TOURISM: Are the firms hired to boost sector delivering results? Kampala, Uganda | JULIUS BUSINGE | Godfrey Kiwanda is a Ugandan politician, junior minister for tourism and speaks passionately about Uganda’s tourism sector. On January 16, he told The Independent that he is among the government officials spearheading the government’s …
Read More »MPs task Gov’t to support Quiin Abenakyo’s Girl Child Project
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Parliament has asked the government to support projects that Miss Uganda Quiin Abenakyo is involved in. Abenakyo, who was crowned Miss World Africa at the Miss World Finale, in the southern tropical Chinese province of Hainan, last month, has embarked on an aggressive campaign …
Read More »Japan starts $9 departure tax for travellers
Tokyo, Japan | AFP | Japan on Monday started levying a 1,000 yen ($9.22) departure tax on each person leaving the country, a measure aimed at raising funds to further boost tourism. The International Tourist Tax will cover everyone regardless of nationality — from business people to holidaymakers older than …
Read More »Beyonce helps Paris Louvre attract record visitor numbers
Paris, France | AFP | The world’s most popular museum, the Paris Louvre, received over 10 million visitors in 2018, a record which it partly attributed Thursday to a Beyonce video shot against the backdrop of the Mona Lisa and other famous works. Some 10.2 million people visited the museum last …
Read More »UTB moves to fight escalating tourism crime
Kampala, Uganda | JULIUS BUSINGE | The Chief Executive Officer of Uganda Tourism Board, Stephen Asiimwe is engaging all key players in the tourism sector on possible ways to combat tourism crime as the country eyes more earnings from the sector. “We need to be together in this discussion to deal …
Read More »Miss Uganda to meet President Museveni
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Ministry of Tourism is planning a big welcome for miss Uganda Quinn Abenakyo, who returns Wednesday after a stunning performance that saw finish in the top five at the 68th Miss World contest in China. Abenakyo emerged 2nd runner up in a global contest …
Read More »Uganda named as top destination to visit in 2019
Kampala, Uganda | JULIUS BUSINGE | Fodor’s Travel, the internationally-recognized guidebook publisher and travel authority has featured Uganda on its annual Go List as one of the 52 destinations to visit in 2019, according to a press statement issued by Uganda Tourism Board on Dec.10. The Fodor’s website is published out …
Read More »Coffee and tourism key to our growth agenda – Rugunda
Kampala, Uganda | JULIUS BUSINGE | Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda is optimistic that the synergy between the tourism and coffee sub-sectors will be instrumental to getting Uganda’s economy to middle income status. Rugunda was speaking as Chief Guest at the first annual Coffee and Tourism Symposium and Exposition at Golden Tulip …
Read More »Uganda tourist body estimates 1.7 million arrivals in 2018
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) is optimistic that foreign visitors to the country may hit the 1.7 million mark in 2018. This will be up from the 1.3 million foreign arrivals in 2017. According to UTB’s chief executive Stephen Asiimwe, the preliminary figures gleaned …
Read More »British couple get happy ending to engagement ring disaster in US
New York, United States | AFP | For many visitors to New York, Times Square is a must-see. For one British man, it was where his romantic marriage proposal went horribly wrong — the diamond ring fell through a grate. But don’t worry, thanks to the power of the internet, …
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