President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has urged Ugandans to embrace tourism and other productive sectors as alternative sources of household income, saying the industry offers opportunities for communities and individuals across the country.
Museveni made the remarks on Sunday while presiding over national celebrations to mark World Tourism Day 2026 at Mbale Secondary School Grounds in Mbale City under the theme, “Digital Agenda and Artificial Intelligence to Redesign Tourism.”
The President described tourism as one of the lucrative service industries, particularly for households with limited land for commercial agriculture.
He said Uganda should position itself to benefit from the global tourism market and its wide economic multiplier effect, which supports activities ranging from accommodation and transport to food, entertainment, guiding and cultural enterprises.
Museveni contrasted the size of the global tourism industry with the coffee market, arguing that tourism creates opportunities across a much broader chain of economic activities.
The President also commissioned the Mbale Wildlife Conservation Education Centre, commonly known as Mbale Zoo, established by the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) to promote wildlife conservation education and tourism in the Elgon Sub-region.
He commended UWA for establishing the facility, saying it would raise awareness about wildlife conservation while adding another tourism attraction for residents and visitors.
Museveni urged residents of the Elgon Sub-region to utilise what he described as Uganda’s four broad wealth-creation sectors: commercial agriculture, manufacturing and artisanship, services, and Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
He said Uganda’s socioeconomic transformation depends on households participating in productive economic activities rather than relying solely on subsistence production.
The President also unveiled a Tourism Conservation Strategy for the Elgon Sub-region, focusing on protecting forests and wetlands from encroachment and degradation.
He warned that environmental destruction threatens tourism because forests, wetlands, wildlife habitats and other ecosystems form the foundation of many of Uganda’s natural attractions.
Museveni called for stronger conservation measures in the Elgon region, pointing to changes in weather and temperatures as evidence of the need to protect the environment.
He observed that temperatures in the region had changed significantly compared with conditions in the 1960s and called for greater utilisation of Uganda’s geographical advantages, including its latitude and altitude, while protecting the ecosystems that sustain them.
The President described wetland encroachers and people involved in deforestation as enemies of Uganda’s tourism development, warning that environmental degradation could undermine the country’s tourism potential.
He also reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to developing last-mile infrastructure to tourism sites in the Elgon Sub-region and across the country.
Museveni said Uganda had made progress in establishing the basic conditions necessary for tourism growth, including peace, security and road connectivity.
He said the next priority should be extending roads, electricity, water, communication networks and other essential services to tourism attractions to improve accessibility and unlock their economic potential.
Communities around tourism sites, he added, should be positioned to benefit from increased visitor numbers through enterprises and services along the tourism value chain.
Museveni proposes Bugisu Anthem for East African Federation
During the celebrations, Museveni proposed that the Bugisu Anthem be considered as a possible anthem for the proposed East African Federation if the region’s long-term political integration aspirations are realised.
He praised the anthem’s lyrics and melody, highlighting its cultural significance to the people of Bugisu.
Government embraces digital tourism
Minister of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities Col (Rtd) Tom Butime said the Government is increasingly embracing digital technologies and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to promote domestic and international tourism.
Butime said AI and other smart technologies could transform how Uganda markets and showcases tourism destinations while making information about attractions more accessible to visitors.
He said the 2026 World Tourism Day theme provides an opportunity for Uganda to examine how emerging technologies can improve the tourism experience through digital booking platforms, smart park gates and AI-supported safari planning.
The minister said adopting such technologies would improve efficiency, accessibility and the overall experience of tourists visiting Uganda.
Butime described Mbale and the wider Elgon Sub-region as areas with distinctive tourism products, including the Mount Elgon landscape, scenery, cuisine, cultural heritage and hospitality.
He said promoting local tourism products would encourage more Ugandans to explore the country’s natural, cultural and culinary heritage while creating employment and business opportunities.
However, Butime identified limited investment and access to capital for tourism facilities and services, as well as visa-related challenges affecting some international visitors, among the bottlenecks constraining growth in the region.
He said addressing the challenges, alongside improvements in tourism infrastructure, investment and accessibility, would be critical to unlocking the Elgon Sub-region’s tourism potential.
Netherlands highlights tourism investment opportunities
The Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Uganda, H.E. Angèle Samura, highlighted opportunities for increased tourism investment and cooperation between Uganda and European partners, particularly in the hospitality sector.
Samura said potential areas of cooperation include human-capital development and skills training, sustainable hospitality practices, and the adoption of AI and other digital technologies to improve tourism services and visitor experiences.
She said tourist arrivals from Europe increased from about 38,000 in 2024 to approximately 150,000 in 2025.
Samura described Uganda as a destination offering natural attractions, wildlife, wellness experiences, food and culinary culture, and diverse cultural products.
She said these attractions provide opportunities to attract more international visitors while strengthening collaboration between Ugandan and European tourism stakeholders.
She also called for continued improvements across Uganda’s tourism ecosystem to ensure that growing visitor numbers translate into greater benefits for communities and businesses.
Mbale City Mayor Joyce Matuka Kidulu said digital tourism could help position Mbale as a strategic tourism destination and gateway to East Africa from Uganda’s eastern region.
Kidulu said digital technologies can increase the visibility of tourism attractions, improve access to information and connect Mbale and the wider Bugisu region to domestic and international visitors.
She also highlighted proposed projects in the Bugisu Sub-region, including a Regional University of Science and Technology and a stadium, which she said could support regional growth and contribute to its tourism and economic potential.
The World Tourism Day celebrations brought together Government officials, tourism sector players, local leaders, cultural leaders, development partners and other stakeholders to showcase Uganda’s tourism potential and discuss ways of using technology, investment and innovation to grow the industry.