This archive report was first published on 5 June 2020.
Uganda's tourism industry has been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, with the country's economy expected to lose $1.6 billion annually in tourism earnings, President Yoweri Museveni warned.
Speaking on Monday, Museveni stated that the loss of tourism would have a significant impact on the country's economy, which relies heavily on tourism as a source of revenue.
According to the latest available data from the country's statistics office, Uganda earned $2 billion from tourism activities in 2017, up from $1.7 billion the previous year.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) had previously predicted that Uganda's tourism earnings would fall by 54% in the 2019/20 fiscal year and decline by 52% in the next year.
Additionally, Museveni noted that the economy would also lose a substantial chunk of the $1.3 billion sent home each year by Ugandans working abroad, as many would be out of work due to the global economic downturn following the pandemic.
