At the 39^th Africa Travel Association (ATA) World Congress, held in Kampala, Uganda, the long-standing support of UNWTO to Uganda’s tourism industry was acknowledged through the granting of an award by Madam Susan Kabonero Muhwezi, ATA Uganda Chapter President.

UNWTO, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), has recently developed a Tourism Master Plan for Uganda which provides a blueprint for the further competitive, yet sustainable, development, management and promotion of the country’s tourism sector.  The Master Plan project activities were launched in 2012 and the official presentation of the Master Plan took place in September 2014 during the World Tourism Day celebrations in Uganda.  Since 2013, UNWTO and UNDP also support the Ugandan Government in the development of inclusive markets in tourism, focusing on the participation of the poor and local communities in the tourism sector as entrepreneurs, employees and consumers.

As part of the inclusive markets project, and prior to the celebrations of the 39^th ATA World Congress in November 2014, UNWTO, together with the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities of Uganda, the Uganda Tourism Board, the Uganda Wildlife Authority, and UNDP, organized a familiarization trip for international media to promote destinations such as Bwindi National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Lake Bunyonyi, and Kampala, as well as products such as visits to the Batwa communities, gorilla tracking and game drive in Buligi.