Travel Links Interviews Uganada’s Tourism Board Mr. Vincent Operemo
By Payal Sahni
Vincent Operemo is a Ugandan strategic planning and public sector governance professional and a Board Member of the Uganda Tourism Board, representing the National Planning Authority. He holds a PhD from Makerere University, a Master’s degree in Economic Policy and Planning, and postgraduate training in Monitoring and Evaluation. With over a decade of experience in strategic planning, policy analysis, and performance management, he brings strong governance oversight, analytical decision-making, stakeholder engagement, and ethical leadership to the Board. He currently serves as Manager, Strategic Planning at the National Planning Authority.
Q.Why is India strategically important for Uganda Tourism, and what specific traveller segments from India are you focusing on this year—luxury seekers, honeymooners, wildlife enthusiasts, MICE groups, or adventure travellers?
India is a high-growth, high-value source market for Uganda, driven by a rapidly expanding middle class, rising long-haul travel appetite, and strong interest in experiential and nature-based tourism. India is strategically important for Uganda Tourism on four fronts:
- Market scale and growth. India is among the world’s fastest-growing outbound markets with increasing spend per traveler.
- Product–market fit. Uganda’s wildlife, primates, landscapes, and cultural authenticity strongly match Indian travelers’ demand for unique, once-in-a-lifetime experiences.
- Seasonality advantage. Indian travel peaks align well with Uganda’s tourism calendar, helping smooth demand.
- Air connectivity and trade ties. Improving regional connections and strong business and diaspora links support sustained growth. The direct flights between Uganda and India as provided by Uganda Airlines is a plus in this regard.
Priority Indian traveler segments this year are: Wildlife and nature enthusiasts, particularly for gorilla and chimpanzee trekking; Luxury and experiential travelers, seeking exclusive lodges, bespoke safaris, and high-end service; Honeymooners, attracted by privacy, scenic landscapes, and unique experiences; MICE and incentive groups, leveraging Uganda’s emerging conference infrastructure and adventure add-ons.
Our strategy, therefore, is to position Uganda as a premium, experiential African destination for Indian travelers that is distinctive, authentic, and high-value rather than mass-market.
Q.What are Uganda Tourism Board’s key promotional strategies for India this year—roadshows, travel trade partnerships, airline collaborations, digital campaigns, or familiarization trips for Indian media and tour operators?
This year, Uganda Tourism Board is focusing on a high-impact mix of trade engagement and consumer outreach, targeting the markets currently producing a significant outbound trend. Our key strategies are:
- Roadshows and B2B partnerships in leading source cities to enable Ugandan operators to go face-to-face with Indian tour operators and travel agents.
- Strategic travel trade agreements to support major Indian outbound operators in packaging and marketing Uganda as a premium African experience.
- Collaboration between airlines and routes to increase destination awareness and drive demand through joint promotions.
- Digital and social media campaigns targeting high-intent Indian travellers through storytelling around wildlife, primates, luxury, and experiential travel.
- Familiarization (FAM) trips for Indian tour operators, media, and influencers to turn awareness into real ambassadors and market-ready products.
We aim to go beyond awareness to bookings, position Uganda as an African destination with differentiation, and increase long-term trade confidence in the Indian market.
Q. For the Indian travellers planning their first visit, what are the absolute must-do experiences—such as gorilla trekking in Bwindi, safaris in Queen Elizabeth National Park, cruising the Nile, cultural encounters, or luxury lodges in remote wilderness settings?
For incoming Indian visitors, Uganda provides an unusually high-quality combination of classic, bucket-list activities best encapsulated with the slogan: “Once in Uganda.” The complete must-do experiences when visiting and exploring Uganda include: first, going for Gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Indeed, this is a rare and emotionally charged experience found in very few places on earth. Secondly, we have the classic savannah safaris in Queen Elizabeth National Park which offer game drives along with the special Kazinga Channel boat cruise well known for its dense wildlife concentrations. Third is the envisionment: cruising the source of the Nile in Jinja for leisure travelers and families in search of relaxing, scenic activities. Next is the authentic cultural experiences with local communities, music, food and storytelling, giving it depth and meaning. Additionally, are the luxury lodges in pristine wilderness where you will experience nothing but privacy, comfort and world-class service providing and environment that is ideal for honeymooners and luxury travellers alike. Collectively, these experiences place Uganda as Africa’s most intimate, most emotionally rewarding destination—not mass tourism but meaningful, memorable travel.
Q. How is Uganda positioning itself in the high-end segment, and what kind of bespoke experiences can affluent Indian travellers expect?
Uganda is molding itself as Africa’s upscale luxury frontier: exclusive, intimate, deeply restorative, not crowded or commercial. To the high-end Indian travelers, the emphasis is on customized, slow-luxury experiences that include: (i) ultra-exclusive safari lodges and private villas set in forests, savannahs, and rivers, with bespoke butler service and privacy. (ii) Nature wellness from forest bathing in Bwindi to sunrise yoga by the Nile, spa therapies rooted in African botanicals, and digital-detox retreats. (iii) Private gorilla trekking and orchestrated wildlife adventures, supervised by expert trackers and conservationists. (iv) Customized itineraries spanning wildlife, culture, wellness, and gentle adventure, curated to accommodate the traveler’s stride, preferences, and lifestyle. Interventions include: High-touch services such as private transfers, helicopter trips to isolated lodges, and tailor-made dining experiences.
Uganda is not about volume it is about value, authenticity, transformative luxury for travellers seeking experiences in which money cannot so easily buy elsewhere.
Q.How is the destination ensuring conservation-led tourism, community involvement, and sustainable travel practices—particularly in sensitive regions like gorilla habitats and national parks?
