Uganda’s tourism sector achieved record earnings in 2025, with revenue hitting approximately Shs 6.1 trillion ($1.7 billion), up from $1.28 billion in 2024. International tourist arrivals increased to 1.65 million, driven by improved infrastructure, safety, and marketing. The sector now contributes 5.9% to GDP and supports over 876,000 jobs.
However the country is working toward achieving 2.3 million international arrivals by 2030, according to the National Tourism Policy.
According to officals from Ministry of Tourism,government is strengthening regional tourism circuits to diversify offerings beyond traditional wildlife safaris.
Uganda government is also working closely with its foreign missions, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) under the new national marketing strategy.
Government allocated Shs 430 billion for direct tourism investment in the 2025/26 financial year to maintain momentum.
Uganda is sharpening its tourism strategy, aligning diplomacy, market engagement and on-the-ground experiences to strengthen visitor flows from key international markets ahead of the 2026 Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo (POATE).
This month delegations from Turkey, Egypt, China, and Canada, consisting mainly of tour operators, have been hosted on familiarisation trips across the country. While such visits are not new, their timing and coordination reflect a clearer focus: reinforcing Uganda’s positioning and converting interest into actual travel.
The move focuses on quality by sustaining demand, strengthening perception and increasing visitor value. In line with that Uganda Tourism Board is increasingly leveraging diplomatic channels as a deliberate strategy to drive tourism growth, working through foreign missions and government partnerships to increase visibility and strengthen engagement in key markets.
The Ministry of Tourism data shows continued growth in long-haul markets, including a 19% increase in interest from Canada, alongside steady demand from regional and international segments.
In a comment Juliana Kagwa, CEO of the Uganda Tourism Board, says the approach is about making engagement count. “Familiarisation trips have always been part of how destinations build visibility, but we are now aligning them more closely with our priority markets and platforms like POATE,” she said.
“By the time our partners arrive, they already understand the destination, which allows us to move faster from conversations to actual business.”she stressed.
Turning the aniticpated POATE Expo,She said “POATE is a key marketplace. Our focus is to ensure we bring in the right buyers and position Uganda competitively so that real deals can happen.”
The Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo (POATE), organized by Uganda Tourism Board is an annual premier travel trade show held to position Uganda as a top sustainable, eco-friendly destination. Its purpose is to boost the tourism sector by connecting local operators with international buyers, promoting tourism investment, and accelerating sector growth, ultimately increasing tourism revenue.
POATE Brings together tourism actors—such as hotels, tour operators, and travel agents—for Business-to-Business (B2B) and Business-to-Consumer (B2C) networking to sign new deals.
The event Showcases Uganda’s unique tourism attractions to global markets to enhance the country’s visibility, particularly emphasizing sustainable, inclusive, and community-led tourism.
It also features seminars and panels for stakeholders to share industry insights, innovation, and knowledge.
Tourism remains one of Uganda’s leading foreign exchange earners, supporting a wide value chain across hospitality, transport, agriculture and the creative economy.
