By Santi Jiménez
Uganda is usually marketed by Uganda Tourism (UTB) through its website and at some international exhibitions according to its budget. UTB primarily markets tourism activities especially wildlife and cultural trips, but excludes other business opportunities like coffee, tea, agricultural products, mining, construction and others.
The latter business opportunities are only left to specialized public and private bodies who market them in an independent manner, but even these are greatly financially constrained. Therefore, the tourism marketing norm in Uganda is a single focus on wildlife and marketing is done independently by each sector.
Uganda, like any country, must be understood as a complexity of diverse range of products, services and capacities which can be marketed abroad. Yes, Uganda has a full set of business possibilities we don’t illuminate, because we don’t promote the country as a set of products, but a single product, the tourism. Let me give you a clear picture: Uganda is like a 20-room hotel which always has low incomes, because only the rooms are marketed.
However, the hotel has also sauna, gym, restaurant and gardens to celebrate weddings which are never mentioned. This means that clients would only come because they are in need of a sleeping facility. Have you thought about those who would come for a sleeping facility, healthy club, and parties? Why not give a complete package of the hotel? Do we need separate staff for each section to market one product of the hotel in this case? Can’t the hotel management organize their staff and get a team to do a comprehensive marketing of all the hotel products? Like this hotel, so is Uganda.
With my experience, I strongly believe that as a country, Uganda will come out from this economic crisis if there are concerted and coordinated efforts in the tourism and business sector generally. In light of the above, I propose that:
Companies Rise or Fall on How Well They Renew Their Leaders- The country sets up a national stand in international exhibitions abroad and promotes all sectors as one unit. This is because, a stand in an international exhibition costs exactly the same if you promote only safaris or if you promote safaris, agriculture products, business & investment opportunities, business exhibitions & conferences.
- Different bodies could participate in a yearly meeting to determine sectors to promote, international exhibitions to attend and necessary budget to be given by each body. This list will mark the priorities for Ministry of Trade, Ministry of Finance, Uganda National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Uganda Investment Authority, Uganda Export Promotion Board and Embassies and Consulates.
- Ministries and different bodies should determine the list of needs of the country (products, services, investments) to be communicated to the Embassies and Consulates as Uganda “speakers” and searchers.
- Collaboration with Embassies, Consulates and Honorary Consulates (Honorary Consulates are about 60 globally) and these would represent the country at the Uganda stand or, at least, explain the business possibilities of different sectors.
- Ugandan Embassies and Consulates need to receive updated information and economic support to market the country abroad.
By doing so, these are some of the potential benefits for Uganda:
- Cost sharing of marketing by different sectors makes marketing less costly.
- International promotion leads to an increase of exports and revenues.
- All sectors will benefit rather than only tourism
- Attraction of more foreign investments and business for Uganda companies
- Increase of employment opportunities for Ugandans specially for youths.
Consequently, we need to move from an “only product” destination to a “multiple products” destination to have a better Uganda.
Santi Jiménez (ugandainspain@yahoo.es)
Uganda Honorary Consul in Barcelona (Spain).
Business advisor helping Uganda and foreign business community to do business in Africa and Ibero-America.
