Sheraton Kampala Hotel has today joined the rest of the world to celebrate World Tourism Day.  As one of the ways to promote tourism amongst Ugandans within Uganda, the theme of World Tourism Day this year is “Tourism for Inclusive Growth”.

This theme underscores the potential of tourism in promoting opportunities for communities around the world, as well as the role that community engagement has in advancing sustainable tourism development.

In his comments the Sheraton Kampala Hotel General Manager, Jean-Philippe Bittencourt, said “This year more than ever the tourism sector must re-bounce after these almost 2 years of the covid-19 pandemic. The industry has a major social role to play as the sector employs in majority the youth, we train and develop people and offer opportunities for career development”

He further added, “Tourism works with and support communities near major tourist attractions sites, and has a important role to play in terms of environment respect and conservation. Besides tourism, consume massively local products especially from the agriculture and manufacturing sectors. Tourism promotes local culture and local artist giving the platform for performances. Tourism is a fantastic opportunity to showcase a country as a destination for leisure and business0”. 

His closing remarks were “Our sector is a key player in the country’s economy and for all reasons exposed above, deserves the attention and support from authorities and government in order to give continuity to the increased development we could witness before the pandemic crisis”.

Sheraton Kampala Hotel Director of Sales and Marketing Jacqueline Nalubega Mugisha also in her remarks said“Sheraton Kampala Hotel is pleased to be celebrating Tourism day amidst a pandemic that is raging in its second year and has caused a lot of damage to tourism”

“Our aim as Sheraton Kampala Hotel is to have local participation in Tourism. With the pandemic situation we are in, tourism can only prosper through engaging the local population by contributing to social values such as participation and educating the population, why tourism is important because we are the pillars of the tourism sector” she added.

This year, World Tourism Day has been celebrated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sheraton Kampala Hotel has fought hard to control the spread of the disease by increasing the frequency with which public spaces and guest rooms are cleaned, installing hand sanitizer stations throughout the hotel, providing Personal Protective Gear like facemasks, hand sanitizer, and rearranging our public space layouts to effect social physical distancing. Majority of our staff members have been fully vaccinated. The hotel is also following strict observation of SOPs.

Uganda is a blessed country because we have numerous tourism destinations such game parks, which are filled with vibrant wildlife like Elephants, Gorillas, Lions and Zebra. These parks include Rwenzori Mountains National Park, Murchison Falls National park, Kidepo Valley National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park and many more. Tourists are blessed with a variety of options when it comes to accommodation. We have plenty of lodges where one can relax as they immerse themselves in nature and our beautiful bustling culture such as Nile Safari Lodge, Chobe Safari Lodge and Mweya Safari Lodge. One can’t truly appreciate the Pearl of Africa without a visit to our beautiful waterfalls. Make your way to Murchison Falls, Sipi Falls, Bujagali Falls, Aruu Falls or Ssezibwa Falls for the experience of a lifetime. If you’re feeling more adventurous, challenge yourself to a climb on our beautiful and idyllic mountain ranges such as Mt. Rwenzori and Mt. Elgon, and cap off your safari with a visit to the Source of the Nile in Jinja. Sheraton Hotel encourages Ugandans to participate in domestic tourism.

World Tourism Day is celebrated annually as a way to raise awareness of the social, economic, political and cultural value that the tourism sector contributes to Uganda as a way to reach its development goals.

Sheraton Kampala Hotel showcased on different lobby screens information about the various tourist sites in Uganda as well as running a digital campaign as a way to encourage Ugandans to participate in local tourism.