Written by JAMES SSEKANDI
Uganda Tourism Board said on Monday it
would capitalize on next month’s visit of FC Barcelona legends to market
the country abroad.
Between December 8 and 12, Uganda will
host stars such as Patrick Kluivert, Louis Garcia, Simao Sabrosa, Carles
Puyol, Edgar Davids, Gaizka Mendieta and Gianluca Zambrotta, all of
whom once played for Barcelona, one of the world’s biggest football
clubs.
And UTB hopes to profit from the
publicity as these stars attract massive media and global attention
internationally. The Barcelona legends will also visit Bwindi
Impenetrable Forest and Murchison Falls national parks as well as the
Source of the Nile. They will then play an exhibition match against a
selected Uganda Cranes team at Namboole stadium.
“Imagine such icons tweeting and
facebooking about gorillas in Bwindi, pictures while at the Source of
the Nile,” said UTB chief executive officer Stephen Asiimwe.
According to UTB, the projected earnings
of $2bn (about Shs 5.3 trillion) per annum in the next few years from
tourism are about a third of the 2015-16 annual budget, a figure which
highlights the immense contribution the sector will have in the future,
surpassing almost any sector, even before oil production begins.
“As part of efforts to actualize the
industry’s full potential, the legends tour needs to be fully integrated
to realise such figures, because these stars are nationals of different
countries from Europe and South America,” Asiimwe adds.
Asiimwe also noted that this tour would
come in handy after the approval of the East Africa Sports Tourism
Initiative (EASTI) that is held annually across the region as the
ministry taps into sports industry.
The legends will be accompanied by top foreign media houses and personal media attachés.
“I want to return here [Uganda] for
holiday because of the weather in Uganda, so unique and relaxing,”
remarked Rayco Garcia, the RG Football Academy director and former
Barcelona player.
More than Shs 900m was raised towards
the tour during a dinner hosted by tourism minister Maria Mutagamba at
Serene Suites last month.
During the tour, Unicef, in
collaboration with RG Football Academy solutions , will bring 1,000
children from the districts of Moroto, Mbarara, Gulu and Arua to watch
the match and get some inspiration from these global stars. jsekandi@gmail.com
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