Uganda TOURISM
During the 1960s, revenue from tourism, including
restaurants, hotels, and related services, increased
faster than
any other sector of the economy. In 1971, the peak year
for
tourist receipts, more than 85,000 foreigners visited
Uganda,
making tourism the nation's third largest source of
foreign
exchange, after coffee and cotton. After 1972, however,
political
instability destroyed the tourist industry. Rebels damaged
and
looted hotels, decimated wildlife herds, and made many
national
park roads impassable. Part of the airport at Entebbe was
also
destroyed.
Recognizing the role tourism could play in economic
development, the government assigned high priority to
restoring
the tourism infrastructure in its RDP. To this end, the
government planned to rehabilitate hotels and promote
wildlife
management. In February 1988, ministry officials announced
a plan
to build four new hotels worth US$120 million as part of a
barter
trade agreement with Italy. The Italian company Viginter
agreed
to construct the 200-room hotels at Masaka, Fort Portal,
Jinja,
and Mbale. International tourist arrivals gradually
increased,
from about 32,000 in 1986 to more than 40,000 in each of
the next
two years. Tourism earned roughly US$4.2 million in 1988.
At the
same time, continuing unrest in the north halted
rehabilitation
efforts in Murchison (Kabalega) Falls and Kidepo national
parks,
and many tourist attractions awaited a reduced climate of
violence before maintenance and repairs could be improved.
Data as of December 1990
|