EXPLORE ELGON CAMPAIGN IS CREDITED BY UGANDANS WITH CELEBRITIES.
A team of 300 Ugandans from the central part of Uganda (Kampala) and celebrities like Golola Moses, Karungi Sheebah, Miss Tourism, Amos Wekesa, proprietor and managing director of Great Lakes Safaris Limited, journalists, bloggers, social media influencers, comedians, and students are among the other participants for the campaign hit the road to Explore Uganda the pearl of Africa in the eastern part of Uganda Exploring Elgon in Mbale district.
On 21 December 2022, before they flagged off from the Uganda museum with the state minister of Tourism Hon. Martin Mugara Bahinduka , they were joined by Ms. Lilly Ajarova the CEO of Uganda Tourism Board who was overwhelmed by the number of Ugandans that have showed up for a campaign and continuously said that they should continue with the love for tourism as they Explore Uganda because the activities are critical in contributing to the growth of the sector.
She added saying that UTB is happy to see all of them there ready to take part in the Explore Elgon campaign and is hopeful that the rest of Ugandans will pick interest in similar activities in the future.
“The #ExploreElgon campaign aims at highlighting the hidden treasures, tourism attractions, sites and activities within and around the Elgon Region.” Hon. Martin said
It was around 11 am when they were escorted by a police car clearing the way as the convoy of transporting vehicles headed to Mbale district. While on the way, they made a stopover 35km from Kampala at Namawojjolo where tourists were allowed to move out to buy eats and drinks like “muchomo” which is roadside meat and chicken, snacks &water, and many more. The support for the local people’s businesses left them excited and praising Ugandans for domestic tourism and for loving Namawojjolo for the services.
The next stop was at the Jinja Bridge where Hon. Daudi Migereko Uganda Tourism Board Chairman welcomed them to the city of Tourism appreciating the team for supporting domestic tourism which has increased by 51.5%. After, the tourists had enough time to take photos on a beautiful bridge with a view of the source of the Nile as they walk along the bridge which was an amazing experience for many tourists. One of the tourists by name of Beineshubi Shine stated that she has been passing on the bridge with a private car and had never thought of having a walk on it. ”This is really an amazing experience.” She added.
Mr. Daudi added saying that this tour means that no one should remain at home during this festive season and that Eastern Part is just like other parts of Uganda with different attractions meaning that people should wake up from their comfortable homes and explore Uganda the pearl of Africa.
About the trip itinerary to Mbale city.
Hon Martin and the team on day 2, they planted trees, painted a zebra crossing along Mbale’s main street road, hiked wanale hill and opened the court view hotel in Mbale with a concert along the top entertainers like Karungi Sheebah, Madrat and Chiko and many more.
Day 3 Explore Elgon team left Mbale city to kapchorwa to visit Sipi falls the three trails, abseiling and caving taking a distance of about 67km from the town.
On the final day which was day 4, before setting off from Mbale city, the visitors visited semei kakungulu museum where the historical sites were spotted and visited Mt Elgon culture.
“To us, this is an important activity as we end the year 2022 through which we hope to promote the sector by showcasing the beauty of the Elgon region. We shall organize more of these campaigns come next year in other regions of the country.” The state Tourism minister Hon. Martin magara said.
