It is now about seven months since the governments put money aside to help boost Uganda tourism and there is every indication the money is being used properly. The Minister of Finance and Economic Planning Ms Syda Bumba during the budget reading of June 2009 increase the tourism budget by approximately one million US dollars for promotion and development.

Uganda has in the past performed dismally during the World Travel Markets (WTM), however, during the 2009 World Travel Market that was held in London in November which is the largest English-speaking travel fair in the World currently, Uganda held its biggest showpiece ever. This was as a result of the money that the government injected into the tourism sector. The Country stood out among the different countries that participated in the WTM and this can only spell good things for the tourism industry in Uganda.

With the appropriate resources, Uganda can see itself achieve the target of one million tourists by 2012 that has been set by the Uganda Tourism Board. The year 2008 saw about 850,000 tourists visiting Uganda and there has been about a 10% increase in the number of tourists visiting Uganda annually.

During the November 2009 World Travel Market, Uganda was for the first time able to take traditional dancers from all the regions of the Country and were able to showcase Uganda’s culture and dances. The colorful event attracted throngs of people who attended the Travel Market adding an extra dimension to Uganda’s tourism.

In the past Uganda’s neighbors like Tanzania and Kenya would completely outdo her. However, this time Uganda’s stall saw an increase in the number of people visiting as a result of the money the government injected into the promotions. Rwanda which was once an add on safari destination to Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya had previously outdone her neighbors with the marketing of the mountain gorillas, which are unique to Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. This prompted Uganda to do more to promote its tourism industry as there’s a lot of tour attractions to offer ranging from birding safaris, mountain climbing, adventure sporting activities like white water rafting along the Nile River, bungee jumping and Kayaking, game drives, cultural safaris and many more.

The influx of tourists and Hollywood celebrities to the Friend-a-gorilla campaign attests to the success of the World Travel Market. The campaign which aims at getting people around the world to track gorillas online using social networking sites like Facebook and Tweeter was introduced to the world during the London Travel Market during which people were encouraged to sign on. In just a month’s time there was already about 20,000 subscribers to the Friend-a-gorilla website with each contributing 1 US dollar as a sign-on fee - gorilla tours Uganda

There is also an increase in the number of tourists and Uganda tour operators making inquiries for packages that the Country has to offer. It is hoped that this promotion drive will be carried on to the other Travel Markets which are held in Madrid, Berlin and Italy (Milan).

The Hollywood stars that were involved in raising funds for the Friend-a-Gorilla campaign included among others Jason Biggs who was the star in the American Pie movie. They were able to raise funds for the Uganda Wildlife Authority and the awareness about the endangered mountain gorillas in Los Angeles and Washington before coming down to launch the website with the President of Uganda.

The Uganda Tourism Board has been trying to work together with the Zoo Society to not only raise about the gorillas but also help promote tourism and also meet tour operators who are able to sell Uganda safari packages to people in America and Europe.

Uganda is indeed blessed with nature and the CNN campaign dubbed "Gifted By Nature”  that was run for only a couple of months correctly captures the wonders that GOD has bestowed on this tiny Country.