The fourth edition of Uganda’s Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo kicked off today in earnest at the Sheraton Hotel Gardens in Kampala and will continue until February 25.
The three-day exhibition has attracted more than 200 exhibitors from 14 countries, including Kenya, South Africa, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe, among other countries, according to the Uganda Tourism Board (UTB), organisers of the event. This is a significant increase from last year’s event which attracted only 55 exhibitors.
It is estimated that over 5,000 people will visit the expo – which is themed “Rediscover the Pearl” – by the time it closes on February 25. This is more than double the number of last year’s attendees.
According to UTB, this year’s expo is meant to be significantly different from past editions — in terms of quality, quantity and target audience. The exhibition is made up of about six display zones, including hotels, tour operators, tourism boards, mini zoo, art and culture, as well as tourism commodities.
In an earlier interview with this blog, Vincent Mugaba, UTB’s Public Relations Officer, said that this year’s event aims to encourage local travellers to “Rediscover the Pearl”.
“At last year’s event we marketed Uganda to international travellers,” he said, “so this time we want to show Ugandans that they, too, can be tourists in their own country.”
