Ecotourism seen as best bet against climate change.gorilla safari
Ecotourism has no clear, world widely accepted definition, but this one by International ecotourism society is most commonly used;
“Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people”
The tourism sector is seeking sustainable ways of doing business in the face of growing concerns over environmental degradation.
For many of the world’s poorest countries, tourism is seen as a means of obtaining foreign exchange and of developing infrastructure. A country promoting low-impact, ecological tourism may be able to better avoid the adverse environmental effects of traditional tourism and from the sale of natural resources. Furthermore, since the sustainability of the ecotourism industry is dependent upon the preservation of environmental quality and biodiversity, it is felt that it can bolster conservation efforts. Ecotourism is appealing to tourists, environmentalists, businesses, and governments alike.
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Climate change is one of the major challenges the Tourism sector is facing and has to contend with in order to survive.
This has spurred industry players into looking at innovative ways as means to effectively respond to these concerns and priorities that have been the subjects of debate across the globe.
“We cannot continue how we use to, we need to adopt new measures for our businesses to meet the challenges we are facing,” said Ms Edith Alusa-Bosire, the chief executive of Ecotourism Kenya.
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Speaking during a three day conference hosted by the organization in Nairobi she noted that the sector has a lot to lose from pollution because it relies on the surrounding environment for its sustainability.
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The conference themed ‘Tourism Business in a Changing Climate’ has brought together players in the sector from the region to discuss the problems climate change is bringing to tourism management and what implications these are likely to have.
Destruction of the environment has had a major impact on the sector.
In Kenya, the destruction of the Mau forest water tower is posing a major threat to the Maasai Mara, one of the country’s major attraction.
“We need to clearly identify the effects of climate change on tourism. Get insights into the current status and what the future opportunities are,” said Adam Jillo, the acting chair of Kenya Tourism Federation.
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As part of the diversification plan, the country has been positioning itself as a major eco-tourism destination in a bid to attract tourists.
Ecotourism Kenya, which was founded in 1996, runs an eco-rating scheme that recognizes efforts by investors in sustainable tourism.
This year plans are underway to broaden the scheme to cover tour operators as previously it concentrated on facilities like hotels, lodges and camps among others.
The scheme is voluntary and enables these facilities to market themselves as authentically ecofriendly.
The scheme began in 2002 and has three progressive levels of certification – bronze, silver and gold.

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WHO can speak the heart of a black man? Who can act the pain, the desires, the loves and the hates of black experience?

These are some of the haunting questions written on one wall of the Apartheid Museum, located on Gold Reef Road in Johannesburg, South Africa.
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The museum takes you to the infamous l970s and 80s when racial segregation was at its peak in this southern state. It’s easy to feel the anguish and bitterness that the blacks had to endure, let alone the innocent civilians who died at the hand of the white man.
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The museum leaves no stone unturned - from the entrance where you pass through a steel gate according to your race, to the shockingly brutal, yet honest photographs, videos and documents, the visit can be chilling. You don’t need a guide to walk you around; there are little inscriptions on every corner, explaining everything.
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It’s an emotional journey and once or twice you are likely to see a white tourist shaking his head contemptuously, as though he is guilty of what his counterparts did back then. But eventually — after about two hours through the maze — you reach a corner demonstrating the country’s steps to freedom, pictures of the democratic elections in 1994 and the famous freedom fighter Nelson Mandela.
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This extraordinarily powerful museum, certain to become one of Johannesburg’s most important tourist attractions, has become an obligatory stop for tourists and residents alike.
“Come and discover the secrets of Africa’

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Mountain Gorillas have returned to Mgahinga National Park set in the most stunning landscape which provides an incredible backdrop for a gorilla safari.
Seven gorillas that had crossed to Rwanda from Mgahinga National Park in south-western Uganda a year ago have returned from their long exile across the border in Rwanda’s Parc de Volcanoes. This is the longest time the group has spent in Rwanda.
According to Lillian Nsubuga, the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) spokesperson, the Nyakagezi group left the country on 18th November 2008 and they have just returned.
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However, Nsubuga was not certain when the tracking of the group would recommence.
“We have started monitoring them.Travel guide info, So far, they have not charged at the trackers meaning that they are still habituated. This is an indication that tracking by tourists could begin soon,” she said.
Nyakagezi was the only habituated group in Mgahinga National Park. Habituation is a process through which gorillas become used to human beings without losing their wild character.
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The gorillas are in the border transcending ecosystem, nestled in the triangle between Congo DR, Rwanda and Uganda.
“Wildlife is migratory in nature, but the gorillas have a place they call home,” Nsubuga said.
Nsubuga was asked whether the gorillas are likely to go back to Rwanda, and Nsubuga said: “I cannot rule that out, but their home is in Mgahinga and they will always come back.”
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While the mountain gorillas were away, the park authorities were promoting the golden monkeys as a tourism attraction.
With the return of Nyakagezi and the recent launch of other groups in Bwindi, Nshongi and Nkuringo, Kisoro is likely to become a tourism hub

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By Adrian Ssali For the Gorilla Safari Company (African Secrets)

The economic clunk is gradually catching up with Uganda’s and the entire East Africa’s Tourism industry. Deteriorating figures of tourists, few inquiries on national parks and immense cancellations of reservations and gorilla permits have become the order of the day in the tourism industry.

