Kenneth Kazibwe
The Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo which was scheduled to be held next month has been extended by a month, organisers have said.
This year's expo was set to be held February 8 - 11 but has
now been postponed to April 26 - 28, 2023 and according to Uganda Tourism
Board, the rescheduling of the event will allow a comprehensive engagement and
participation of stakeholders.
According to the UTB board chairperson, Daudi Migereko,this
year's edition seeks to reposition destination Uganda through transformational marketing
of all the country's tourism offering post the pandemics.
He added that the one month extension will enable a
comprehensive arrangement that provides sufficient time for participation.
"Over the years, POATE has given stakeholders of the
tourism industry a unique chance to network, meet new clients and discuss
business opportunities," he said.
The expo will feature national, regional and international
exhibitors, business to business and business to consumer meetings, hosted
buyer familiarisation trips, among many activities.
UTB CEO Lilly Ajarova explained that with the expo, closer
ties between Uganda and the major international tourism source markets will be
fostered.
"It will open up new tourist markets for both
intra-African and international travel. The participation from a wide range of
tourism trade partners, hosted buyers, local and international media, tour
operators, travel agencies and other tourism-related organisations is important
to the growth of the sector," Ajarova said.
The Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo is an annual signature
event for Uganda that offers a platform to market and propel growth of the
tourism sector.
Uganda Tourism Board anticipates participation of over 100
hosted buyers, 300 exhibitors that include tourism boards and corporate
entities.
The expo also envisages to host more than 5,000 trade
visitors and consumers to attend over the three days.