Ugandans must understand what they are selling to tourists 

Many times, when one goes job-hunting, they are normally shown around the  workplace, shown how things work as they strategise how to bring people to consume their services.
Tourism is like that too. You have the skills, you know what you are selling, and you can help someone decide to take it up.

Stephen Asiimwe, the chief executive officer of  Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU), said in tourism, one is selling five, if not more senses; smell, touch, sight, taste and hearing.
“If it is a tour and travel company and one is selling Murchison Falls as a tour destination, the person selling the idea must know much about this place to convince someone to actually go there. It should be more than Google can offer,” Asiimwe said.

As Association of Women in Tourism Trade (AUWOTT) elected new leaders recently, they tackled topics on maximising the potential of Uganda as one of the most interesting tourism destinations.
Asiimwe, who was the guest of honour at the election evening meeting, clarified benefits of knowing what one sells with firsthand experience.

Once on his sojourns, he made a pit stop to have a meal at a place which led him to a tour and travel company and he went ahead just to see what business and what services they offered. When he asked about the destination mentioned, the person that was supposed to entice him to go to the place neither had information about the place nor had he visited the place they were selling.

“For the simple reason that you are selling an experience, if you have the most beautiful country in the world, with 25per cent covered with water, beautiful mountains and people, the best food, great weather, and environment, you do not need three years to master that. This is because any other business might need to kick off and start realising profits,” Asiimwe said.

Optimise potential in tourism
Herbert Byaruhanga, the managing director and founder Bird Uganda Safaris Limited, said to optimise Uganda’s potential in tourism, the government must, in the planning stage, involve key players. For example, “they ought to involve the private sector businesses when drafting policies and other things that promote tourism so that everyone is on the same page.” 

If government is to launch the fourth phase national plan, it has to go back and review the third phase, review the failings and strengths, so that the next stage can run stronger.
Byaruhanga also believes creating marketing strategy as a country can go a long way in optimising Uganda tourism potential.

This, he says, can be done by prioritising flagship products, packages that can make unique experiences and give lasting memory.
“Involve travel journalists to publicise our country by writing their experiences of the places they have visited.  This can be done by taking them to different tour destinations and letting them write about such experiences. More people will read these articles and actually be interested in getting the same, if not better experiences,” Byaruhanga said.

What is killing tourism and what must be done? 
Byaruhanga believes, Uganda has generous negative publicity including from government agencies. 
“What we feed people out there is what they will think of Uganda. If we show that we do not like our own country, how will they love it?” he asked.

Feeling a sense of belonging and not always focusing on the negative can garner us more tourists.
He suggests that there is need for legislators that understand and appreciate tourism to draft laws that protect tourism. This creates a clear systematic structure that helps the country and different players to work together with a clear vision.

Boosting earnings in tourism 
Byaruhanga added that there is need to priotise flagship products to sell to potential buyers who can bring in good money.
“We can also integrate systems of skills to make sure the people we have can compete in the region in terms of service delivery with certificates to show for their skills,” he said. 
He also observed that most staff do not have competence certificates which denies confidence of showcasing what they do, especially in external markets to make sure they are paid good money.

“There is need to be more aggressive in marketing tourism products, and to do a lot of research so that before going into the market, one knows how, what and why they are selling and to whom,” he said.
Jacqueline Kemirembe, managing director Platinum Tours and Travel and the new chairperson of AUWOTT, said the mandate for the group is to bring all the women in tourism and hospitality industry together including employers, employees and students.

Since most women-led businesses took a major hit from Covid-19 pandemic due to many reasons, Kemirembe explained that the partnerships they have, which include glow and PSFU, will help women in finding financial support through grants and other services to better their trade in the tourism sector.