Aggrey Mwesigwam Trek Africa Eco Tours, Uganda

My name is Aggrey Mwesigwa. I am a Management Consultant with over 25 years experience in Finance, Business Development and Management. I am a Founder Director of Trek Africa Eco-Tours, and Founder and Director of The Golf Safari Company.

Both companies are registered in Uganda and our main business is to arrange bespoke tours in Uganda and East Africa. My educational background includes a Masters degree in Business Administration and a Bachelors degree in Commerce. Through Trek Africa Eco-Tours, I am engaged in Community Based Tourism programs with communities living adjacent to Protected Areas of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Queen Elizabeth National Park.

The Covid-19 pandemic has slowed down tourism world over. In Uganda, tourism stakeholders are thinking of ways to bounce back once the pandemic is over. The challenge however is due to the fact that converting our comparative advantages into competitiveness and sustainability require not only a coherent policy framework and a dynamic private sector (which we have) but also efficient institutions to translate policy measures into programmes.
Uganda’s domestic tourism, like in many African countries is underdeveloped. Domestic tourist provides the base load for the international market. Support of the local industry by Ugandans can realise improved quality in products and services, maintenance of occupancy levels, and ultimately the confidence of the international visitors. This reduces the exposure of the tourism industry to fluctuations in international demand, which is extremely sensitive to global, political and economic issues.