Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) has announced to the general public of its plan to register all the tourism players by January 1,2023.
According to the tourism body,no tourism player will be allowed to operate failure to fullfil the registration requirements by Jan 2023.
While speaking at the training of Public Health Inspectors on Monday 20,2022 at Golden Tulip Hotel in Kampala, Ms. Lily Ajarova, Chief Executive Officer UTB retaliated the need for all tourism players to play by the board’s set standards and regulations including the quality hygiene standards for accommodation facilities in the country aimed at improving the the tourism industry in Uganda.
“This exercise has been overdue but considering the aftermath of COVID-19 to the tourism sector, we are granting stakeholders time to pick up with business and organize themselves so as to be ready for mandatory exercise we are to enforce strictly come January 1,2023,”she said.
Ajarova emphasized that the enforcement is meant to improve the services in the tourism sector in the country.
“For us to grow the tourism industry, we need to clean up and ensure we have quality services offered to our tourists by the best service players in the industry.”
The tourism private sector players include; Travel Agencies, Tour Guides,Hotel Owners, Tour Operators and Tourism Site Owners (Private, Cultural and Religious) among others.
Ajarova added that, “It is by law; The Tourism Act, which was enacted in 2008,that every tourism enterprise is supposed to be registered ,inspected and licensed by UTB in order for them to operate legally.”
According to Ajarova, all the 3,879 tourism players in accommodation, 1,111 Tour and Travel Companies and over 937 Tour Guides in the country in their respective sector association bodies including; Association of Uganda Tour Operators (AUTO),Uganda Hotel Owners Association (UHOA), Uganda Association of Travel Agents (TUGATA),Uganda Safari Guides Association (USAGA), Uganda Community Tourism Association(UCOTA), Uganda Tourism Association (UTA) and Uganda Association of the Conference and Incentive Industry (UACII), will have to be registered, licensed and regulated by UTB.
