Domestic tourism to the rescue of Uganda's parks

A tourist van en route to Kidepo Valley National park carrying mountain bikes.

A tourist van en route to Kidepo Valley National park carrying mountain bikes. PHOTO | MORGAN MBABAZI | NMG

As the Covid-19 pandemic sent many sectors of the economy into a tailspin for the second year running, local travellers once again played a key role in keeping Uganda’s tourism sector afloat throughout last year.

According to the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) the number of local visitors to national parks increased significantly in 2020 and 2021 from the years before Covid-19 struck.