Uganda’s Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo to boost arrivals

Uganda on Wednesday unveiled a four-day tourism expo with the aim of boosting tourists arrivals following two years of stagnation due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dubbed the Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo (POATE), the event is running under the theme — “Explore Uganda the Pearl of Africa,” and has attracted sector players from Asia, Europe, the United States and the African continent.

While opening the expo on Wednesday, Tourism Minister Tom Butime said the government was not satisfied with the number of visitors who came to tour Uganda last year.

He said at least 1.5 million tourists came to Uganda for mostly business and leisure tourism, adding that “the country can still attract more visitors. We are aiming at doubling the number in the next few years.”

“This expo is one of the measures the government is taking to ensure that more visitors come to enjoy our different tourism packages,”