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Washington, US | THE INDEPENDENT | In the efforts to position Uganda as a premier travel destination for American tourists, the Ugandan Embassy in Washington D.C. has hosted a delegation of prominent U.S.-based tour agents for a week-long tailored tour across Uganda. The initiative, led by Uganda’s Ambassador to the United States, Robinah Kakonge, is a renewed diplomatic push to attract tourism and investment through high-level market engagement.
The six-woman delegation, composed of influential American travel planners and tourism consultants, was welcomed with a networking dinner, hosted by Ambassador Kakonge in a strategizing meeting attended by key players in Uganda’s tourism sector. This marked the beginning of the beginning of the strategic familiarization trip designed to bridge the gap between Uganda’s untapped tourism offerings and the large, relatively uninformed U.S. travel market.
“This moment represents more than hospitality, it’s a bridge to economic and cultural partnerships that can reshape opportunities for Ugandans across several sectors,” said Kakonge. “We are ready to showcase Uganda’s vibrancy, potential, and talent.”
The embassy-led initiative is part of a broader diplomatic and economic strategy funded by Uganda’s Economic and Commercial Development (ECD) Fund. This empowers diplomatic missions to proactively attract trade, tourism, and investment opportunities in key sectors including agriculture, minerals, and innovation.
By targeting American travel agents, is to generate high-level leads for group tourism, luxury safaris, and cultural experiences—segments with rising demand in the U.S. outbound travel market. “Uganda’s global visibility in the tourism space has long suffered from limited marketing resources and narrow access to premium tourism networks,” said Julie Kaggwa, the Uganda Tourism Board CEO. “This initiative seeks to break that cycle by bringing the buyers here, letting them experience the product directly.”
During their stay, the tour agents will embark on a countrywide experience that includes visits to national parks, cultural heritage sites, and innovation hubs. The itinerary blends adventure and conservation-focused activities with immersion in community-based tourism projects, positioning Uganda as both an ecotourism and socioeconomic development model.
Local private sector actors, tourism entrepreneurs, and government officials are collaborating closely with the embassy to ensure the visit results in long-term linkages and visibility in U.S. markets. “This trip is not just about scenery; it’s about forming relationships and creating business pipelines,” said one of the visiting agents. “Many Americans are seeking authentic, meaningful travel. Uganda has what they’re looking for, they just need to hear about it.”
Tourism is one of Uganda’s top foreign exchange earners, contributing an estimated 7.7% to GDP and employing over 667,000 people prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, international arrivals have only slowly rebounded, and tourism earnings, are slowly rising to the pre-pandemic levels. The need for diversification of source markets has become urgent.
The United States is among Uganda’s top five non-African tourist sources, but its full potential remains largely untapped due to inadequate promotion and weak air connectivity. Initiatives like this familiarization tour aim to correct that by cultivating tourism ambassadors who can package and promote Uganda to discerning American travelers.
“We’ve long relied on European and regional tourists,” said Vivian Lyazi, the commissioner for tourism development in the Ministry of Tourism. “But the American market, especially for premium, experience-based travel, is growing fast, and we need to be proactive about it.”
The visit also reflects Uganda’s evolving diplomatic playbook, one that increasingly leverages embassies as frontline agencies for economic growth. The ECD Fund, which backs this and similar initiatives, was designed to transform diplomatic missions into centers of opportunity generation across sectors like tourism, mining, ICT, and agriculture.
This trip forms part of the embassy’s broader tech-diplomacy and commercial diplomacy agenda, one focused not just on traditional representation but on deal-making, branding, and cross-sectoral exchange. “The embassy in Washington is repositioning itself as a node for commercial outreach,” said the ambassador. “And tourism is a natural entry point; it’s emotional, visible, and has the power to pull in investments across other sectors.”
Beyond economic gains, the familiarization tour is also designed to build soft power, fostering cultural exchange and deeper understanding between Uganda and the United States. Delegates will be exposed to Uganda’s music, food, traditional crafts, and historical sites, which play a key role in shaping Uganda’s national identity and storytelling abroad.
As Uganda prepares to host more international events and investors, tourism is expected to serve as both a driver and a reflection of national progress. The embassy’s latest efforts reaffirm that diplomacy, when fused with local collaboration and strategic vision, can help unlock Uganda’s full tourism potential on the global stage.
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