KAMPALA, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- Tourism officials in Uganda on Monday said they have stepped up efforts to attract more Chinese tourists to the east African country.
Daudi Migereko, chairperson Uganda Tourism Board, a government agency charged with the promotion of tourism, told Xinhua by telephone on Monday that the government is in the process of hiring an international public relations firm to market Uganda in China.
Migereko said they had chosen to put in more effort in marketing in China because it is one of the major sources of tourists in the world.
"The Chinese tour in big numbers and spend more time whenever they visit compared to tourists from other countries. The more time they spend, the more money our country will earn from them," Migereko said.
He also said Uganda's choice to focus on China was informed by the growing economy of the Asian country as well as its special interest in Africa.
"The Chinese have toured all the other continents in the world and now they have special interest in Africa. They come as tourists but also as investors. So we need to up our game and ensure that we market Uganda as special country within Africa where they can come and enjoy their holidays," Migereko noted.
The public relations firm is expected to liaise with tour operators in China, airlines and other companies to promote Uganda's tourism potential.
Migereko said already Uganda's embassy in China and its consulate in Guangzhou are doing some work to market the country.
There are no readily available figures to show the number of Chinese tourists who visit Uganda.
Uganda also uses public relations firms to market the country in Europe and the United States.
The country earns about 1.5 billion U.S. dollars annually from tourism and expects the figure to double by 2020.
