MV Vanessa, a luxury boat with capacity to sit 54 passenger, is seeking
to tap into the current void in the water transport tourism potential in
Uganda.
In her
first public speech since being appointed Uganda Tourism Board (UTB)
chief executive officer Lilly Ajarova has said she will make water
transport tourism a priority resource as government seeks
to build on the gains so far reached.
Speaking during the launch of the MV Vanessa boat in Entebbe, Ms Ajarova said water bodies in Uganda, especially Lake Victoria were under-utilised in terms of tourism.
to build on the gains so far reached.
Speaking during the launch of the MV Vanessa boat in Entebbe, Ms Ajarova said water bodies in Uganda, especially Lake Victoria were under-utilised in terms of tourism.
“This
is the beginning of utilising Lake Victoria and other water bodies for
the benefit of Ugandans and the international community,” she said.
MV
Vanessa, a luxury boat with capacity to sit 54 passenger, is seeking to
tap into the current void in the water transport tourism potential in
Uganda.
The boat, according to online sources, costs between $200,000 (Shs741m) and $350,0000 (Shs1.2b).
Mr
Maxime Van Pee, the Nyanza Evergreen Waterways director, said the
investment was informed by the tourism potential in water transport,
saying the boat will start with scheduled routines on water frontiers in
Jinja and Entebbe.
“We are starting with Jinja-Entebbe for now because we are still finishing documentation and we are waiting for another boat to arrive,” he said, adding they anticipate to broaden operations in future.
Uganda’s largest fresh water body - Lake Victoria - is estimated to cover about 68,000 square kilometres with more than 84 islands scattered all over East Africa.
“We are starting with Jinja-Entebbe for now because we are still finishing documentation and we are waiting for another boat to arrive,” he said, adding they anticipate to broaden operations in future.
Uganda’s largest fresh water body - Lake Victoria - is estimated to cover about 68,000 square kilometres with more than 84 islands scattered all over East Africa.
These
are serious potentials that can boost tourism numbers across the
country. Uganda is seeking to raise tourism numbers to 2.1 million by
the end of this year and four million by 2020.
Mr Amos
Wekesa, the Great Lakes Safaris founder, said government should
sufficiently market Uganda beyond the primate experience, arguing that
the country is blessed with abundant natural and man-made resources such
as water bodies that government should leverage on to grow the tourism
sector.
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