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.