The NUP Presidential Candidate Robert Kyagulanyi has campaigned in Kisoro and Rubanda Districts of Western Uganda. He started the day with a radio talk show on Voice of Kigezi Radio. He reached out to his listeners with a message of change. He promised sustainable job creation for the youths, promoting tourism and development in Rubanda District.
He later held mammoth rallies in Rubanda and Kisoro Districts. While campaigning in Rubanda and Kisoro districts, NUP presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi decried the slow pace of development in the two areas—despite their status as prime tourism hubs hosting the world-renowned Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and the Virunga Mountains that are protected as Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Uganda’s two protected areas that are home to endangered mountain gorillas.
The mountain gorillas are a star attraction that pull most tourists to Uganda. Combined with Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park and the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Virunga National Park, the global population of mountain gorilla numbers now stands at just over 1,060.
The two destinations of Bwindi and Mgahinga National Park offer gorilla trekking, Uganda’s flagship tourism product that attracts thousands of travelers all year round. Gorilla tourism has become the backbone of Uganda’s tourism, a sector that earns Uganda most foreign receipts.
Robert Kyagulanyi also added on that although tourism has spurred businesses like hotels and health facilities, the locals have yet to feel its true impact. While the region benefits from gorilla tourism through hospitality, Robert Kyagulanyi argued that development in these districts remains at a slow space. His message to the people centred on promoting tourism and ensuring that locals directly benefit from tourism.
