The Uganda Tourism Board (UTB), the government of Uganda’s destination marketing team, launched its new destination brand Explore Uganda, The Pearl of Africa on the 30th of March, 2022, as part of a tourism and media event held at the Sheraton Jumeriah Beach Resort in Dubai. Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) is the government of Uganda’s destination marketing organization. Because of the launch, which took place in the presence of Uganda’s Cabinet Minister for Tourism, the honorable Tom Butime, the United Arab Emirates became the first overseas market to witness the introduction of Uganda’s new and enhanced brand.
More than 90 important industry stakeholders, professionals, members of the media, and travel bloggers attended the lavish open-air evening event, which drew attendees from all across the United Arab Emirates and the Gulf Cooperation Council to learn more about the exciting destination of Uganda.
“Uganda is highly excited to launch our revitalized brand and travel offering to the world, and we are thrilled to do so here in Dubai, where the UAE and surrounding Gulf States are a priority tourism market for Uganda,” said the Minister for Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, the Honorable Tom R Butime, who was in attendance and led a delegation of tourism officials and key professionals from the Ugandan tourism industry. In the previous six months, we have built the required networks and products to guarantee that Uganda is positioned as a top vacation destination for tourists from the United Arab Emirates and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) seeking significant and distinctive once in a lifetime experiences.
Uganda Tourism Board Chief Executive Officer, Ms. Lilly Ajarova, stated that the new brand promise seeks to re-emphasize Uganda’s rare and precious range of tourism attractions that can all be found in one destination and is built on the pillars of sustainability, clarity, consistency, collaboration, and empowerment. “The new brand promise seeks to re-emphasize Uganda’s rare and precious range of tourism attractions that can all be found in one destination,” she said. To this aim, we are primarily interested in travellers rather than tourists who are prepared to discover Uganda depending on their own particular interests.”
Uganda is home to a diverse range of bucket list experiences that, when combined, cannot be found in any other country on the planet. These include safari experiences with the Big 5 (Elephant, Rhino, Buffalo, Lion, and Leopard), mountain gorilla trekking, chimpanzee trekking, river cruises at the source of the Nile River, and a plethora of action-adventure activities such as white-water rafting, bungee jumping, and mountaineering, to name a few examples.
Traditional dancing, Ugandan coffee tasting, a talk show discussion with Dubai residents who have visited Uganda in the past, and the announcement of three influential content creators who have been nominated as Uganda Goodwill Travel Ambassadors, and who will visit Uganda in the coming months to showcase the best that Uganda has to offer were all featured at the event, in addition to the launch of the new promotional video by Minister Butime.
It is possible to fly directly between Uganda and the United Arab Emirates via Ugandan Airlines, which operates four flights per week from Dubai. Other airlines, including Emirates, which operates five flights per week, flydubai, which operates daily flights from Dubai and Air Arabia, which operates twice daily flights from Sharjah, provide excellent direct flight connectivity between Uganda and the United Arab Emirates.
The Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) has been launching a number of partnerships and activations in the region, taking advantage of the wide variety of carriers and flight options available. The goal is to ensure that travelers from the United Arab Emirates and the Gulf have meaningful holiday experiences in the stunning Pearl of Africa. There have also been special holiday packages produced especially in time for Ramadan and the Eid Al Fitr holidays, as well as packages for the whole summer season.