Uganda’s model of tourism is conservation-minded, community-centered, and sustainable. This is ensured through means like: Intense conservation protocols: restricted permits to trek with gorillas, restricted numbers of visitors, and rigorous habitat protection to minimize environmental burden. Secondly, community benefit-sharing which makes tourism income an immediate source of benefit for local employment, education, health services, and community-owned businesses. Third, is through partnerships with conservation groups and NGOs to finance biodiversity conservation efforts, research, and anti-poaching initiatives. Next is through low-impact, high-value tourism that encourages longer stays and responsible consumption, rather than mass tourism. Finally ensuring sustainable operations of the lodge, eco-designed architecture, use of renewable energy, and supply chain sustainability features and products from their own communities. The result is a tourism biodiversity ecosystem in which wildlife flourishes, communities prosper, and visitors enjoy Uganda responsibly leaving a positive footprint rather than a heavy one.
Q. How important is the Indian travel media in shaping perceptions of Uganda, and what kind of partnerships do you see with leading publications like Travel Links to tell Uganda’s story to a discerning audience?
Indian travel media is absolutely central to how Uganda is discovered, understood, and desired in this market. For a destination like Uganda that is characteristically rich, authentic, and still relatively undiscovered, credible storytelling builds trust and aspiration. Leading platforms such as Travel Links help us move beyond awareness to emotional connection by showcasing real experiences, expert insights, and nuanced narratives that resonate with discerning Indian travellers. The approach to media partnerships should focus on: Deep, experience-led storytelling through destination features, expert columns, and themed narratives such as luxury, wildlife, and culture, wellness. Focus should also be on collaborative content journeys, including hosted visits, conservation-led stories, and behind-the-scenes access to Uganda’s people, parks, and premium lodges. In addition, is the targeted reach to decision-makers that includes the high-net-worth travelers, honeymooners, MICE planners, and luxury tour operators. The other is the long-term editorial partnerships, not one-off promotions, to consistently position Uganda as a high-value, responsible, and aspirational destination.Generally, we view Indian travel media not just as a channel, but as strategic partners in shaping Uganda’s brand story authentic, inspiring, and trusted.
Could you outline the current visa process for Indian passport holders, available e-visa facilities, and progress on improving air connectivity—either via direct routes or strategic hub connections?
Regarding, Visa Access. Uganda e-Visa can be provided by an Indian passport holder before travel through a simplified online procedure that eliminates the need to travel via an embassy or a long queue. The e-Visa can be applied for at https://visas.immigration.go.ug and usually relates to tourism, business and transit. It is applicable to different entry categories and lengths of time depending on the travelers’ itinerary. On Arrival Options, for qualified travelers, Uganda also provides visas on arrival at major entry points, but our policy is to ensure that all candidates will have an e-Visa for a smoother experience upon arrival. On air connectivity, Uganda Airlines now operates direct flights to India making it cost effectiveness and convenient for travelers. Regarding, strategic partnerships, Uganda Tourism Board is engaging airlines, travel partners and trade stakeholders on direct services and better pricing in the future, in particular in terms of aligning flight scheduling to peak Indian demand windows and MICE traffic.
Uganda has a simple and efficient online e-Visa system that provides Indian travelers with an alternative visa-on-arrival option. These streamlined processes and reliable air links provide high traveler confidence, making Uganda an accessible and attractive destination for the Indian market.
Is Uganda leveraging international events, sports tourism, or film productions to raise its profile in India, and are there plans to host Indian incentive groups, destination weddings, or special-interest travel segments in the near future?
True, Uganda is using events, sports tourism, film exposure, and special-interest travel as tools to build its profile in India and drive new demand. Uganda is positioning itself as more than a traditional safari destination by leveraging high-visibility platforms, which resonate strongly with Indian audiences. Uganda is leveraging international events and sports tourism by linking Uganda’s distinct settings with global events (ultra-marathons, mountain biking, rowing at the Source of the Nile, etc.) to entice niche travelers and sports fans from India. Film and Content Tourism is yet another area where efforts are made towards promoting the production of films, location scouting and the use of influencers to tell their stories through digital and broadcast platforms that bring Uganda’s natural beauty, primates and landscapes to Indian audiences. In addition is the incentive travel & MICE that creates tailored solutions for Indian corporate incentive groups and conferences, combining high-end meetings and curated experiences in remote wilderness and luxury lodges. Destination weddings and special interest segments is yet another aspect comprising tailored wedding packages, honeymoon experiences, wellness retreats, birding tours, photography expeditions, and cultural immersion itineraries that reach into the burgeoning Indian appetite for unique, experiential travel. These efforts are underpinned by targeted trade engagement, curated storytelling, and partnership activation all intended to raise Uganda’s profile and translate inspirational interest into bookings across various segments of Indian travelers.
Future Vision for the Indian Market. Looking ahead three to five years, what is your long-term vision for Uganda in the Indian outbound travel landscape, and what message would you like to send to Indian travellers who are seeking meaningful, off-the-beaten-path African experiences?
Over the medium term that is the next three to five years, we envision Uganda emerging as India’s most genuine and aspirational African experience beyond the traditional safari to offer rare wildlife, breathtaking scenery, cultural wealth, and warm, personal hospitality. We also see Uganda firmly established on the radar for travelers from India who want to travel in a fulfilling, immersive, and responsibly curated way, backed by greater air connectivity, stronger trade partnerships, and consistent brand storytelling in India. To Indian travelers we have a simple, assertive message: Uganda is Africa, untold. It’s a place to trek mountain gorillas, cruise the Nile, explore pristine national parks, connect deeply with local communities, and enjoy world-class comfort often in complete privacy. People who want to go beyond the obvious, to discover something extraordinary that is deeply meaningful and travel with a purpose, Uganda offers a once-in-a-lifetime experience that feels uniquely exclusive and profoundly enriching.
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