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Govt to exploit Buhweju’s tourism potential
Kijonjo Falls is one of the major tourist attractions in Buhweju District. ZADOCK AMANYISA
What you need to know:
- The communities seek to establish their area as one of the best tourism and travel destinations.
The Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities has started plans “to exploit and harness the possible tourism potentials in the Southwestern Buhweju district.”
"I had a discussion with the Buhweju West Member of Parliament (MP), Ephraim Biraaro, about the matter and we agreed to visit the area with the ministry's technical team to assess the area tourism potentiality," tourism minister Mr Tom Butime said in a February 13 letter written to Parliament speaker Ms Anita Among.
The tourism ministry public relations officer, Mrs Eunice Kansiime Tworekirwe also confirmed the move.
"The Tourism development department, which is responsible for that has been approached by an NGO. We are going to highlight and pinpoint for the tourism product mapping where these places are- so that they can map and see the essence of tourism product before marketing it," she said.
Mrs Kansiime added that the area is going gain exposure and have other tourism products like agro-tourism and eco-tourism while also helping communities.
"Here, we have inclusiveness and on the part of the locals, that's gained extra way of making money. This means that tourism is not one sided because visitors go beyond paying for the service to buy items like coffee and that's good for locals," she explained.
Buhweju is endowed with a rich diversity in form of historical sites, natural beauty yet the population and government have not exploited these products. The district is made up of gently sloping hills, rocky topography and lightly rolling valleys with minor vertical cliffs.
The communities seek to establish their area as one of the best tourism and travel destinations.
Center for Integrated Community Development, a local NGO, is preparing to launch Buhweju eco-tourism and cultural initiative, an arrangement that intends to intermingle community agro-tourism and eco-tourism products in the area in a fete scheduled for March 2022, according to the programs officer Mr Jonah Nduhuura.
Mrs Alison Ayetoraniire Byamukama, the Center for Integrated Community Development board member observed that it's now the role of leaders to advocate and market the products to the rest of the world.
"The district is well-known for tea growing. There’s also potential including the magnificent hills covered with tea," said Mr Ronald Rwankangi, a prominent tea farmer in the district.
