The five (05)-day campaign dubbed “Explore Western Region” championed by the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife, and Antiquities to boost domestic tourism in the region, has ended in Fort Portal City, attracting hundreds of people. The campaign was launched on 12th April 2023.

The Explore Western Region campaign was aimed at interesting Ugandans to visit the uniquely prized tourism sites and attractions in the Western region which has some of the most sought-after tourism sites in Uganda.  

The State Minister of Tourism, Martin Bahinduka Mugarra, said that the Explore Western Region campaign came a few months after the Explore Elgon Domestic Tourism campaign in which hundreds of Ugandans visited Mbale City, Wanale Hill, and Sipi Falls in December 2022.
As like was the case in the Explore Elgon Domestic Tourism campaign, the Explore Western Region tourism campaign was spearheaded by the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife, and Antiquities, in partnership with celebrity influencers, to spotlight the key attractions of the region.

In the company of local leaders, the team visited a series of attractions and the favorite tourism hotspots in Western Uganda including the Eclipse Monument in Biharwe, Mugaba Palace, Kyamuhunga Growers tea estate, Lake Nkugute, Kyambura Gorge Viewpoint, and Katunguru Bridge.

Other attractions included Rubirizi Crater lakes, the Mweya Peninsula, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Katwe Salt Lake mines, the Kilembe mines ruins, Nyamwamba Valley, Rwenzori Mountain National Park, Mihunga Gate, Tooro Kingdom Palace, Semuliki National Park, Amabeere Ga Nyina Mwiru, among others.

An initiative by the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife, and Antiquities, Explore West, is aimed at creating awareness of the various potentially untapped prized tourism sites and attractions spread across western Uganda.

The state minister for tourism explained that the initiative is also aimed at encouraging domestic tourism as a strategy for tourism recovery post-Covid-19 and the Ebola epidemic, which severely affected Uganda's tourism industry.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Uganda's tourism industry was growing at an impressive pace, contributing 7.7% of GDP in the 2018–2019 financial year. Tourism was Uganda’s top foreign exchange earner for the previous five years, according to data from the Ministry of Tourism.

Tourism promoters say the campaign will also help in boosting domestic tourism so that locals can start appreciating the tourism potential in the country and also enjoy their country.

Jonan