lite Mt Rwenzori Marathon has already significantly boosted tourism in the Kasese region, according to Godfrey Kabbyanga Baluku, the state minister for ICT and former mayor of Kasese Municipality. He revealed this during the unveiling of the certification of the marathon at Sheraton Kampala Hotel on April 16.

“A Makerere University’s Tourism Research and Development Centre study conducted last year found that the marathon participants spent Shs3.5 billion in Kasese’s economy during the September weekend in 2023. Thirty percent of the 2000 runners were visiting Kasese for the first time for the marathon,” the minister said.

That income came from more than 2,000 runners from 17 countries that attended last year’s event. This year’s marathon, which will take place on August 24th, is expected to attract at least 4,000 participants from at least 25 countries worldwide and likely double the income. 

The fact that the marathon has been certified is expected to attract big names from around the world, including at least 10 brand ambassadors for sportswear companies such as Adidas and Nike that have already committed to participate, according to organisers.  

Minister Kabbyanga, who also happens to be a native of Kasese, added:
“On the day of the marathon last year, you couldn’t find chicken anywhere in the whole of Kasese. We had to import chicken from Bushenyi. By 6pm, all pork in the town was completely finished. All drinks were finished. All the hotels in and around Kasese were fully booked and people had to be ferried to Fort Portal, 70kms away. We were overwhelmed by numbers but this time we are more prepared.”  

In a bid to create more space for accommodation, Kabbyanga said the people of Kasese have been urged to take advantage of the hike in demand for accommodation and offer up their houses for short home-stays, either fully or partially.  

Marketing potential
Civy Tumusiime, the chairperson of the Association of Uganda Tour Operators said the marathon is an opportunity to showcase Uganda to the thousands of marathon tourists and market our country to the world. 
“Media, especially international media coverage of this marathon will thrust Uganda into the spotlight at a local, regional and international level. This is a good thing because tourists cannot want to come to a country that they don’t know anything about. Therefore, any effort to showcase Uganda as a destination shouldn’t be underrated and the quite amazing part is that they get to experience the countryside,” Tumusiime said. 

Boniface Byamukama, the chairman of the Exclusive Sustainable Tour Operators Association, reiterated the role of the marathon to market Uganda’s tourism potential to the world. 

He said: “The Tusker Lite Mt Rwenzori Marathon is important to tourism because it is a massive public relations event.  This is because tourism runs on activations and events. First,  it promotes local tourism, because many Ugandans travel to Kasese for the marathon.  Also, it will promote Mt Rwenzori to the people coming from across the world to participate in the marathon.” 

It seems to be a unanimous agreement among industry experts that this marathon, just like the Kilimanjaro Marathon in northern Tanzania, is well placed to increase traffic to Mt Rwenzori.

Amos Wekesa, the industry expert behind the marathon believes the marathon will market the country’s offerings to prospective tourists around the world, bridging the gap that has been hindering the growth of the industry. 
“Before the Tusker Lite Mt Rwenzori Marathon, we were only receiving 2,000 climbers to Rwenzori Mountains.

Within one year after the first marathon, that number had increased by more than 300 percent to 7,000 climbers. So this is a great opportunity to market the country’s tourism potential,” Wekesa said at the event.

The jump in the number of mountaineers interested in Mt Rwenzori is expected to continue growing as the marathon attracts more and more people from across the planet. 

Kasese’s transformation
The first time the marathon first came to Kasese, the 800 runners that that participated had to struggle through rugged, dusty, unpaved roads. The organizers approached government and presented the challenge of the bad roads. By the time the marathon came for its second year, the government was in the process of paving the roads. Today, all the roads along the running track are paved. 

“The local community in Kasese has already started on a journey of transformation. Every month Kasese people are cleaning the streets. Kasese is a very clean city now. The people are so excited. Now when I go to Kasese, the boda boda men are hugging me and asking how far things are going in preparation for this year’s marathon. Hotel owners are excited. Women who sell things on the road are anxiously waiting because they know what this means to them,” Wekesa said.   

According to Makerere University research where 30 percent of the 2,000 runners that attended last year’s event were interviewed, it was found that Shs3.5 billion was spent in the two days they stayed in the town. Experts believe that at least Shs10 billion was spent in Kasese last year. There is reason to believe that this year, Kasese will be overwhelmed. 

Concerns on m essaging by government
One of the concerns that some industry experts have in regard to the Rwenzori marathon is that it is held in an area that is prone to attacks from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) from DR Congo. Wekesa while addressing the media at the unveiling urged government to strive to think of the tourism sector while communicating calamities like rebel attacks and such things. 

“One of the things that worries me most is the way government people communicate. And you might ask me why I don’t condemn the way members of the opposition communicate is because when an opposition member speaks, he’s giving the position of the opposition. But when a government person speaks, whether a minister or military or police officer in government, that position is taken very seriously by the international community. It impacts the tourism sector negatively. 

“We ask you and request you that the communication of this country is harmonised. We know that we can communicate bad news in a way that casts the country in a positive light but we also know that we can communicate bad news in a way that kills the country further,” he said. 

International support
The marathon has received positive feedback from all the right places, according to Wekesa, further propping it up for success. Earlier this month, South Africa’s Comrade marathon featured the upcoming 2024 Tusker Lite Rwenzori Marathon in their newsletter, broadcasting the news to its massive following from across the world.

“In the Middle East alone, we have received commitment from 10 brand ambassadors from Nike, Adidas, Puma and others. These huge sports influencers have confirmed that they will attend our marathon this year,” Wekesa said.  

He added: “Many international journalists, including one from Telegraph in the UK, another one from The Times have also already committed to participate in, and covering the marathon this year. They are starting articles this month. All this is great marketing for the country for free.”  

Coming soon
The August 24, marathon will feature four categories – 42km, 21km, 10km, and five kilometres. Registration for this year’s marathon is now open, with early bird tickets available for East African citizens and residents at Shs50,000 and international runners at $50(Shs 190,000). 

Improvement

The first time the marathon first came to Kasese, the 800 runners who participated had to struggle through rugged, dusty, unpaved roads. The organisers approached government and presented the challenge of the bad roads.

By the time the marathon came for its second year, the government was in the process of paving the roads. Today, all the roads along the running track are paved.