As I sat alone to experience the breeze of Eastern Uganda, where I had gone to attend a two-day Teso Tourism Symposium that took place this weekend at the Soroti Museum in Soroti city, I began to wonder, seeing the natural cycles of evolution that are responsible for all the amazing creatures. All of them make up the rich ecosystem, which is so beautiful and stunning that, if well exploited, they can move our nation.

I could hear the birds chirping and animals’ noise from afar, yet it sounded beautiful, and I have no doubt they could hear each other from a thousand miles. I felt like we could utilize our creatures and the beautiful scenery to boost our tourism, and there’s some hope. But the problem is that most people really have no idea of our rich ecosystem or what tourism sites look like. Even when they see some of the features in real life, they don’t get to interact with them or even see them for very long.

However, if marketing is well done, I am sure some species and environments can be discovered because we have a lot of natural wonders and will know that there’s a lot left that we have that we can still fight for. Uganda’s natural beauty is inspiring, which is one thing that gives me hope for the future with the naturally endowed country, yet its unique beauty remains unspoken and silent.

Drawing reference to the Teso Tourism Symposium that occurred from July 19–20, 2024, a great opportunity that was meant to highlight Teso’s tourism potential worldwide, the event’s turn-up was very low, with barely one hundred people showing up on the first day. I got word of the symposium a week before its occurrence and through a news story on local television.

As Day two of the event unfolded; it was not any better, and through a few interactions with a couple of locals, I discovered that they had no idea about it. During the day’s activities, groups of citizens could be seen looking through the fence longingly, unaware that entry was free, and barely any advertisement posters were seen around the city. The whole experience made me reflect on how the tourism potential of Uganda has been fumbled over and over because of poor, ineffective, and non-intentional marketing.

The event was organized by the Teso Cultural Union in partnership with the Soroti Museum, under the Ministry of Tourism. This line-up of organizers is capable of successfully mobilizing a large audience for any activity within the Teso region. But it seems marketing is one thing that several tourism-centered event organizers have ignored. If it is attempted, it is either non-intentional, underfunded, or pandered to the wrong audience. It is no surprise, because a large majority of people in Uganda do not believe that marketing needs to be heavily invested in.

Many projects similar to this have failed because of this very reason; however, there is room for improvement for the Teso Tourism Symposium, as this is the first of its kind.