KAMPALA — Ms. Lilly Ajarova, the Chief Executive Officer of Uganda Tourism Board (UTB), has said that whereas industry is feeling a major pain from coronavirus pandemic, it shall rise from this, better and stronger.
While appearing at Next Radio on Saturday, March 1, Ms. Ajarova said that while these are challenging times for the industry that largely depends on people’s movement”but there are going to be great lessons learnt.”
The coronavirus outbreak that started in Wuhan, China, has hit Uganda’s biggest foreign exchange earner with sector players making back-to-back losses amid growing fears of a looming economic crisis.
From tour guides to street vendors, everyone who depends on visitor spending is suffering losses.
Ms. Ajarova said UTB had done a lot as of 2019 when it comes to marketing destination Uganda to the international markets the corona virus has been a major setback for the industry.
“What’s happening now means we shall be going back to the drawing board,” she said.
But Ms. Ajarova says that “what we do with those lessons is what will determine how we recover as an Industry when this difficult phase is over.”
She said that UTB will continue to engage stakeholders in the tourism Industry, different government Ministries and see how best to cushion the industry from threats the industry faces in the wake of this pandemic.
The UTB also has called upon everyone to take the necessary precautions and ensure not just their safety but that of those around them.
