News
FAM Trip Supporting Community Tourism in Uganda
07/09/10 – Kampala, Uganda
Batwa Trails, a look into Batwa life in the forest
The USAID-STAR (Sustainable Tourism in the Albertine Rift) Program, supported by USAID-Uganda and implemented by the Global Sustainable Tourism Alliance (GSTA) will be launching many private sector-based initiatives that focus on sales and marketing of community and conservation linked tourism in the Albertine Rift. During a recent tour operator survey, USAID-STAR and tour operators discussed visitors’ growing demand for authentic experiences with local people as a vital aspect of planning their vacations. This was followed up with the first of many Community Support FAM trips, the Batwa Trails of Bwindi and Mgahinga. The objectives of the FAM trips are improved community tourism enterprises, strengthened relationships between tour operators and communities, awareness from press coverage for both the tour operators and community tourism providers that participated. The intended results of the FAM trips are increased sales of the community product, increased enterprise revenue, increased household income from alternative livelihoods and decreased illegal incidences in the regions.
Six of Uganda’s biggest tour operators as well as three media representatives participated. With support from International Gorilla
Conservation Programme (IGCP), the operators visited two “in-development” community tourism products that provide visitors with an opportunity to learn about Batwa livelihoods while supporting them in preserving their cultural traditions as they adjust to their new way of life. After each product experience a reception was held and the operators participated in panel discussions to field questions from Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), IGCP, United Organization for Batwa Development in Uganda (UOBUD), Uganda Community Tourism Association (UCOTA) and Nkuringo Conservation and Development Foundation (NCDF) on their market knowledge of what their tourists would like. Their critiques will be taken and applied to the final developments of the two products, ensuring they are market driven and therefore sold competitively. In general the tour operators were so happy about the Batwa trail in Mgahinga and they are willing to start selling the product at the suggested amount of $80 to the tourists, the cave was the most exiting activity on the Batwa trial in Mgahinga.
Solimar International is a managing and implementation partner of the GSTA and the STAR-Uganda Program.





