On October 7, 2024, the United Kingdom Air Updates announced that Uganda Airlines secured 4 weekly slots to operate between Entebbe and London Gatwick’s South Terminal.

With Uganda having introduced new direct flights to several African countries like Nigeria, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, adding the UK to the list could not only help Uganda open markets to its goods and products but also promote its tourism.

With over 10 national parks compared to its neighbors Kenya with 31 national parks and game reserves and Tanzania with 15, it’s been long overdue for Uganda since the counterparts already have direct flights to the United Kingdom, which could be a good introduction to the European travelers market.

Amos Wekesa, a Ugandan tourism expert and owner of Great Lakes Safaris, while expressing concern on why Uganda did not have a single direct flight to any European city, stated how that could be the explanation behind Tanzania’s 1.8 million tourists from Europe in a year and yet Uganda had less than 40,000.

“In adventure tourism business or general business travels, travelers will travel more to countries with direct flights plus easy visa access,” Wekesa shared.

“It’s because travelers who are also called spenders, will create the demand; they will create what they call bums on seats as airlines call it,“ Wekesa added.

Noting the UK as the biggest source of tourists annually from Europe, Wekesa said Uganda still gets less than 12,000. He also noted Germans as the second with only 4,860, and France the third with 3002 tourists. On the other hand, Tanzania gets 111, 000 French tourists, 93,000 German tourists, and 34,000 Dutch tourists annually.

“Imagine each spent a conservative figure of USD 3000 in Tanzania, or ours spent the same,” Wekesa wrote.

In comparison to the neighbors like Kenya, Wekesa noted how a tourist in Europe who has over 196 countries to choose from would automatically go to those with direct flights.

With the majority of tourists from Europe coming from the United Kingdom, having direct flights there will be a positive step towards harnessing the majority of the tourists there.

According to the Ministry of Tourism Statistical Abstract 2024, Uganda is still grappling with the challenge of growing the overseas market, and yet overseas tourists are generally high spenders, thus contributing significantly to foreign exchange earnings.