The government of Uganda recently reiterated a statement to confirm that international tourists are welcome to visit the different destinations the country has on offer but insisted that local or domestic tourists are banned from exploring the country. This comes as a result of the fact that other local people have been roaming the country under the disguise of being tourists touring the different places.
For international travelers note that there are some guidelines put in place by the respective government bodies to enable easy movement of tourist around the country these include;
The Vehicles to be used:
The tourist vehicle must be licensed, insured, properly labelled and belonging to a Uganda Tourism Board licensed tour company.
The vehicle must have spaced visitor seating, and availability of sanitizers and face masks are compulsory in these vehicles.
All vehicles should leave the driver co seat vacant and not occupied throughout the tourist’ travel in the country.
The Vehicle Occupants:
The driver guide driving the vehicle must have negative PCR test results taken within 48Hours before the start of the trip.
All occupants in the vehicles MUST sanitize regularly and wear face masks at all times
The driver guide must have proper identification while driving the vehicle.
The driver guide and the tourists must be in possession of the itinerary (journey plan) that they are following.
The driver guide must be in possession of proof of bookings for tourist activities, park entrances, and accommodations for where they would be staying at.
Tourists onboard must at all times carry their vaccination cards, negative PCR test certificates, passports, and their flight tickets ready for inspection at any gazatted spots along their journey.
The Occupants of the vehicle should make it a point to always keep on the route of their travel and refrain from mixing with the local population enroute.
The Tour Operator:
The tour operator should ensure that all the above are in place and the vehicle plus the vehicle are in the right condition to be on the road.
Failure to adhere to the above guidelines would lead to the cancellation of the sticker and the company faces suspension.
Reaction from the General Public:
The general public in Uganda feels like they are going to be indoors while the tourist from abroad come and enjoy what the country has on offer. The government feels that the foreign exchange earned from international travelers supersedes what would otherwise be realized from the local travelers.
The experts from the respective ministries also feel that the international travelers who come to explore the country pose less risk of spreading the virus since most of them are fully vaccinated and carry negative PCR test certificates as opposed to the local travelers who are reluctant to take the tests and are not fully vaccinated.
Generally if you are planning to travel to Uganda, note the above guidelines and also bear in mind that the country is dully open for tourists with all tourist destinations open with the major emphasis on observing the standard operating procedures and while on the road, police is enforcing the presidential directive of only essential employees and tourist vehicles are allowed on the road.
