Martin Mugarra Bahinduka, the state minister for tourism, wildlife, and antiquities, introduced the fifth iteration of the Ekkula Pearl of Africa Tourism Awards at the Uganda Media Center.
The Ekkula Pearl of Africa Tourism Awards are a privately funded effort that is passionate about increasing travel by yearly teaching, honoring, and rewarding important tourism industry stakeholders.
“Therefore, I’m happy to announce the beginning of the Fifth Edition of the Ekkula Pearl of Africa Tourism Awards 2022. Ladies and gentlemen, I hereby formally declare the categories open for nominations in accordance with the established criteria, and I look forward to seeing more of you participate in the tourist sector given the limitless and vast potential available. Minister Martin Mugarra Bahinduka remarked.
The award ceremony, with the theme “Rethinking Tourism and Promotion of Green Initiatives,” will take place on December 1, 2022, at the Sheraton Hotel. It will focus particularly on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – Journey to 2030 and how the tourism industry can contribute to the implementation and achievement of the 17 SDGs. with the intention of motivating governments, decision-makers, and tourist providers to integrate pertinent SDGs elements into frameworks for policy and funding as well as commercial operations and investments’ – As indicated, Bismac Moses is the founder of Africa Tourism and Environment Initiatives and the coordinator of the Ekkula Tourism Awards.
The Minister remarked that there are a number of unsung heroes who have raised the country’s flag so high and elevated the stunning nation known as the Pearl of Africa to the status of one of the most sought-after tourist destinations. These individuals include athletes who either directly or indirectly promote Uganda; musicians who use their art to advertise Uganda as a travel destination; authors, photographers, and investors; tour operators who deal with tourists; and journalists like you who are there. Tourism is, after all, everyone’s business.
Therefore the Ekkula awards aim at recognizing and appreciating such stakeholders as a way to motivate them more to be patriotic and promote Uganda in different styles that appeal to different people globally.
Tourism is a weighty field of consumption and a powerful service sector that contributes about ten percent to the world’s GDP. Sustainable consumption and production patterns are central to sustainable tourism. It is one of the world’s fastest growing industries and an important source of foreign exchange and employment, while being closely linked to the social, economic, and environmental well-being of many countries, especially developing countries.
The regional quality assurance and sustainability training workshops included in this year’s Ekkula Tourist Awards are intended to enhance service delivery by influencing fundamental tourism skills throughout the value chain, in contrast to prior award ceremonies. The first regional exhibition will begin on October 14 in Mbale, move to Gulu on October 21, then to Fort Portal, a tourist destination, on October 28 before ending off with regional workshops in Kampala on November 4.
The best participants from each region will subsequently be invited to a comprehensive national training hub for tourism.
Due to COVID-19 limitations, the awards are currently in their fifth edition after a two-year hiatus.
Martin Mugarra stated that even though the nation is still dealing with the Ebola Outbreak, they are rather happy to inform the public that the Government of Uganda and partners have put measures in place to control the disease. This announcement was made by the permanent secretary of the ministry of health, Dr. Diana Atwiine.
These are the proposed Categories.
Tourism Media Personality 2022
Travel Photographer Of 2022
Tourism Supportive Media House.
Cultural Tourism Award 2022
Pearl Of Africa Event Of The Year.
Airline Of The Year.
Exceptional Restaurant 2022.
Best Eco Safari Lodge.
Exceptional New Hotel Of The Year.
Best Luxury And Business Hotel.
Young Tourism Personality.
User Friendly Transport Of The Year.
Adventure Destination Of The Year.
Outstanding Tour Guide
Sustainable Tour Operator.
Innovative Tourism Award 2022
Accessible And Inclusive Tourism Award.
Outstanding Tourism Entrepreneur.
Tourism Honorary Award.
Lifetime Tourism Achiever.