2020
Birding can rake in more revenue than mountain gorillas
Category: Open data
Country/area: Uganda
Organisation: Monitor Publications Limited
Organisation size: Small
Publication date: 11 Feb 2019
Credit: Edgar R. Batte
Project description:
Birdwatching. Atleast every Ugandan has seen different species of colourful birds flapping around and singing, especially in the morning. But not many people believe tourists can actually come just to watch birds.In fact, when the word tourism is mentioned, many think of animals. Did you know that birding is a great way to connect with nature but also has the potential to generate revenue for Uganda?
Impact reached:
In its efforts to promote birding on the international scene, Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) is hosting 10 international birders on a familiarization trip to different birding destination around Uganda.
UTB is the marketing agency for the country as a preferred tourism destination. Uganda is home to 1, 080 birds. The trip will culminate into the African Birding Expo (ABE) that is slated to take place from December 6 to December 8.
The event will be hosted at Uganda Wildlife Education and Conservation Centre (UWEC) and Entebe Botanical Gardens, both birding destinations too.
The theme of the three-day expo is “celebrating birds and people to conserve Fox’s Weaver”.
“The objective of hosting the buyers is to offer them the birding experience in Uganda so that they can share their personal Ugandan experiences to their respective clients and interest them into visiting Uganda,” Herman Olimi, a marketing officer with Uganda Tourism Board (UTB).
Techniques/technologies used:
I used basic tools as a journalist, thus a pen, notebook, recorder and digital camera. I used the notebook to capture notes as i received information during the research and fact-finding process. I used the recorder to assist me in take record of voices of sources i spoke to. The recorded voices helped me play back and listen as i compiled and pieced together the story. I used the digital camera to capture the photographs and videos during the process of gathering the infromation for the story.
What was the hardest part of this project?
Birding is both challenging and fulfilling. The terrain in many of the tourism excursions is difficult but not impassable. I would say the challenhes gave me the opportunity to experience what tourists and birders experience on expeditions. I would like to take this as a plus for someone who is cutting their teeth in the tourism and travel field.
What can others learn from this project?
The lesson is to explore beyong our usual boundaries of reporting line. I am a features writer who has taken interest to explore travel and tourism as a new ground in my line of reporting as a way of stretching my abilities and fortifying my skill set.
