Tourism is the fastest growing industry in the World with over 800 million tourists traveling every year generating $828 billion. Small Countries in third world countries like Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda are reaping big from tourism dollars.

In Uganda, tourism is the third highest foreign exchange earner sometimes coming in second with gorilla trekking packages offering the highest returns in tourism. Mountain gorillas in Uganda generate more revenue for tourism than any other tourism packages.

Like Kenya, Uganda is beginning to market its tourism potential to the outside World as well. The tourism budget of Kenya dwarfs that of Uganda by far not to mention that of Rwanda, Tanzania and Burundi. With Kenya tour packages being one of the most sought after in whole region.

The President of Uganda launched PRESTO at Central Hall Westminister during a tourism exhibition. During the conference when the President announced this initiatives the Central Hall was filled with many investors, tour and travel agencies, businessmen, the media as well as Ugandans and Africans living in the diaspora.

During the exhibition that was intended to sell Uganda, there were several posters as well as banners showing the different wildlife in Uganda. The pictures included flora and fauna which depicted them in different postures as banners that included catchy phrases such as irresistible Uganda which showed beautiful girls of the Karamojong tribe. This was to give the people of feel of Uganda’s culture and people.

In addition to the optical nutrition, Uganda tea and coffee was served to the people who attended the exhibition so as to give them a real true feeling of the Pearl of Africa. There were also different handicrafts on display that were being quickly bought by the people who visited the exhibition.

The exhibition was organized by Honorable Grace Akello the President’s Principal Private Secretary who was assisted by Mr. Mutenza Willy who is an International Marketing Consultant born in Uganda. PRESTO was launched as a result of the attendance of the Brussels Expo Holiday Fair which was organized by the Brussels Embassy in conjunction with the Brussels Airline under the assistance of Ambassador Mirjam Blaak. Uganda travel

The Presidential Initiative on Sustainable Tourism – PRESTO was launched to commemorate the creation of the Ministry of Tourism Wildlife and Heritage which had hitherto been under different ministries. At the occasion the President introduced the new minister for Tourism in Uganda, Hon.Emphraim Kamuntu.

The PRESTO project is intended to facilitate sustainable Uganda tourism and according to the President of Uganda  "While tourism is about travel, Uganda’s 5-year National Development Plan (NDP) recognizes the tourism sector as one of the ‘Primary Growth Drivers of theEconomy’ that directly creates employment and investment opportunities, generates national and household income, brings in foreign exchange, and creates a market for local products at source. Tourism is in essence the opening of a window of opportunities into Uganda. At the global level, tourism is one the world’s most traded services, with a high potential for a multiplier effect at the national level. 880 million tourists worldwide generate US$ 852 billion.”

Uganda gets most of its tourists from the United Kingdom thus the President’s choice of London as the place to launch the initiative.  Unlike her neighbors, Uganda is targeting high end tourism so as to enable sustainability as well as protect the environment.

As a tourism destination Uganda received several accolades in the last couple of years:

1.      Lonely Planet – a World-leading travel guide of sorts voted Uganda as the number one Tourism Destination of 2012

2.      The Virunga Volcanoes which extends to the Bwindi and Mgahinga national parks in Uganda has been included among the "Must-see-places for 2012”. The list includes 20 tour attractions and places that one must visit in their lifetime. Visit gorillas in Uganda

3.      Of all Africa’s birding sites, Bwindi Impenetrable forest which has been designated a national park – Bwindi national park is the number birding site in Africa. Bwindi is also famous for its mountain gorillas offering gorilla safari opportunities for tourists to the region. Murchison falls national park located in North Western Uganda is also among the top 10 birding safari sites in Africa.

4.      Mountain Rwenzori national park located in Western Uganda has also been voted one of the leading hiking places in Africa and the World.

5.      In the National Geographic Magazine, the tree-climbing lions of the Ishasha sector in Queen Elizabeth National Park were the photo of the month.

According to the President of Uganda the Country has a lot of cultural and ecological resources to offer the world with a lot of hidden treasures that the world still has to discover. According to statistics Uganda has over 18,783 flora and fauna species recorded and has one of the richest biodiversities in the World.

Uganda’s hospitality is legendary and tourists visiting the country come away with a feeling of awe and desire to come back and visit.

Some of the major tour attraction not mentioned above includes a visit to the gorillas in the Bwindi impenetrable forest national park. Gorilla safari packages fetch the country more tourist dollars than any other Uganda tour attractions.