Pillar 2

Tourism, Culture and Heritage

Policy Shift

Reprioritise the development of tourism training, marketing and physical infrastructure in the sub-region

Intervention 7: Elevating Jinja Airfield to a Regional Airport

According to the Uganda Tourism Board (UTB), a total of 1.7 million tourists arrived in the country in 2018, with 54 per cent of them attracted to Kampala, followed by Jinja, at 2436 per cent. The Civil Aviation (CAA) Master Plan indicates that a total of 6.6 million visitors will be arriving in Uganda by 2033. CAA further notes that ‘each airport in Uganda impacts the overall operational capacity and efficiency of the country’s aviation system. Airports, as part of the national network support different types of aviation activities, mainly domestic traffic, tourism and cargo, but also ensure connectivity to all the territory’.37 Currently, the ‘country has one international airport that is too small to meet the growing international traffic, limited direct flights from key source markets, and lacks a national air career which would be used to market the country as a tourist destination’.

The Busoga Consortium is, therefore, planning for the elevation of Jinja airfield to a regional airport to support some level of scheduled commercial airline service in addition to a full range of general aviation services. It could also include international charter flights in light of its tourist numbers and significance to tourism. Jinja airport will also be an aviation training centre to strengthen the transformation of the country’s aviation and tourism expertise. As a regional airport, its facilities will have to be upgraded to ICAO reference code 3B in light of its position as a regional capital and strategic tourism destination.

The upgrade to a regional airport will involve:

Paving the current runway.
Construction of an apron that allows simultaneous parking of at least three aircraft of CRJ-200 models.
Construction of a terminal building so as to be able to offer an adequate level of service to the estimated passenger numbers projected in the long-term forecasts.
Materialisation of the proposed construction of a building to house the equipment and vehicles needed for rescue and firefighting services. According to the requirements established by ICAO, the aerodrome category for rescue and firefighting shall be 5.

The Busoga Consortium shall seek for a public-private partnership between CAA and the private sector to run the aviation training component at the Jinja regional airport. In addition, the Jinja regional airport will partner with the Busoga Tourism Initiative to establish and run a one-stop tourist information and service centre that profiles, markets and facilitates tourism in the region.

Intervention 8: Reconstructing, Modernising and Establishing a Tourist and Culture Heritage Centre in Jinja

As Jinja is host to 24 per cent of the country’s tourists, its road infrastructure requires upgrading to improve the mobility and security of tourists and the people of Busoga. We, therefore, seek to upgrade and transformation of Kiira Road (0.65 km), Nile Crescent Road (1.2 km) and Engineer Dhikusooka Way (1.4 km) into a ring road network for Jinja. The three roads are in close proximity to the Source of the Nile and have 75 per cent of the hotels that serve the town.

Two culture and heritage museums shall be constructed along these roads; one shall showcase Busoga’s cultural and heritage artefacts, history and traditions and the other shall showcase the history, traditions and contributions of Indians to the development of Busoga. This is critical as it will diversify the tourist products in the sub-region and directly provide employment to local people. In addition, historical monuments highlighting key individuals and their contributions to the development of Busoga as well as historical junctures and tourism potential shall be constructed along these roads.

Intervention 9: Busoga Tourism and Investment Expo

Building on Jinja’s tourism market and potential, the Busoga Consortium seeks to partner with the Central Government and the private sector to establish and run on an annual basis, the Busoga Tourism and Investment Expo. The week-long event will feature themed activities based on the tourism potential within the sub-region. The event shall be designed to annually attract in excess of 100,000 local and international visitors for a range of adventure, leisure and hospitality activities. The event shall be a platform for the sector to create awareness about tourism careers and prospects, whilst offering the youth and unemployed graduates an opportunity to interact with potential employ This ground-breaking initiative by the Busoga Consortium shall see a host of businesses, airlines, hotels and tour operators offering generous discounts during the week-long event.

This initiative underpins the strategy to give Ugandans and international visitors access, in a better way, to the breadth of the sub-region’s tourism potential including, inter alia:

Water sports such as swimming, sailing, surfing, kayaking, wakeboarding, stand-up paddling, and flat and white water rafting, among others.
Adventure sports such as ATV/quad bike safaris, mountain biking, bouldering, bungee jumping and slack lining, among others.
Birding. The area around the Nile River in Jinja has hundreds of bird species which can be sighted. The main bird species here include the giant kingfisher, green-backed heron, African open-billed stork, rock pratincole, falcon, fish eagle, great blue turaco, and African shoebill, among many others.
Boat cruising on the Source of the Nile.
Horseback safaris.
Faith tourism.
Promotion of tourism sites in Mayuge District, i.e. Bwisukila and Bukaleba sites, as well as Kaliro District, i.e. limestone etc.

Intervention 10: Developing the Sub-region’s Tourist Attractions

a) Declare and develop the Source of the Nile as a World Heritage Site

The Nile is an amazing natural endowment with unique features unlike any other water body in the world. From its source at Jinja, it is estimated to have a length of 4,132 miles (6,650 kilometres) to the Mediterranean Sea, making it the longest in the world. It draws its waters from over nine countries, including Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Sudan and Burundi, into Egypt. It has three principal tributaries (streams), including the Blue Nile, the Atbara and the While Nile. The Nile River is historically, socially and economically significant to the world and Africa in particular; its basin covers one-tenth of the area of the continent, with an estimated 300 million people relying on its waters for a variety of activities. The Nile Valley, as it was known in ancient Africa, is a historical landmark that symbolises the evolution of civilisation. Economically, the river’s waters enable all-year-round cultivation and mobility across countries and continents.

The Busoga Consortium, together with the Central Government, will engage UNESCO to declare the Source of the Nile a World Heritage Site in light of its geographical uniqueness as the world’s longest river; its historical significance as the mother of ancient civilisation; and the magnitude of humanity that depends on it for a livelihood. Declaring the Source of the Nile a World Heritage Site will not only symbolise its significance but, most importantly, attract investment to harness its overwhelming potential as a tourist destination.

In addition, the Busoga Consortium will work closely with the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities (MTWA) and UTB to develop the Source of the Nile into a modern tourist attraction built with relevant amenities such as restaurants, hotels etc.

b) Develop existing tourist attractions

In partnership with current undertakings such as the Busoga Tourism Initiative, the Busoga Consortium will establish and strengthen partnerships with Government and private sector players to popularise and develop existing tourist attractions such as the Kagulu Rock Climbing Challenge, and the Bishop Hannington Memorial Site in Kyando, Mayuge District. In addition, the potential for tourism on and around the water bodies will be explored and supported.