Uganda Tour Operators Push for Visa, Tax and Road Reforms as Sustainability Pressure Grows

Uganda's tour operators want the government to make the country easier to reach, cheaper to do business in and better prepared for the sustainability standards international buyers now expect. At a press conference at Mestil Hotel and Residences in Kampala last week, the Association of Uganda Tour Operators (AUTO) and the Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) set out a list of reforms covering visas, roads, domestic flights, taxes and training, warning that the barriers risk sending visitors to neighbouring countries.

The call came as AUTO announced that its 2026 Annual Tourism Gala, first planned for 17 October, has moved to 27 November under the theme "Sustainable Tourism, Shared Responsibility". AUTO says it represents more than 400 tour operators, the businesses that package most of the gorilla treks, safaris and cultural tours sold to international visitors.

Visas top the list

The sharpest complaint was about entry. "It's really hard to get a visa to come to Uganda," AUTO chief executive Matilda Iremera said, according to the Nile Post, adding that Uganda should learn from its neighbours. Operators suggested the government consider options such as visas on arrival, arguing that travellers comparing East African itineraries may choose countries with simpler procedures.

Uganda's single-entry tourist visa costs US$50, according to the immigration directorate, and visitors combining Uganda with Rwanda and Kenya can use the US$100 East Africa Tourist Visa. For the details, see our guide to the East Africa Tourist Visa. East African tourism ministers have also been studying a wider single tourist visa for the bloc, but that proposal is still at the consultation stage, as we reported in our story on the EAC tourism strategy for 2027 to 2036.

Roads, signal and domestic flights

Operators also pointed to poor roads into protected areas and unreliable internet and phone coverage at some lodges and camps. AUTO board member James Mwere called for domestic air links to destinations such as Kisoro and Kidepo, saying shorter journeys would save time and fuel, the Nile Post reported.

The road complaint has a live example. Since the collapse of the Mucha Bridge on the Kisoro road, traffic to Bwindi's southern trekking sectors of Rushaga and Nkuringo has been pushed onto alternative routes that local leaders say are in poor condition. In a separate Nile Post report this month, former Kisoro district chairperson Abel Bizimana urged tourism businesses to hold press conferences and peaceful demonstrations to draw attention to the roads. Our earlier story on the Mucha Bridge collapse explains the detours.

The government says it is building. At the Tourism Development Programme review conference on 6 October, State Minister for Tourism Susan Nakawuki listed more than 280 kilometres of tourism roads, the expansion of Entebbe International Airport, the development of Kabalega International Airport in Hoima and the start of work on Kidepo International Airport, according to the Ministry of Finance.

More than 20 taxes

Operators said the sector pays more than 20 different taxes. Daniel Irunga, a senior brand officer at UTB, said the government had been directed to look at consolidating them, and a review by the Ministry of Finance was proposed, the Nile Post reported. No timeline was given.

The association also asked for affordable long-term financing for hospitality investment and help with the cost of attending international travel fairs, which operators currently pay for themselves. Marketing Uganda abroad, they said, is expensive for small firms.

Sustainability is becoming a market requirement

UTB used the event to deliver a warning of its own. Irunga told operators that sustainability now comes up repeatedly at international conferences, exhibitions and roadshows, and that overseas travel agents increasingly look at sustainability credentials before choosing partners. Compliance, recognised standards and certification, he said, are becoming part of how international business relationships are built. "You are the foot soldiers," he told tour operators, guides and hoteliers, according to SoftPower News, adding: "It's not next week; it's now."

Irunga said UTB would work with AUTO and partners on training sessions before the gala. "We have partners willing to support as much training as possible," he said, Watchdog Uganda reported. Mwere said government support for capacity building would help operators adopt environmental practices, telling the Nile Post: "What we sell today needs to be sold in the next 50 years."

Why it matters now

The demands land as Uganda sets steep targets. Finance Minister Henry Musasizi said at the 6 October review conference that the government aims for US$5 billion in annual tourism receipts by 2030, and stressed that this needs longer stays and higher-value visitors rather than just more arrivals. Uganda recorded 1.64 million international arrivals in 2025, up 19.7 percent, with receipts of about US$1.62 billion, according to the ministry's figures. Growth has since slowed: arrivals for January to June 2026 were 793,815, up 3.7 percent on a year earlier, although spending rose faster.

The Daily Monitor reported on 17 October that rising visitor numbers have yet to translate into comparable growth in leisure travel, the segment tour operators depend on. Uganda is also still working to persuade some countries to lift travel restrictions on Ugandans imposed after the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak, despite the World Health Organization declaring Uganda's outbreak over in August.

None of the operators' proposals has been adopted yet. The tax review and any change to visa rules would need government decisions, and the press conference produced no commitments with dates attached.

What it means for travellers

Nothing changes immediately. If you are planning a trip, apply for your Uganda visa or East Africa Tourist Visa online well before you fly, and allow extra driving time for southern Bwindi while the Kisoro roads remain poor. If you are booking through a tour operator, it is reasonable to ask what sustainability standards or certification they follow, since UTB is now pushing the industry in that direction. Watch for outcomes from the AUTO gala on 27 November and any announcement from the Ministry of Finance on tax consolidation.

Photo: Chapelle musa / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).