At World Tourism Day 2026 in Mbale, President Yoweri Museveni pitched tourism and four productive sectors as routes to higher household incomes, launched a regional conservation strategy and opened a new wildlife education centre.
President Museveni presented tourism as a broad, labour-intensive sector that can boost household incomes beyond small-scale agriculture.
A Tourism Conservation Strategy for the Elgon Sub-region was unveiled, linking protection of forests, wetlands and wildlife to tourism viability.
Museveni commissioned the Mbale Wildlife Conservation Education Centre to strengthen conservation awareness and expand local attractions.
President Yoweri Museveni spoke on September 28, 2026, at World Tourism Day celebrations in Mbale City. The event theme was "Digital Agenda and Artificial Intelligence to Redesign Tourism." Museveni urged Ugandans to adopt tourism and other productive sectors to increase household incomes, especially where households lack land for commercial agriculture.
Why tourism, according to the president Museveni framed tourism as a wide-ranging service industry that supports accommodation, transport, food, entertainment, tour guiding and cultural enterprises. He contrasted its scale with that of single-commodity markets such as coffee, arguing tourism creates a broader chain of income opportunities for communities and individuals.
New facilities and a regional strategy
Conservation linked to tourism economics Museveni warned that environmental destruction — deforestation, wetland encroachment and loss of wildlife habitat — threatens Uganda's tourism potential. He pointed to observable changes in weather and temperatures since the 1960s as a reason to protect ecosystems that underpin scenic and biodiversity attractions. He called for stronger conservation measures in Elgon and stressed the role of ecosystems in sustaining tourism products tied to altitude and latitude advantages.
Infrastructure and community benefit The government reiterated commitments to develop last-mile infrastructure to make tourism sites accessible. Museveni said Uganda already has basic conditions for tourism growth — peace, security and road connectivity — and the next step is extending roads, electricity, water and communications to attractions. He urged that surrounding communities be positioned to benefit through enterprises along the tourism value chain.
Digital agenda and technology adoption Tourism Minister Tom Butime described a government push to adopt digital technologies and artificial intelligence to promote domestic and international tourism. He cited specific applications: digital booking platforms, smart park entry gates and AI-supported safari planning. The ministry frames these technologies as ways to make information more accessible, improve efficiency and enhance the visitor experience.
Museveni urged residents to tap Uganda's four wealth-creation sectors: commercial agriculture, manufacturing and artisanship, services, and information and communication technology. He framed household-level participation in productive activities as essential for socioeconomic transformation rather than reliance on subsistence production.
At the Mbale event Museveni proposed considering the Bugisu Anthem as a possible anthem for a future East African Federation, praising its lyrics and melody and highlighting its cultural significance to the Bugisu people.
The announcements combine conservation, infrastructure and digital policy signals that aim to expand tourism's reach into local economies. The commissioned education centre offers a regional attraction and awareness tool. The conservation strategy ties environmental protection directly to tourism revenue potential. The technology emphasis indicates planned modernization of services and marketing to both domestic and international visitors.
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