Uganda has a rich and diverse landscape ranging from the snow-capped Rwenzori Mountains to the immense Lake Victoria. It is rich in biodiversity and its wildlife includes endangered gorillas and chimpanzees as well as rare birds. Uganda, has reclaimed its position as the “Pearl of Africa” and has managed to reposition itself as an attractive tourism destination, drawing more then 1.2 million travelers in 2013, according to Uganda’s tourism board.
The Rwenzori Mountains are on the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo and hold amongst its range the third largest peaks of Equatorial Africa. The main attraction is hiking and mountaineering, with some less strenuous options near the villages. However the RMNP does not compete with visitation of other destinations in Uganda and the potential to attract tourism that will support conservation efforts and community livelihoods is great.
The present assessment looks at development of sustainable tourism products for RMNP and relevant communities, looking at improvement of existing products and new opportunities working with local communities. This was done in the context of ensuring resources that support the RMNP and make communities an active stakeholder in tourism provision services.
The objective of this project is to provide RMNP with the necessary recommendations to develop sustainable tourism products that will attract environmentally and culturally sensitive travelers, increasing revenue generation for the park, providing communities with sustainable revenue streams, while still maintaining the conservation priorities of the park in place.
