The much-anticipated “Explore Elgon” domestic tourism campaign intends to highlight the beauty and hidden treasures of the country’s prized tourism sites and attractions strewn around the Eastern region including Mt. Elgon National Park, Sipi Falls, and Wanale Hill as possible tourist destinations.
Martin Mugarra, the State Minister for Tourism, Wildlife, and Antiquities, is optimistic that the Explore Elgon campaign will promote and boost regional tourism in Eastern Uganda.
The tour seeks to not only tap into the domestic and international tourist markets but rather emphasises creating awareness of the cultures deeply rooted in both the Bagisu and Sabiny, including culinary, traditional ways of life, dress and appearance, languages, farming, circumcision festivities, and historical tales, among a variety.
In an interview, Mugarra stated that, “This drive aims to bring to the spotlight the best of eastern Uganda’s tourist attractions, beautiful sights and sounds, waterfalls, nature among others.”
He added: “With the Elgon serving as the heart of the region’s numerous attractions. Starting with the Imbalu cultural immersions and the Elgon natural attractions, we want all Ugandans to travel and experience the delights of the East.”
According to Mugarra, the campaign also serves as the launchpad for the newly refreshed new destination brand Explore Uganda, the Pearl of Africa domestic rollout.
He says that this also Uganda’s defining image and selling point as a top holiday destination, “we all wish to be proud of, promote, and urge the world to visit our motherland, Uganda’’.
Mugarra noted that he believes that as a result of this huge effort that is exposing the hidden treasures of Eastern Uganda to the world platform, visitor arrivals in the area will increase all year long beginning this December.
The Explore Elgon domestic tourism campaign to serve the Eastern Uganda route for three days seeks to engage local communities in these attractive areas and communicate a message of conservation and development.
Part of the synergies are aimed at promoting safety and cleanliness as important attributes of alluring destinations, as well as, more importantly, empowering communities socially and economically through tourism.
The campaign aims to reinvent tourism, which includes, among other things, the provision of new touristic experiences that the world needs to see but has long been hidden, by motivating and communicating to the world that Uganda is abundantly rich in culture, nature, and, most importantly, people. This will change the narrative that tourism is only associated with wildlife safaris.
The Explore Elgon campaign will be championed by the Hon. Martin Mugarra, the State Minister for Tourism, Wildlife, and Antiquities, and will feature lead influencers such as the iconic Queen Sheebah, comedians Madrat and Chiko, radio and TV personality Lynda Ddane, kick boxer Golola Moses, DJ Slick Stuart and Roger, gold medalist Joshua Cheptegei, and Miss Tourism Nabulya Sydney Kavuma, among several others.
Prior to the pandemic, Uganda’s tourism industry was growing at robust, contributing 7.7% of GDP in FY2018–2019 and being the top foreign exchange earner for the previous five years.
In addition to collectively protecting and conserving the country’s abundant natural resources, the sector employed over 677,000 young people.
The Elgon region provides the best opportunities for travellers to see one of Uganda’s best altitudes in the world thanks to its abundance of breathtaking big caldera landscape, heart-pounding Sipi Falls, and breath-taking Wanale Hill.
In Mt. Elgon National Park, there are more than 300 different bird species, including the Tacazze sunbird, Black-collared Apalis, Kite, and Jackson’s Francolin among others.
Rock and tree hyraxes, blue monkeys, defassa waterbuck, oribi, bushbuck, duiker, forest hogs, leopards, civets, serval cats, spotted hyenas, and other rodents are just a few of the animals that live in the area.
Mt. Elgon is home to two popular tribes in Eastern Uganda: the Bagisu and the Sabiny, who co-exist in the mists of Eastern Uganda.
Mt. Elgon measures an elevation of 4,321 m (14,177 ft.) and is ranked 17th on the African continent, with its highest peak known as Wagagai.
