Uganda bets on German tourists to grow $1.8bn tourism sector

Uganda is courting German tour operators and travel agents this week as it looks to diversify the sources of revenue feeding its tourism sector — an industry the government is counting on as a pillar of its plan to grow the national economy tenfold by 2040.

The Uganda Embassy in Berlin and the Uganda Tourism Board held a roadshow in Düsseldorf on Tuesday, pitching German operators on gorilla trekking, safaris and cultural tourism. The event precedes a three-day Uganda Cultural and Tourism Festival in Munich, starting Thursday, which will combine cultural performances with a business and investment forum aimed at connecting Ugandan entrepreneurs and diaspora businesses with German partners.

The push comes as Uganda’s tourism sector posts some of its strongest numbers in years. Tourism earnings rose to roughly $1.8bn in the 2025/26 financial year, up from earlier estimates closer to $1.8bn, while international arrivals climbed to 1.64 million in 2025 from 1.37 million the year before, according to figures presented at a government performance review in April. The sector now accounts for an estimated 5.9% of GDP and supports more than 876,000 jobs — about 7.5% of total employment.

Germany is one of Uganda’s seven leading source markets, alongside the United States, the United Kingdom and several East African neighbours, though it remains a smaller contributor than regional markets such as Kenya and Rwanda. Ugandan officials see room to grow that share, particularly among higher-spending leisure travellers, who account for a disproportionate share of tourism revenue despite making up a small fraction of total arrivals.

Tourism is one of four sectors — alongside agriculture, minerals and science and technology — at the centre of Uganda’s “Tenfold Growth Strategy,” a government plan to expand GDP from around $50bn to $500bn by 2040. In this year’s national budget, the sector was allocated 567.3 billion Ugandan shillings (roughly $150m), funding meant for destination marketing, tourism infrastructure, wildlife conservation and expanded commercial diplomacy through Uganda’s missions abroad — of which this week’s German push is a direct example.

“Tourism is not just an economic driver — it’s a bridge for cultural exchange and people-to-people connectivity,” said Jessica Namuddu, second secretary at the Uganda Embassy in Berlin, speaking on behalf of Ambassador Stephen Mubiru at the Düsseldorf event.

Uganda Tourism Board officials, including marketing manager Francis Nyende Hatinda and tourism development commissioner Vivian Lyazzi, used the roadshow for business-to-business meetings with German operators, while officials from State House Uganda’s diaspora unit, led by Mohammed Bagonza, promoted the role of Ugandans living in Germany as informal trade and tourism conduits.

The German outreach follows Uganda’s appearance at ITB Berlin in March — the world’s largest travel trade fair — and comes ahead of 2027, when Uganda co-hosts the Africa Cup of Nations with Kenya and Tanzania, an event officials hope will lift the country’s profile with European audiences and travellers.

Government officials have acknowledged the sector still faces obstacles, including underdeveloped infrastructure around tourism sites, patchy internet and electricity access in protected areas, and ongoing human-wildlife conflict — challenges the tourism ministry says it is addressing through new roads, electric fencing and expanded ranger deployment.