Stakeholders in Tourism industry told to expand scope

Stakeholders in the Tourism industry especially the Tour companies/Agencies have been urged to promote community tourism as a measure to expand the scope of tourism in Uganda.

Uganda’s Deputy Ambassador to Benelux Countries and the European Union His. Excellency Franklin Katumbwe said stakeholders in the tourism industry need to look beyond the National parks and other natural physical features and bring on board other captivating sites.

Katumbwe was on Sunday visiting Muga Eco Village in Rwakanyonyi Village, Nyakabirizi Division in Bushenyi-Ishaka Municipality to look at a number of agricultural enterprises which are being used to promote agro-tourism.

The Ambassador said apart from the wild animals in the National parks there is a need to showcase Uganda’s different traditional cultures in communities. Katumbwe said people from other countries including the developed countries are interested in learning from Ugandan communities and knowing how people live.

Katumbwe hailed the directors of Muga Eco Village for coming up with the idea of adding agriculture onto the tourism network.

Muga Eco Village is a private family ecotourism site with several projects on the ground which include; apiary, coffee, orchard, goats, cows, fish farming, rabbits, agro-forestry, recreation gardens, and Eco-friendly cottages. Muga Eco village runs and supports activities that advocate and promote environmentally friendly approaches that seek to contribute towards saving nature/environment hence mitigating the effects of climate change.

The farm also promotes a model of exploring sustainable lifestyles not only in environmental but also in social, economic, and spiritual terms with agro-tourism, demonstration learning activities for communities, in-service agricultural trainees, and individual farmers and out of school youth.

To date, Muga Eco Village has been visited by different people including; private farmers from within and outside Uganda, local government leaders, churches, research institutions, technical staff of Bushenyi and Sheema districts local governments.