Uganda High Commission flags off Southern Africa tourism roadshow in Johannesburg

December 3, 2025 in Travel & Tourism by Editor

Uganda has launched a six-city Southern Africa Tourism Roadshow aimed at deepening regional cooperation, strengthening market access, and raising the country’s visibility in one of its fastest-growing tourism source regions. The initiative, led by the Uganda High Commission in Pretoria, brings together travel trade operators, tourism boards, private sector players and media for a week of business engagements across Southern Africa.

Uganda has kicked off a week-long Southern Africa Tourism Roadshow, with the High Commission in Pretoria launching the initiative in Johannesburg as part of a push to strengthen regional tourism ties and expand Uganda’s footprint in Southern Africa.

Flagged off on December 2, the Roadshow will take Uganda’s tourism stakeholders through six cities — Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town, Gaborone, Windhoek and Harare — for a series of business-to-business workshops, product showcases, cultural exchanges and targeted networking sessions. The campaign is designed to boost trade linkages, open market access and raise the country’s visibility in one of its fastest-growing complementary source markets.

Uganda’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Amb. Paul Amoru, told participants that Southern Africa continues to show rising traveller interest driven by strong spending power and a growing appetite for premium wildlife, adventure and multi-destination travel. He said the Roadshow offers a practical platform for Uganda’s destination managers to engage directly with the regional travel trade and shape products aligned with traveller preferences.

According to Amb. Amoru, the six-city mission signals Uganda’s long-term commitment to coordinated marketing, improved connectivity and deeper commercial and cultural cooperation across the region. Activities will include workshops, media briefings and experiential showcases aimed at strengthening destination knowledge and building partnerships that can grow visitor flows.

Representing South African Tourism, Bontle Madiba welcomed the initiative, noting the rising importance of intra-Africa travel. She encouraged African destinations to prioritise collaboration over competition, promoting multi-country itineraries and joint campaigns that highlight the continent’s diversity. Uganda’s Roadshow, she said, is an example of the cooperative model needed to elevate Africa’s overall tourism standing.

The rollout is being coordinated by Afrireps, the agency supporting the High Commission with logistics and trade mobilisation. The firm emphasised the value of regional circuits and co-created itineraries as drivers of competitiveness in Africa’s tourism sector.

Amb. Amoru noted that beyond tourism, the initiative carries broader economic and diplomatic value, given the sector’s contribution to employment, foreign exchange earnings and community livelihoods.

The Johannesburg launch sets the stage for a week of engagements aimed at building strategic partnerships, expanding Uganda’s market presence and reinforcing cross-regional cooperation. The High Commission expressed appreciation to the tourism boards, trade partners, private sector operators and media supporting the Southern Africa Tourism Roadshow.