Uganda Tour operators finally gain control over gorilla permits
The long struggles between Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) and the Association of Uganda Tour Operators (Auto) was finally resolved by the minister of Tourism,Maria Mutagamba. It was last week when she made an announcement that left all the tour operators smiling saying that all rights concerning viewing,selling and obtaining gorilla permits belong to the Tour operators.
In the past weeks,the executive director of Uganda Wildlife Authority,Andrew Sseguya came out and said that the minister had acted unfairly by stopping the online gorilla permit purchase which according to him was aimed at creating a competitive advantage for the country when it comes to marketing.This programme was not supported by the tour operators who argued that it was aimed at kicking them out of business because tourists would no longer use them but obtain the permits online.This led to disagreements among the two bodies and several unsuccessful meetings were organized to resolve the issue.
The minister of Tourism was forced to set up a committee which was to carry out a research on why the Tour Operators opposed the online gorilla permit programme and why Uganda Wildlife Authority was insisting on the project.When this committee met the various officials from AUTO,they came to learn that putting the permits online affects the country’s tourism since operators from other countries like Kenya,Rwanda and Tanzania would gain from it more than Ugandans.The committee also came to know that the programme could lead to a reduction in the number of tourists who visit other Uganda’s National Parks because of the reduced marketing.
With all the negative attributes that the committee learnt,it was forced to disregard the online gorilla permit exercise stating that it was not for the good of marketing Uganda’s tourism but only gorilla permits.They also said that going on with this project would give tourists 100% control over their safari planning leaving the tour operators out of business.They presented their findings to the minister who confirmed and decided to stop the programme. She said that its only those Tour companies that are registered which have complete rights to access the gorilla permits on behalf of the visitors.
Currently,Uganda has about 150 registered Tour companies which helps visitors to plan and book accommodation on their behalf before embarking on their Safari.However,tourists interested in gorilla tracking are required to obtain a gorilla permit which acts as an acceptance document to view the primates.These rare primates are found in Bwindi Impenetrable and Mgahinga National Park.Currently,the permit costs US$ 600 per person,per day.
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