By KT Reporter
The Minister of State for Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, Bahinduka Mugarra Martin, has said that the government will start the process of developing tourist attraction sites in West Nile.
Speaking at the regional tourism conference for West Nile districts on Friday, the minister said that several sites in the region have been identified for development, which will be done jointly in partnership with other stakeholders like cultural institutions.
The Minister pointed out the Ombaci Massacre site, where the where than 80 people were killed by the Uganda National Liberation Army at St. Joseph’s College Ombaci, as one of the sites to be developed.
The regional tourism conference, one of the activities ahead of World Tourism Day, in West Nile attracted participants from local governments and private sectors, including leaders, academia and tourism entrepreneurs.
Imelda Amony Katumwesige, the head of the Tourism Department and Lecturer at Muni University, identified inadequate digital visibility for the tourism sites in the region as one of the major challenges affecting the sector.
She urged tour operators, cultural institutions and media to play a key role in marketing tourism by identifying and promoting the attraction sites in the region to draw attention for development.
Arua City Clerk, David Kyansaku, stated that West Nile has several sites, spread across all the districts in the region, for which he calls for more awareness creation. He noted that some of the sites in the region have been profiled for visibility.
West Nile boasts of tourist attraction sites like Mt. Wati in Terego District, the smallest church in Nebbi that accommodates only 3 people, Ajai Game Reserve in Madi Okollo District, among others.
Arua City will hold this year’s national celebration of World Tourism Day tomorrow, under the theme: “Tourism and Sustainable Transformation”. This is seen as an opportunity for West Nile to market the tourism sector of the region.
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