Searching for strength through unity

Buffaloes take an afternoon bath in Murchison Falls National Park. Photo by Edgar R Batte. 

By Edgar R. Batte.
Posted 


Friday, January 29  

2016 at 

23:00

In Summary

Widening potential Through their umbrella, East African Tourism Platform, tourism operators seek ways to make the trade easier in the East African countries, writes Edgar R. Batte.

When the single tourism visa was launched for Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda, there was cause to make merry. There was a visible interest from external consumers as the demand for people to come into the region increased.
According to Mike Macharia, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Kenya Association of Hotel Keepers and a board member of the Kenya Tourism Federation, they have so far sold about 4,000 visas without doing much marketing.

“We have only marketed at the World Travel Market in the UK and Internationale Tourismus-Börse Berlin, (ITB) in Berlin, Germany and (Japan Travel and Tourism Association (Jata) fair in Japan. The advantage is that you can move within the three countries,” Macharia explains.
The visa costs $100 (about Shs335,000) and allows multiple entries in Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda for 90 days. A holder can visit the three countries without added costs or associated bureaucracy.

Macharia was one of the lead panellist who offered insights at a discussion on “Inter and intra-regional tourism: Focus on Africa” moderated by Carmen Nibigira, the coordinator of East African Tourism Platform (EATP), recently.
EATP is a private institution platform where the apex bodies in the East African Community (EAC) meet and discuss, advocate for policies for change, especially to do with tourism. One of its achievements is the single tourism visa.

Finding answers
The discussion touched the different issues, achievements, obstacles to the realisation of full potential of tourism in the region and milestones made so far. All East African countries were represented both on the panel and in the audience.

Nibigira observed that interdependence of the regional countries cannot be over-emphasised, citing that Uganda is a source market for Kenya. Figures from Kenya Tourism Board (UTB) indicate that more Ugandan tourists visit Kenya than any other African country, including South Africa.
However, more Kenyans visit their own tourist destinations than Ugandans, and indeed some local tourism entrepreneur observed that this affects their business.

Solutions just next door
Connie Tumusiime, the proprietor of Pakuba Lodge in Murchison Falls, asked her counterparts in the rest of the East African countries how she could drive numbers or local tourists to the national parks to benefit from the ripple effect. She invested Shs1.5b in her facility that overlooks the Albert Nile on the Eastern Bank.
Jonathan Koinange advised her to consider local initiatives that can drive numbers to local tourism destinations. Kenya began initiatives such as advertising destinations and tourism activities on different media; newspapers, radio, television and online.

“We also have initiatives such as Tembeya Kenya. We give good packages to locals to entice them to visit places and take part in tourism activities. Every three months, after school, children are asking parents where they are going for holiday. People save together for holidays. Make travel easy. Make pick-ups. Every two years we do research,” Koinange spelt out.
Jeff Mukolwe, the general manager at Swahili Beach Hotel, observes that even with such initiatives, the region is still expensive for both locals and foreigners, and he hinges his argument on the fact that tourism in the region is driven on a colonial mentality where tour guides and operators continue to traditionally target foreign tourists.

“Many hotels have closed shop. We inherited a tourism model from our colonial masters. We have never thought that the region can provide us with the market we need,” Mukolwe argued.
He added that tour operators continue to spend millions of dollars trying to target western markets, yet within a 10,000 radius, there is a market that can sustain tourism.
However, more work needs to be done in bringing everyone fully on board. Burundi will have to do a lot of catch-up, particularly because of the instability that continues to rock the nation.
“We are also land-locked. We depend a lot on Tanzania and Rwanda and to some extent DRC,” Elie Barikubwayo, the executive secretary of the Chamber of Hotels and Tourism in Burundi, explained.

Tanzania is still contemplating fully joining the regional bloc. However, tour operators are not waiting. “I know tourism companies in Tanzania that sell East Africa as a single destination and they know their ground handler in Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda and Burundi. For the private sector and tour operators, marketing the region as one is important,” Sirili Akko, the CEO of Tanzania Association of Tour Operators, revealed.
Like it is said, strength lies in unity. It remains to see how soon and far countries can iron out obstacles to realise the full potential of East Africa as a rich tourism destination. Efforts of platforms like EATP are already pointing the region in the right direction.