Tourism, aviation, hospitality, the victims of travel advisories

Kampala, Uganda | URN | The hospitality industry is counting losses due restrictions impossed following the outbeak of the Bundibugyo Ebola strain in the DRC.

The players in the sector blame the losses on  misinformation and the ill-advised travel advisories.

For Uganda, for example, most of the tourists come from the US, Canada and Europe, countries and regional which have announced a wide range of restrictions to travelers.

These have seen prospective travelers to Uganda cancel their trips, either out of fear, airline flight cancellations or inhibitive measures like quarantines, among others. Jean Byamugisha, the Chief Executive Officer at Uganda Hotel Owners Association says the restrictions are uncalled-for.

She wondered why Uganda out of all the countries neighbouring the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been subjected to all levelsof travel advisories.

The travel advisories saw airlines like KLM, a major operator at Entebbe, suspend flights following a decline in travel demand, though it did not see Uganda as a risky area to travel to.

KLM, like counterparts including Brussels and Emirates, also faced operational challenges especially regarding crew members, as the destination countries demand that any person who has traveled from Uganda or DRC is quarantined for 21 days first, just like the passengers.

In other countries, like the US, passengers are rerouted to specific airports for isolation and quarantine before being allowed to travel to their planned cities, making it very expensive and lengthy.

Byamugisha says, this has resulted in cancellations, but also refunds of booking moneys.

She explained that the situation been worsened by the need to refund monies deposited by visitors who were intending to travel.

As of June 9, 2026, the DRC accounts for 626 confirmed cases and 112 deaths, with Ituri Province remaining the epicentre of the outbreak, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control.

Uganda had reported 19 confirmed cases and two deaths, with no new cases or deaths reported in the previous 24 hours.

Byamugisha says that as of June 10, there are signs of stability in the tourism, aviation and accommodation because of the efforts by the Uganda Media Centre to make communication better and lea alarming, but that a return to normal figures will take long.

The sector has held consultations with the Ministry of Health, the Africa CDC and other stakeholders on how to handle the outbreak without hurting the wider economy, with the major focus of the hoteliers being communication, she says.

Several tour operators are reporting booking reservations being cancelled and are being forced to pay millions of shillings in refunds to the previously confirmed visitors.

The Uganda Tourism Board has also maintained official reassurance mainly to the tourist world and the international community that the country remains open for tourism, business, and investment despite limited Ebola cases, explaining that the cases are linked to cross-border movement from the DRC.

It however urges standard hygiene practices like handwashing and confirms all tourism establishments are fully operational.

“We would like to reiterate that all tourism establishments remain fully operational and safe for visitors. Travellers and tourism practitioners will continue to observe standard health and hygiene practices that include regular handwashing, using hand sanitisers and adhere to any health guidance issued by the Ministry of health,” says Juliana Kagwa, Chief Executive Officer, UTB.

Renown tourism industry player, Amos Wekesa, who has been touring the Eastern and Southern African region promoting the Rwenzori Marathon project expressed worry at the low passenger numbers to and from Uganda.

This he says indicates how the Ebola talk has affected travel and tourism. According to him, his first journey was June 5 from Entebbe to Kigali but that the plane was almost empty plane, similarly as he flew back the following day, despite this being a peak season for the industry.

“I sat a crane cafeteria at Entebbe airport on the 5th of June with my son and was excited to see three other people join us,” he says, adding that meanwhile, Tanzania, which has several international airports unlike Uganda with one, the airports were all teaming with people – characteristic of the season, yet the country also borders DRC.

While in Uganda, concerts are being cancelled, it is different in Rwanda, which has just hosted UB40, a popular UK Reggae band, an event also attended by international fans including Ugandans.

He says Uganda should better improve on how to handle information about outbreaks. Entebbe International Airport has seen limited but noticeable disruptions to flight operations and passenger traffic due to the ongoing outbreak.

The Uganda Civil Aviation Authority is still compiling the figures for the month of July, which are likely to be affected especially out of the advisories which were issued in May.

It advises passengers and crew members traveling through Entebbe to comply with all health screening procedures, including completing the required Passenger Locator Form and observing hygiene protocols.

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) says the international air services remain safe, with no cause for cancellation or suspensions of flights.

However, it urges governments and aviation stakeholders to adhere strictly to World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations to mitigate any risk related to the current Ebola outbreak.

The outbreak has also affected Uganda’s Meeting, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) industry, with many international and local events called off, suspended or relocated.

The popular Uganda Martyrs’ Day Celebrations, which attracts tens of thousands of local and foreign visitors on June 3 every year was suspended with no alternative definite date.

The FIBA Africa U-18 Zone Five Qualifiers, a regional basketball tournament that was scheduled to take place in Hoima, has been moved to Egypt over disease transmission concerns.

The  International Day of Cooperatives (Coops Day), which was due to be hosted by the Uganda Cooperative Alliance (UCA), has been suspended alongside other national gatherings and celebrations, until further notice, following guidance from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives.

The Ministry of Health suspended non-structured public activities deemed high-risk in Kampala and high-risk border districts.

This includes music concerts, entertainment shows, marathons, and cultural festivals, forcing popular artists like Kenneth Mugabi to suspend their concerts.

The Uganda National Bureau of Standards was due to host the 32nd Africa Organisation for Standardisation General Assembly from June 15 to 19 this month.

The event has been postponed, with management saying “new dates and further details will be communicated in due course”.