Kasese residents tipped to tap tourism opportunities

The need for a fundamental shift in mindset among Ugandan citizens took center stage at this year's Tourism, Trade, and Investment Summit.

The event themed "Accelerating Sustainable Tourism Investments in a Competitive and Globalized Market: Enhancing Destination Kasese with a Memorable Rwenzori Experience," unfolded at the Rwenzori International Hotel in Kasese Town on Friday.

Organized by the Kasese Tourism Investors Forum, the Rwenzori Theluji Festival is an annual event aimed at showcasing the untapped tourism potential of the district.

James Kim, president of the International Youth Fellowship, opened the summit by emphasizing Uganda's substantial tourism potential, which, if harnessed effectively, could catapult Uganda into becoming a first-class nation.

"But many people who are not willing to work are always full of excuses and apportioning blame. They blame the leaders, government and their parents; actually, they blame everybody else except themselves. Incidentally, such people have finished more than twenty years, and all they are doing is complaining. That is an attitude that we must change," Kim submitted.

He emphasized Uganda's rich natural endowment, which offers a wealth of opportunities for rapid socio-economic transformation.

"In South Korea, there was seemingly no hope after the 1950-1953 war between North and South Korea. However, they developed a passion to conquer poverty; they did not wait on anybody but instead, they started working. Can you imagine South Korea is among the top three exporters of coffee, yet there is no coffee tree? How about you people who plant coffee, how much coffee would you export if you became serious with this sector?" Kim questioned.

Amos Wekesa, a tourism enthusiast and Chief Executive Officer of Great Lakes Safaris, urged attendees to shift their focus away from politics, which doesn't directly contribute to financial well-being.

"We need to turn Kasese into a model tourism town. I am happy that the people of Kasese are beginning to wake up. We should be inspired by New York City, which makes most of its money from tourism. Can you imagine making around $81b from tourism, which is twice our GDP?" Wekesa observed.

Rev Eng Fataki Gabriel, the Chairperson of the National Organizing Committee of the Rwenzori Theluji Festival, concurred with Kim and Wekesa on mindset change.

"Kasese is a sleeping tourism giant that needs to be awakened. The Rwenzori Mountain is the most technical mountain, and we should work towards attracting at least 10,000 hikers annually. Five of the seven tallest points in Africa are on the Rwenzori. The tourism value chain touches the life of everybody, and therefore we need to change our mindset towards that," Fataki said.

Mr Godfrey Baluku Kabbyanga, the state minister for ICT and National Guidance, said the government is actively creating an enabling environment for the tourism sector to thrive in Uganda.

"When coming to Kasese, whichever route you use, you’ll drive on the tarmac, whether you use Mbarara or Fort Portal. We have also ensured security is tight so that our visitors are safe. The government has played its role; the rest is for you, the investors," he said.