With new tourism marketing, Uganda breaks free from safari story

Monday, February 7, 2022

Selling Uganda as a destination for years have meant bending over the most predictable features of the region, namely, the famous mountain gorilla and the Big Five animals. The diverse communities, modern cities, and remote community tourism experiences of East African nations have remained majorly hidden to all but the intrepid explorer.

That narrative has now shifted. In a visible departure from the status quo, the new marketing campaign of Uganda Tourism Board will highlight a country with exotic features that handful of outside visitors might have an idea, and works as a sign of what’s to come out of African destinations in a post-pandemic competitive tourism industry.

On the chase, viewers might locate a chimpanzee, a giraffe or a cheetah, but these comprise a small part of the footage, or else dominated by pictures wherein Ugandans are seen to enjoy sundry outdoor adventures, cultural and urban activities in their own country.

The new message is not just visit Uganda, but to stay longer and discover the hidden corners beyond the gorillas and the Big 5.

The clip shows a group river rafting, a female hiker on a gorilla forest hike, friends sharing a plate of matooke or mashed green bananas, and nightlife scenes in Kampala that contrast against tribe visits and Millennials partying by a riverfront infinity pool at a luxury lodge. As it ends, two women are afraid as on a game drive, while a road tripping couple pull over and hug over sunset.

All the depictions are of locals enjoying their modern, multi-faceted African destination while inviting outside visitors to “come see what is uniquely ours.”

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