President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has urged Ugandans to embrace tourism and other productive sectors as alternative sources of household income, particularly for families with limited land for commercial agriculture.
Museveni made the remarks on Sunday while presiding over the national celebrations to mark World Tourism Day 2026 at Mbale Secondary School Grounds in Mbale City under the theme, “Digital Agenda and Artificial Intelligence to Redesign Tourism.”
The President described tourism as one of the lucrative service industries, saying it offers opportunities across accommodation, transport, food, entertainment, guiding, cultural enterprises and other businesses.
He urged communities in the Elgon Sub-region and across Uganda to take advantage of the tourism value chain instead of relying solely on subsistence production.
Museveni identified Uganda’s four broad wealth-creation sectors as commercial agriculture, manufacturing and artisanship, services, and Information and Communication Technology, urging households to participate actively in productive economic activities.
The President also commissioned the Mbale Wildlife Conservation Education Centre, commonly known as Mbale Zoo, established by the Uganda Wildlife Authority to promote wildlife conservation education and tourism in the Elgon Sub-region.
He also unveiled the Tourism Conservation Strategy for the Elgon Sub-region, which focuses on protecting forests, wetlands and wildlife habitats from encroachment and degradation.
Museveni warned that environmental destruction could undermine Uganda’s tourism potential, describing wetland encroachers and people involved in deforestation as enemies of tourism development.
He called for stronger conservation measures and better utilisation of Uganda’s geographical advantages, including its latitude and altitude.
The President further reaffirmed Government’s commitment to developing last-mile infrastructure to tourism sites, including roads, electricity, water and communication networks.
He said improving accessibility would enable communities surrounding tourism attractions to benefit from increased visitor numbers through businesses and services linked to the tourism value chain.
Museveni proposes Bugisu Anthem for East African Federation
During the celebrations, Museveni proposed that the Bugisu Anthem be considered as a possible anthem for the proposed East African Federation if the region’s political integration aspirations are realised.
He praised the anthem’s lyrics and melody, highlighting its cultural significance to the people of Bugisu.
Meanwhile, Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities Minister Col. (Rtd) Tom Butime said Government is increasingly embracing digital technologies and Artificial Intelligence to promote both domestic and international tourism.
Butime said technologies such as digital booking platforms, smart park gates and AI-supported safari planning could improve efficiency, accessibility and the experience of tourists visiting Uganda.
He identified limited investment, access to capital and visa-related challenges among the bottlenecks affecting tourism growth in the Elgon Sub-region.
The Netherlands Ambassador to Uganda, H.E. Angèle Samura, highlighted opportunities for increased European investment and cooperation in Uganda’s hospitality sector, particularly in skills development, sustainable tourism and the use of AI and digital technologies.
Mbale City Mayor Joyce Matuka Kidulu said digital tourism could increase the visibility of attractions in Mbale and position the city as a strategic tourism gateway to eastern Uganda and the wider East African region.
The World Tourism Day celebrations brought together Government officials, tourism sector players, local leaders, cultural leaders, development partners and other stakeholders to discuss investment, technology and innovation in Uganda’s tourism industry.