Tourism in Uganda has its roots to when future prime minister Winston Churchill visited the nation in 1907 and dubbed it as the “Pearl of Africa” for its colorful nature.
In the late 1960s, Uganda was visited by 100,000 international tourists each year. Tourism was the country’s fourth largest earner of foreign exchange. The tourist industry ended in the early 1970s because of political instability. By the late 1980s, Uganda’s political climate had stabilized and conditions were suitable for reinvestment in Uganda’s tourist industry.
However, the loss of charismatic wildlife in previously popular safari parks such as Murchison Falls National Park and Queen Elizabeth National Park prevented these parks from competing with similar tourist attractions in neighboring Kenya and Tanzania. Uganda’s tourist industry instead promoted its tropical forests. The keystone of the new industry became Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. With more than 300 mountain gorillas, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park has approximately half of the world’s population of mountain gorillas.
In October 2014 the Ugandan government’s Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities released the 2014–2024 Tourism Development Master Plan with support from the United Nations World Tourism Organization and the United Nations Development Programed. Among other strategies, the Plan divides the country up into several geographical “Tourism Development Areas.”
The Ruwenzori Mountains in southwestern Uganda.
Presently, the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities and the Uganda Tourism Board maintain information along with statistics pertaining to tourism for the country. There has been increased investment in tourism, particularly in travel accommodation and related facilities; this has enhanced tourists’ experience in the country.
Adventure tourism, ecotourism and cultural tourism are being developed. About three-quarters of Uganda’s tourists are from other African countries. Kenya, which borders Uganda, is the biggest source of tourists to Uganda, making up almost half of all arrivals into the country. The number of visitors from Tanzania, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Sudan is quite low.
As Uganda is a landlocked country, it is very dependent on connections through Kenya for most of its transport. International travellers sometimes prefer to fly into Nairobi before connecting to Uganda’s capital Kampala as this is often cheaper. Below is a table showing the number of tourists that have visited Uganda’s national parks between 2006–2010. In 2012 Uganda was awarded Number 1 in “Top Countries & Travel Destinations 2012” by Lonely Planes
| National Parks | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 |
| Murchison Falls National Park | 26,256 | 32,049 | 35,316 | 39,237 | 53,460 | 56,799 | 60,803 | 70,799 |
| Queen Elizabeth National Park | 43,885 | 51,749 | 53,921 | 62,513 | 76,037 | 88,407 | 58,172 | 69,193 |
| Kidepo Valley National Park | 959 | 795 | 1,633 | 2,924 | 3,208 | 2,452 | 2,300 | 2,890 |
| Lake Mburo National Park | 12,508 | 14,264 | 16,539 | 17,521 | 20,966 | 20,864 | 22,927 | 14,068 |
| Rwenzori Mountains National Park | 948 | 1,583 | 2,020 | 1,281 | 1,529 | 1,798 | 1,663 | 2,724 |
| Bwindi Impenetrable National Park | 10,176 | 9,585 | 10,362 | 11,806 | 15,108 | 16,997 | 18,259 | 21,695 |
| Mgahinga Gorilla National Park | 2,071 | 2,676 | 3,303 | 1,886 | 3,328 | 7,661 | 2,497 | 8,951 |
| Semliki National Park | 1,942 | 1,342 | 1,732 | 2,701 | 3,393 | 3,152 | 3,591 | 5,752 |
| Kibaale National Park | 6,969 | 7,651 | 7,383 | 7,799 | 9,482 | 7,530 | 10,372 | 15,782 |
| Mount Elgon National Park | 2,964 | 3,472 | 3,708 | 2,943 | 2,660 | 2,334 | 1,565 | 2,096 |
| Total | 108,678 | 125,166 | 135,917 | 150,611 | 189,171 | 207,994 | 182,149 | 213,950 |
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