DRKampala: Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) will conduct this year’s Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo (POATE) from February 4-6 at Speke Resort Munyonyo in Kampala. The flagship travel and tourism trade expo is the first major event of the year for the board. It is the fifth edition of the yearly gathering, which will integrate the business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) commercial event format under the theme “inspiring a commitment of great value to promote intra-African travel for leisure, business and adventure”, aimed at raising the profile of Uganda as a preferred destination in the region and internationally.
According to Uganda Tourism Board, the exhibition which brings together regional and international tour operators, travel agents, destination agencies, and other players in the tourism trade to network and facilitate tourism business, will expose the country’s tourism to the world and court tourists.
Speaking on the expo, the country’s State Minister for Tourism Wildlife and Antiquities, Prof. Ephraim Kamuntu, said: “Tourism has long been advocated as an alternative strategy for economic development and social reconstruction. The focus on Intra-Africa travel during this expo and beyond is aimed to increase the number of African arrivals to Uganda. With the revival of Uganda Airlines, regional connectivity is easier and this among others will allow for intra-Africa travel to thrive.”
