Explore West Tourism Campaign reach to Fort Portal

Explore West Tourism Campaign – A Success in Uganda’s Tourism Marketing

Hundreds of domestic tourists who embarked on a Five – days tourism excursion to Western Uganda in a campaign dubbed Explore West concluded the trail on Sunday 9th April evening.

The team that began the journey enroute to Western Uganda on Wednesday 5th April with an official flag off by State Minister for Tourism, Hon. Martin B. Mugarra at the Uganda Museum had stop overs at Equator and in Lukaya for demonstration of the Cariolis effect and engagement with the community respectively.

Aboard different vehicles, the team was also joined with social influencers such as Patrick Salvador, Madrat and Chiko, Moses Golola, Sheila Gashumba, Dance Mamweta, Miss Tourism Queens among others.

Day 1 saw tourists visiting Lake Mburo National Park and Kamihingo Agro Tourism Farm next to the Park in Nyabushozi County, Kiruhura District before heading for a Cultural Evening at Igongo Centre and later a night in Mbarara City.

Day 2 kicked off with a visit to Ankole’s Mugaba Palace where the Hon. Minister Martin Mugara saw off the trail to a tea testing experience at Ankole Tea estate, Kyambura george, Katunguru Bridge and later Queen Elizabeth National Park.

At Queen Elizabeth, tourists traveled to Mweya Peninsular through the Katunguru gate before a boat cruise at the Kazinga channel and evening game drives through the Park.

Day 2 was crowned with comedy meeting Tourism in a comedy Night special affair where comedians Salvado, Madrat and Chiko thrilled reveler tourists who had camped at the park for the night.

Day 3 kicked off with a visit to Katwe Salt Lake and flamingo viewing at Lake Munyanyange before heading to Kasese Town.

In Kasese, Explore West team visited the River bed and round Boulders at Kilembe mines and Nyamwamba Valley before a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) engagement with Bulembia Primary school where various scholastic materials were gifted to pupils.

Day 3 was crowned with a drive to Fort Portal city for the night, in anticipation for Day 4 where the trail met with the Tooro Kingdom officials for a tour at Omukama’s Palace in the early morning.

Here, the Minister met with the Kingdom Prime Minister Rt. Hon Stephen Kiyingi Amooti, Resident City commissioner Ms. Catherine Amokti and Fort Portal City legislator Alex Ruhunda, members of Fort Portal City Walkers organization and many other actors in the tourism industry of the Tourism City who jointly applauded the Explore West Campaign that shed more light on tourism destinations in their area.

While at Karuzika Fort Portal, Minister Mugarra hailed a group of young people who came together in their group ‘’Fort Portal City Walkers’’ and did vigorous tourism campaigns that resulted into creation of Fort Portal Tourism City status. He then called upon different actors to embrace tourism as a potential industry for economic growth in the region.

Fort Portal City walkers was born out of the initiative of a group of enthusiastic and patriotic young travelers with a particular passion for the development of the Uganda’s greatest tourism city of Fort Portal. United in the ideal of promoting local, national and regional tourism, Fort Portal City Walkers was created to share knowledge and passion for Tourism, Fitness and Fun with Fort Portal City natives and visitors from the rest of the world.

The team would later continue to Semuliki National Park in Bundibugyo district for an experience at the Sempaya Hot springs. The trail later moved to Nyakasura for a tour of “Amabeere ga Nyinamwiru” before a hiking challenge at Kyeganywa Hill.

Explore West tourism campaign came to an end on Sunday and according to Minister Mugarra, it’s not the end. “We are not ending with this Explore West. We shall be doing Explore Northern Uganda before June,” he said.

Explore West followed a successful Explore Elgon Campaign as part of the Bigger Explore Uganda Campaign aimed at increasing Domestic Tourism.

The Campaign aims at boosting and spotlighting new attractions in the country, according to Mr. Vivian Lyazi, Commissioner of Tourism, at the Ministry of Tourism, Wildfire and Antiquities.

