Community development through tourism in Northeast-Uganda
Through sustainable tourism, Kara-Tunga aims to improve livelihoods of the indigenous communities and preserve cultural heritage in the Karamoja region.
The Karamoja sub-region in Eastern Uganda, according to national travel organization Let’s Go Travel, is one of the most remote parts of the country. For years the major attraction to this area was Kidepo Valley National Park which has some of the most stunning landscapes and the only place to see Cheetahs and Wild Dogs in Uganda. Most tourists would fly in and out only spending time in the environs of the Park. But this has now changed and the Karamojong area is full of unique cultural and wildlife experiences you will not get anywhere else in Africa let alone Uganda.
There are plenty of activities and experiences to do of varying durations and exertion levels, all you need is an open mind and sense of adventure.
Tourism potential of Karamoja
According to Julius Barigaba from The EastAfrican, [t]he government of Uganda […] is encouraging private investors to package, promote and market cultural tourism in Karamoja.
The region is the last frontier for tourism and is considered one of the country’s gems. Tour operators in the region are already reaping the benefits of this initiative, with tours operators bringing in tourist parties daily.
Today, a visit to Uganda is considered incomplete if it does not include the northeastern Karamoja circuit, [which] offers a cultural experience considered as authentic as it is unique.
Leading the marketing of Karamoja is Kara-Tunga Tours, set up in 2016. The company is selling cultural tourism in Karamoja and is fully booked by groups of four to 12 tourists a time in the low and peak seasons respectively, says Barigaba.
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The background story of Kara-Tunga
In one of their ‘good practice’ features, Good Tourism Institute introduces Theo Vos, […] founding director of Kara-Tunga, Karamoja Tours and the Karamoja Tourism Academy. Vos: ‘I am half Dutch and half Karamojong, was raised in the Netherlands and went back Uganda to discover my roots a few years ago. I saw the potential of the area and wanted to positively change its image and to create an income for local communities.’
Tourism development at the core
‘The Karamoja region has been unthinkable as [a] tourism destination due to decades of isolation and conflict,’ Vos continues. ‘Peace has returned and we now develop community tourism in the region with Kara-Tunga. For long, tourism in Uganda has been focused on wildlife safaris, Gorilla trekking, and other touristic destinations. However, community tourism is a unique opportunity for the local community to participate and benefit from their natural and cultural resources.’
‘Tourism development is therefore at the core of our operations,’ says Vos. ‘We concentrate on rural areas affected most by decline in the capacity of agriculture. Degeneration of the countryside is prevented, and cultural heritage preserved by raising additional family income through tourism. […].’
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Social mission and objectives
Kara-Tunga aims to improve livelihoods of the indigenous communities and preserve cultural heritage in the Karamoja region through sustainable tourism development, regional tourism marketing and capacity building. Vos explains that Kara-Tunga has [five] main objectives:
1. Education through the Karamoja Tourism Academy
‘We aim to improve the quality of life. […]. By developing more adventure and cultural tours, we create more job opportunities for locals. [And] by training them to be tour guides, we give them the opportunity to build their own future, while offering unique and authentic tourism experiences.’
2. Cultural development
‘We further aim to develop […] products that preserve cultural heritage and improve [the] livelihoods of the local community. We have, for instance, been training four Restless Development youth groups on how to add value […] to their indigenous craft making skills. This enables the groups to sell their crafts on an international market.’
3. Promotion
‘We also focus on changing the negative stigma of the Karamoja region through online storytelling, (inter)national online promotion, hosting journalists and events. Discover Karamoja is founded to positively impact the reputation of the Karamoja region and its people [and to] support sustainable development through community tourism. We share our stories online, in magazines and in videos.’
4. Sustainability
‘We try to limit our environmental footprint and enlarge our social impact. We do this through sustainable practices; from recycling water to fair wages. We strive to limit any negative impacts of our operations. We have banned plastic bags, are planting trees, collect green waste, recycle water, reduce CO2 and grow our own food.’
5. Spreading impact
‘Lastly, we collaborate and share our knowledge with other tourism developers to spread the positive impact of sustainable tourism beyond Karamoja. Our latest project is the Warrior Nomad Trail. A cross-border initiative that preserves cultural heritage, creates job opportunities and fosters peace among neighboring tribes in: Uganda, South-Sudan, Kenya and Ethiopia.
Celebrating our success
Due to Vos’ efforts, […] the region has […] developed into a sustainable must-visit, off the beaten track destination where tourists can experience the local Karamojong culture and beautiful Karamoja region.
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The current social business model of Kara-Tunga has proven to be inclusive, […] bringing the benefits of tourism directly to low-income communities. Also, it has proven to be viable, as demonstrated by the financial figures over the first two years of its operations.
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Share your own good tourism practice story
The tourism industry is full of good tour operators who all have inspiring stories to share. Good Tourism Institute is featuring good tourism practices in their library, and yours can be one of them! Share your own good practice story to highlight your good tourism efforts and to inspire other tour operators to follow the same path.
This is an excerpt from an article originally written and published by Good Tourism Institute. We have added some extra context, which was written by Julius Barigaba and published by The EastAfrican. In addition, we refer to a travel offer on the website of Let’s Go Travel.