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It’s observed that “If things continue in the same direction over 30 per cent of the tour companies are likely to close business and hundreds of Ugandans are likely to become jobless,” reported by the dairy Monitor.

Uganda and many other developing countries depending on the tourism industry can not survive the effects of this economic depression because a big percentage of their clientele is based in Europe and the US. Unfortunately these are the region’s worst hit by the recession. Now, many Ugandan investors in the industry are worried they could be headed for closures.

Some tour companies have derived surviving measures like offensive marketing in all the places they go. Some have opened offices in various countries and others have decided to venture in more than one business so that they can survive inter dependently.

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There is hope that the US President’s Barrack Obama’s rescue budget of $800 billion will change the situation. However, if the situation remains the same Uganda is most likely to lose out on the revenue contribution from the tourism industry.

Uganda’s main attraction is the endangered mountain gorilla which is said to share 98.4% of its genes with human beings. Out of the estimated 720 mountain gorillas left in the world, 340 of them are found in the jungles of Bwindi Forest National Park which is also believed to have over 32 groups/families of gorillas.

A family of gorillas is usually made up of approximately 10 to 30 members which include one or two Silverbacks and several juveniles or black backs.

Of all the 32 groups, only four groups have so far been habituated for gorilla tracking in Uganda’s Mgahinga and Bwindi National Parks. However two other groups are likely to be open for tourism by the end of this year.

Selling of gorilla permits since the early 1990s has been the solitary responsibility of the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) as mandated by an act of parliament. However, recently Uganda Wildlife Authority decided to privatize one of the habituated groups, the Nkuringo family of gorillas. And decided that with effect from August, the buying of Nkuringo gorilla permits will be done through the Gorilla Safari Company which is owned by Jonathan Wright.

However this decision taken by UWA to privatise the Nkuringo habituated group has met critism from different tour operators and local communities. According to Dorothy, one of the Uganda’s tour operators, the privatisation of the Nkuringo group is the biggest injustice UWA has done to both tour operators and the residents/locals of Kisoro. This kind of concession was done in bad faith. It is well known that despite gorilla permits being the backbone of our tourism industry, they are also scarce and very competitive. Thus giving the domination of their sale to an individual tour operator is a subordinate we should fight as early as possible, said Dorothy.

At the stakeholders’ meeting convened by UWA at Hotel Equatorial at the end of last year, the Executive Director of UWA was asked to throw more light on this concession. He did not have a clear answer at the time though promised that stakeholders could be called at a later date for an explanation in regard to this move.

At the meeting most Ugandan tour operators established that it’s so absurd that to this day stakeholders have not got any explanation despite the fact that a concession agreement has already been signed between UWA/NCDF and the Uganda Safari Company. There is now a new scramble for our natural resources. There fore if Ugandan tour operators do not fight such tendencies, very soon the whole of Ugandan national parks might be privatized.

Owning a lodge should not be a reason for six of the eight permits to be sold by a single individual/ tour operator. These gorillas are a national resource and should therefore not be tagged to someone because he /she has put up a lodge somewhere.

The privatisation of the Nkuringo habituated group has not only faced criticism from the local tour operators but also different hotels and safari lodges owners have come up to oppose it. Many of the Ugandans have invested in the park and its outskirts. For example Kitandara Tented Camp, Buhoma Community Banda’s and African Pearl Safaris which own lodges in Bwindi currently run as Buhoma Lodge though under the management of G & C. For the last years, non of these investors has ever requested to have or own a family of gorillas. This type of special consideration, though it may have its positive side to UWA, may lead to other investors such as Mr. Amos Wekesa of the famous Primates Lodge Kibale to also request to have control over the sale of chimp permits since he owns a lodge in the Kibale forest national park.

It’s not being against some investors putting up competitive/ luxury / high end lodges. It is in fact a positive thing but they should not dictate over the tourism industry by giving terms such as requesting to monopolize the selling of permits and denying other potential investors from constructing lodges within particular areas.

A competitor in the tour industry can never be fair in selling these permits. The implication of this move is that other stakeholders in Kisoro town; such as Internet cafés, restaurants/hotels and craft sellers among others, will lose business.

This may endanger the gorillas in a way that the locals will not see any benefit in protecting them hence develop a hostile attitude to both the tourists and the gorillas. The industry also stands to lose as a result of this move. Putting into consideration that the tourism industry receives both high end and budget travellers. The budget travellers will stay at Nkuringo Eco Lodge with the high prices that they are due to charge.

The rates have also changed, they will be charging 450 dollars per person per night with a further condition that a minimum of two nights have to be booked. Meaning that a single client will spend 900 dollars on accommodation and an extra 500 dollars on the permit. This however, does not include transport, administrative costs and government tax. This is a thorn to Uganda’s tourism industry since budget clients should be given an opportunity to choose between the high end and budget tour.

This move has already forced tour operators to go in for Rwanda gorilla permits. I do not understand why the planners at UWA / Ministry of Tourism in Uganda do not foresee that such a move will kill gorilla tourism in Uganda as tour operators will have opted to cross the border hence promoting Rwanda tourism over their own.

Tour operators should have a say in how they/ locals of Kisoro/ Kanungu and the surrounding areas can benefit from them!