Government Moves to Promote Local Cuisine as a Key Tourism Product

The Ugandan government is taking steps to transform the country’s rich culinary heritage into a major tourism offering. According to the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, poor marketing and inadequate packaging have historically hindered the nation from fully exploiting its diverse food culture.

Speaking at a recent three-day training program on sustainable culinary techniques in Mukono, tourism curator Davids Halongo noted that while Uganda’s tourism sector is predominantly nature-based, food currently ranks third behind culture. However, he emphasized that gastronomy has the potential to become the country’s leading tourist attraction if properly marketed.

“Uganda is mainly nature-based. Cultural tourism is also coming up, so we can say food comes number three. But food can be number one if we package it very well and sell it to tourists,” Halongo stated.

The initiative, organized in partnership with the Standing Committee for Commercial and Economic Cooperation (COMCEC) and trainers from Makerere University, brought together local chefs, hospitality students, and food business operators. It builds upon ongoing efforts initiated in 2020, which included benchmarking visits to Egypt to help shape a new Ugandan culinary training manual.

Industry experts point out that the goal is to shift from merely serving meals to offering a comprehensive cultural experience. Hospitality educator Francis Kalumira explained that visitors are willing to pay for the narrative behind traditional dishes, such as learning how matooke is cultivated, harvested, peeled, wrapped in banana leaves, and eventually mashed. He also highlighted the popular street food, the Rolex, as a prime example of a product whose value multiplies when its origin story is shared.

Participants like Resty Bayiga, a student at St Mary’s Academy of Girls Vocational in Mukono, noted that the training transformed their perspective beyond basic cooking to embracing the cultural significance of food.

Officials believe that overcoming awareness gaps and improving packaging will successfully diversify Uganda’s tourism products while creating sustainable income streams for local food businesses.

For more details, read the original report on the Daily Monitor.