Guidelines for operationalizing the greened Tourism Bill in Uganda

The government of Uganda recognizes the importance of tourism for overall economic and social development. Tourism can boost economic revenue, reduce poverty through job creation, develop infrastructure, generate a sense of cultural exchange between nationals and foreigners, and help realize the Second National Development Plan and Uganda’s Vision 2040 – both designed to strengthen the country’s competitiveness. 

However, the interdependent relationship between tourists, the tourism industry, and the environment and local communities presents various opportunities and challenges to sustainable development. A thoughtful approach to tourism is necessary more than ever in order to boost the positive impacts while minimizing the negative ones. 

That’s why SWITCH Africa Green facilitated sub-regional and institutional consultations that resulted in a tourism regulatory impact assessment report, then used to develop a greened tourism bill in Uganda. The new bill is pending the first reading in Parliament. Five guidelines were developed for operationalizing the new bill along with a policy brief for sensitizing policy makers for greening the tourism sector.

Policy Brief