Prime
What lies ahead for miss tourism winner
Some of the participants posing with a snake. Key among the activities at the boot camp is teaching participants some of the ways through which they can conserve wildlife as well as promote tourism in Uganda.
PHOTO By Edgar R. Batte
What you need to know:
Required. The winner will be expected to come up with projects that can lead to promotion of tourism, particularly in areas from where they originate.
Kampala: This year’s Miss Tourism Beauty Pageant winner will have to emulate Aisha Nagudi who set up a project in Mbale in support of tourism activities in her home district.
Nagudi emerged first runner-up in last year’s Miss Tourism Beauty Pageant.
Mbale in August witnessed a tourism milestone after government added Imbalu, a male circumcision tradition, on Uganda’s tourism calendar.
Consequently this year’s finalists have been camping at Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (Uwec) in Entebbe as a way of learning about wildlife and conservation.
Finalists from different regions, including, Busoga, Kigezi, Bunyoro, Buganda, Teso, among others, are being drilled as a way of preparing them to be informed ambassadors of Uganda’s tourism industry.
Tourism is one of Uganda’s leading foreign exchange earners, according data from Bank of Uganda.
Internal tourism
The Miss Tourism Beauty Pageant, now in its second year, is an initiative of the Ministry of Tourism, which seeks to popularise Uganda’s internal tourism.
“We wanted to blend with what we are as people in order to create tourism ambassadors. We basically want to promote domestic tourism because this is the cornerstone of the sector,” said Mr James Musinguzi, the Uwec executive director.
“All we want is to create awareness highlighting Uganda’s beauty,” he added in an interview with Daily Monitor.
The pageant, which will run on the theme, ‘Wonders of Uganda’ seeks to showcase Uganda’s tourism potential.
Contestants will also camp in different national parks acroos the country as a way of familiarising themselves with Uganda’s tourism features, according to Dr Andrew Sseguya the Uganda Wildlife Authority executive director.
According to Mr Musingguzi, contestants not only need to understand Uganda tourism features but must also participate in the promotion of the country’s tourism industry.
Ms Belinda Atim, the Uwec public relations officer, said the choice of the centre [Uwec] as a boot camp was delivered from the fact that it is one of Uganda’s major conservation organization.
Understanding the competition
“They come from different walks of life. Not everybody understands conservation issues or tourism. They didn’t really understand why they had entered the competition but now they understand that they have a role to play,” Ms Atim said.
Participants, now in the boot camp have been taken through an overview and contribution of conservation organisations in Uganda.
“If this country was a paradise back in 1908 and now we have conservation organisations, which means something somewhere went wrong.”
“We have seen issues of political unrest over the years and we have had population explosion. We are now about 37 million people and we are putting a lot of pressure on environment and resources are being depleted, so we have had need for conservation organisations,” Ms atim added.
Contestants have also been planting tree seedlings as a measure of environment conservation.
Some contestants have also shown interest in following up on laws that protect wildlife and environment in Uganda.
This accordingly would enhance the conservation of wildlife in the country.
“What we have been able to discuss and exchange with participants and we are already seeing the change in attitude,” Ms Atim said.
Participants engage in different activities at the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre in Entebbe. Key among the activities at the boot camp is teaching participants some of the ways through which they can conserve wildlife as well as promote tourism in Uganda. PHOTO By Edgar R. Batte
Previuos winner
Harriet Nakitto in 2013 emerged the winner, on a night that attracted high profile figures in the tourism industry and other sectors. The 22-year-old had not been the outright favourite during the trail over her reserved approach.
Objectives
Tool of promotion. Miss Tourism Pageant is a tool that government seeks to use to promote domestic and international tourism.
What is expected. Participants who wins the pageant becomes Uganda’s tourism ambassador encouraging locals and foreigners alike that there has never been a better time to tour the country.
Platform. The pageant is by far, the most extensive effort in promoting the nation’s tourism industry. It enables the country to reveal to the world its many beautiful facets and tourist attractions.