Minister Mugarra asserts that even with limitations, the sector can be sustained if Ugandans embrace Domestic tourism.

“Covid 19 taught us that the only way we can have a resilient tourism sector going forward is to focus on the Domestic market and we are seeing the achievements. We have seen last year where our parks registered the biggest Visits and the Domestic tourists surpassed the foreign visitors,” he said.

For your tourism travel to Fort Portal Contact us at +256392156562 or send us an email at v2040rc@gmail.com

Published by Kitara Foundation for Regional Tourism

Kitara Foundation for Regional Tourism: We are the people of Kitara Foundation for Regional Tourism. Based in Fort Portal Tourism City (the tourism capital of Uganda), Kitara Foundation is aimed at strengthening coordination, promotion, and preservation of tourism ecosystem services relevant for job skills creation while ensuring continuous benefits of tourism to the local people of Kitara region and their economies. We also focus at strengthening community resilience, protecting nature & preserving the Cultural Heritage of the people of Kitara region (Keep Kitara green and black). The Kitara Foundation for Regional Tourism (herein after referred to as “the Foundation”) aims at coordinating different areas of Tourism within the Kitara region which comprises sub-regions of Tooro, Bunyoro, Ankole, Rwenzori and Kigezi. The establishment of the Foundation works to a regional cooperation among tourism actors, stakeholders and their communities. We are a social enterprise involved in regional Tourism Development aimed at improving community livelihoods, protecting nature & preserving cultural heritage. We do this by providing direct employment in our work, developing tourism products, regional tourism marketing and coordination of tourism industry in the region. The Foundation is responsible for furthering tourism coordination between Fort Portal Tourism City and all the districts of Kitara region namely; Kabarole, Kyenjojo, Kyegegwa, Kagadi, Kibale, Hoima, Bulisa, Masindi, Ntoroko, Bundibugyo, Bunyangabu, Kasese, Kamwenge, Ibanda, Mbarara, Mbarara city, Buhweju, Kazo, Kiruhura, Mbarara, Isingiro, Rwampala, Ntungamo, Kabale, Rukiga, Kisoro, Kanungu, Rukungiri, Mitooma, Shema, Bushenyi and Rubirizi. Our Vision: A Sustainable Competitive Tourism and hospitality Industry in Western Uganda (the Kitara Region). Our Goal: The leading Facilitator of Tourism and hospitality development, well equipped for a tourism transforming mission in the Kitara Region (Western Uganda). Our Mission: To Contribute to the transformation of the Tourism and hospitality industry in Western Uganda through Networking, marketing, building linkages and community participation in the regional Tourism and hospitality development industry. We are true citizens of Kitara region, our organization is locally owned, we hire and develop local talent. We aim at investing in local growth, the well-being of our people and the health of the local economy. Citizenship begins at home. We integrate both conventional and community tourism (Call it Development Tourism) in our work in order to maximize the benefits to the local population Tourism development is therefore at the core of our operations. We focus on rural areas affected most by decline in the capacity of agriculture. Degeneration of the countryside is prevented and cultural heritage preserved by raising supplementary family income through tourism. We focus on identifying potential tourism destinations and activities, building community capacity through education and creating demand through marketing and packaging. Our strength is in sharing information and full participation. We stand for a meaningful experience by spending time with the community. Discover the countryside in this region during nature walks, community visits and mountain hiking. Share daily life with the community by spending a day or night in a traditional homestead. Kitara Tourism Centers Kitara Foundation Kitara Region with best Tourism destinations Tourism in Kitara Region Tourism in Western Uganda with Kitara Foundation Tourism in Uganda with Kitara Foundation Tourism in East Africa with Kitara Foundation Tourism and Hospitality at Kitara Foundation Hospitality at Kitara Foundation The Kitara people and their life styles The Kitara Nature destinations Best Tourism Destinations with Kitara Foundation Community Tourism with Kitara Foundation