Koko Tours

27/11/2021

PS Tourism Ministry Applauds Domestic Tourism Supporters

The Permanent Secretary Ministry of Tourism, Wild Life and Antiquities Doreen Katusiime has applauded local individuals and companies that have took it upon themselves to support local tourism amid decline in the numbers of foreign tourists due to the COVID 19 pandemic.
Uganda has had a heavy dependence on international tourists for the promotion of her industry. A report by Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS 2019) estimates that the country received 1.8 million international tourists in 2018 which was up from 1.4 million in the year 2017 with a very meagre percentage of domestic travellers.
Most of the marketing campaigns target foreign travellers at the expense of domestic tourism promotion. The implication of this high level of dependence on foreign arrivals is that there is an imminent loss of revenue and livelihoods in the face of global uncertainty because of COVID-19.
Katusiime was speaking at the relaunch of the Breath taking Uganda domestic tourism campaign in Kampala recently where she said such initiatives by the domestic tourism supporters gives hope that the tourism sector can thrive if such initiatives are supported.
“I have interacted with the team from Breath taking Uganda and have learnt a lot from each other, as government and a ministry we shall do what we can especially regarding Uganda’s tourism visibility and as an individual I will encourage my friends and families to take up such trips that are organized domestically,” she said.
She also urged the local tourists to always use the available means such as smartphones and cameras to take and share their experiences so that foreigners can easily be attracted to visit Uganda and help grow the country’s tourism sector.
Isaiah Rwanyekiro the CEO Breath taking Uganda a local company that specializes in promoting local tourism said Ugandans are by nature tourism loving people but have for a long time been hindered by lack of enough knowledge about the sector.
“This is one of the reasons that we have decided to organize domestic trips at low cost to help many Ugandans tour and know their country better. We charge 600,000 shillings per person and after the Murchison Falls trip we are now heading to Kidepo from the 1-3 October and I encourage everybody to get on board and learn more about their country,” he noted.
Breath taking Uganda has designed a time table for the places to visit in quest to promote local tourism in including Christmas in the wilderness where local tourists will have a chance to have chrismas away from home. Among the areas people will have a chance to visit include Queen Elizabeth National Park, Jinja source of the Nile among others.

27/11/2021

NEW NISSAN NAVARA OFFERS SAFETY AND COMFORT

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. is an automobile manufacturer that does not rush into releasing new models for their products but once they do, they make sure that the new product has unique qualities to ensure customer satisfaction.
This week, Motor Care Uganda the distributors of Nissan products in Uganda launched the new Nissan Navara pick up that was specifically manufactured to ensure safety for both its occupants and other road users on top of providing great comfort to its occupants.

20/08/2019

Why people were mascered in Nile mansions during the reign of Obote 2 in Uganda.

08/07/2017

we batwa welcome you

27/09/2016

Tourism day celebrations to focus on people with disability

To mark this year’s world Tourism Day Celebrations, the government has decided to focus on people with disability to show that every person should access tourism irrespective of their physical ability.
Ms Emma Nahayo Mugizi the public relations officer Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities says this year’s day is celebrated at Kakyeka stadium in Mbarara district under the theme: Tourism for promoting Universal accessibility. This includes people with disabilities.
There will be activities such as a marathon that will help raise funds to construct a school for people with disability in Mbarara.
She says the country has celebrated this day since its inception with awareness of the great importance that tourism has towards Uganda’s national development.
In recent years the number of people that have opportunity of enjoying vacation has greatly increased.
“According to the recent statistics from the 2015 of the World Tourism Organisation, there were 1,184 billion arrivals of international tourists in the world a number which is projected to reach two billion by 2030,” Ms Nahayo adds.
She says because of its importance tourism is not only an opportunity but a right of every person that should not be limited to certain social classes or specific geographic areas.
This is why the government is trying to promote tourism among people with disability and inform them of their right to tour all the available tourism opportunities in the country.
World Tourism Day celebrated every year on 27 September, is a global observance to highlight tourism’s social, cultural, political and economic value.
The tourism sector is recognized in the National Development Plan 11 and Vision 2040 as one of the fastest growing service sector of the economy and a major foreign exchange earner.

27/09/2016

Tourism instrumental for economic development
Over the years tourism is increasingly becoming instrumental in socio economic development of the country. With careful planning and commitment of resources, the tourism sector has a potential to greatly contribute to the strengthening of the fundamentals of the economy to enable the country harness her abundant opportunities.
Although the sector is recognized in the National Development Plan 11 and Vision 2040 as one of the fastest growing service sector of the economy and a major foreign exchange earner, there has been limited strategic planning and investment and inadequate mainstreaming of tourism in all government activities to boost the sector. This is in contrast to many countries in the region and beyond that have significantly invested and benefited from the high rates of return.
The case for intensifying and increasing Government support for the tourism sector is as compelling as it is self-evident based on key socio-economic and environmental indicators which justify increased government support to the sector. In spite of limited support, the tourism sector is making significant contribution to the economy as indicated below.
Export earnings: from a balance of trade perspective, tourism is Uganda’s single largest export earner and generator of foreign exchange, at USD 1,039 million per annum (UBOS, 2014). This represents more than twice the earnings of coffee, the country’s second biggest export.
Employment: being a labour intensive industry, tourism employs directly 247,000 people (WTTC, 2014) and provides employment for an additional 345,000 (WTTC, 2014), indirectly and induced. Very significantly in a country with such high youth unemployment (over 80% in 2009, WB), including high levels of graduate unemployment, the sector employs a high proportion of youth and women. Nowhere else in the economy can so many jobs be created so quickly and cost-effectively as in an expanding tourism sector.
Economic transformation and inclusive growth: in progressing to a modern, middle income economy, tourism makes a highly significant contribution to achieving the Millennium Development Goals in Uganda, especially with regard to MDG1 – Poverty Eradication; MDG3 – Gender Equality and Women Empowerment; MDG7 – Environmental Sustainability. These are mainly being achieved through direct and indirect employment in the sector and through related value-chain linkages.

16/07/2014

http://m.aljazeera.com/story/2014715151051757903

"Ndakasi, she likes to play so much," says Andre Bauma as he watches the orphan tumble around gleefully with some of the other staff at the Senkwekwe Centre in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo). The five-year-old twirls around on a swing and claps her hands.

25/05/2014

When in Kampala, Uganda. take time to watch out for such free entertainment. The youth in the above caption is finding away to survive since jobs are hard to find in the city. Learn to be creative and you will find survival on planet earth easier. He was at Mega standard supermarket in Kampala yesterday. More tour info at www.kokotours.com
http://ow.ly/i/5GuVZ

11/02/2014

Koko Tours offers affordable African gorilla, cultural, wildlife Uganda safaris which can also be tailor made according to your needs.