Uganda – The Uganda High Commission Dar es Salaam successfully concluded a nine-day Familiarisation (FAM) Trip for Tanzanian travel agents and hosted buyers in Uganda, held from 15th to 23rd May 2026 before Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo 2026. The strategic initiative was organised to showcase Uganda’s diverse tourism potential, strengthen tourism cooperation between Uganda and Tanzania, and promote regional tourism integration under the framework of Economic and Commercial Diplomacy (ECD).
The delegation commenced the tour with immersive cultural and community experiences in the Rushaga community in Rubuguri Town Council near Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, where they engaged with the Batwa community and learned about their history, traditional lifestyle, hunting and food gathering practices, fire making skills, basket weaving, and local crafts. The visitors were also entertained through vibrant Batwa traditional dance performances, giving them a deeper appreciation of Uganda’s rich cultural heritage and community tourism initiatives.
The delegates later traversed the forests of Bwindi during a memorable mountain gorilla trekking experience, the Familiarisation Trip continued in the Pakuba sector of Murchison Falls National Park, where the Tanzanian hosted buyers and travel agents experienced both evening and morning game drives across Uganda’s largest national park. The delegation concluded the wilderness segment of the tour at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, where they participated in a rhino trekking experience and received insights into rhino conservation, breeding, and wildlife protection efforts in Uganda. Following the FAM Trip, the Tanzanian hosted travel agents and buyers participated in POATE 2026, Uganda’s flagship tourism and travel trade exhibition. The Expo brought together tourism stakeholders, international buyers, investors, tour operators, airlines, hospitality players, media, and tourism promotion agencies from across the world. The engagements created opportunities for networking, destination marketing, partnership building, and promoting Uganda as a competitive tourism destination in Africa.
The successful trip and participation at POATE 2026 demonstrated Uganda’s continued commitment to leveraging tourism as a strategic pillar under Economic and Commercial Diplomacy. Through targeted destination marketing initiatives led by Uganda’s foreign missions, the country continues to strengthen tourism linkages, attract investment, create employment opportunities, and enhance regional cooperation within East Africa’s tourism sector. Tourism remains one of Uganda’s leading foreign exchange earners and a key contributor to socio-economic transformation through conservation financing, infrastructure development, cultural preservation, and community empowerment. The Uganda High Commission Dar es Salaam therefore reaffirms its commitment to promoting destination Uganda and strengthening tourism partnerships between Uganda and Tanzania for mutual growth and prosperity.
Photo Credit: Owen Benjamin Lekuni
