Is gov’t missing an opportunity to promote tourism through motorsport?

Over the weekend, the biggest motorsport event on the African Continent took place in Kenya, with the main activities in the scenic town of Naivasha. The WRC Safari Rally is a must-attend event for any adrenaline-seeking Petro head.

Among the motor sporting nations, Uganda is known for its love for the sport with some of the most exciting rally fans. In Africa, Uganda is ranked as the number one country with the biggest number of fans as well as the most engaging people. Every time there is a rally event, droves of fans descend on the location and leave an impression on the communities.

Kenya has a six-year deal to host the WRC Safari rally from 2021-2026. This rally features the world’s leading stage rally drivers who are household names to rally fans who always watch them on WRC Plus or read about their exploits in the media. So, having these drivers and those tier 1 rally cars in the neighbourhood was the best Easter gift to a rally fan.

Ugandan rally fans are proud of being Ugandan rally fans and make it a point of emphasizing that they are Ugandan. They will carry Ugandan flags, and Ugandan culture and remind everybody within the vicinity they are from Uganda talking about everything good about Uganda. A particular group of fans even had the Kenyan high commissioner flag them off, which was very welcome by the Kenyan High Commission staff who were happy to send off Ugandans to their country.

It’s estimated that between 4000-6000 rally fans crossed to Kenya in saloon cars, vans, SUVs, and buses for the Safari Rally. These fans carried all forms of branding about Uganda and were the loudest and most noticeable with Ugandan flags, singing Ugandan songs, serving Ugandan dishes, and inviting Kenyans and all to come and join and partake at the viewing points.

It’s also important to note that, the safari rally attracts fans from all over the East African region and this in itself is also friendly and brotherhood competition among fans to outshine each other, but the Ugandans will always come out on top because of how they carry themselves. They will even attempt to outshine the Kenyans on their soil.

Now these fans went to Kenya to have fun around the safari rally. What the world media saw and made mention was the hundreds of fans at the rally. Because the event was in Kenya, they will report the many fans but not necessarily the nationalities. But Ugandan Fans always try to give a colourful presence one way or the other.

However, these Ugandan fans indirectly carry and promote the Ugandan brand at zero cost to the government. Many Kenyans, Tanzanians, Americans Rwandese, and others that had a chance to hang around Ugandan groups have picked interest to come to Uganda as a destination they must visit to watch a rally event. They would like to experience Ugandans in Uganda at their local events and witness this happy fun-loving rally culture that Ugandan fans carry.

Now what if the government had designed a specific message through these fans, through some branding, and some support? These fans would ensure it featured on the rally programme one way or the other. They would be in the media leaving positive vibes.

What would it take to use these fans to promote specific images across borders? The rally world had eyes glued on safari over the weekend.  For some time, the idea of using motorsport as a tool to promote tourism has been muted but is yet to be exploited. Is the Government missing an opportunity to brand Uganda to the world through motorsport? What would it take to use these fans during local events to carry specific messages to the different areas rally takes place?

Engage with the governing body and fan groups and use motorsport as a vessel to promote tourism in Uganda, more over cheaply.  This is not to say the Government should fund fans to go watch rallies but use the fans as a national promotional tool. The consensus from the Kenyan organizers is that the Ugandan fans were very well-behaved and organized and thus an impressive lot. Now what if this they can do casually, how much more impact would they have if they were organized as a tool of promotion?

Food for thought