Uganda Tourism Hits a Record: 1.64 Million Visitors in 2025, and What Comes Next

Uganda welcomed 1,642,215 international visitors in 2025, the highest number the country has ever recorded and the clearest sign yet that Uganda tourism has moved past recovery and into growth. The figure, published in the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities' 2025 Statistical Abstract and presented to the industry this month, is 19.7 per cent higher than the 1,371,895 arrivals counted in 2024, and comfortably above the 1,542,620 visitors who came in 2019, the last full year before the pandemic emptied lodges from Bwindi to the Nile.

Behind the headline sits a more interesting story about who is actually travelling to Uganda, where they go once they arrive, and what the industry is now betting on next.

The money and the jobs

According to the ministry, visitors spent about UGX 5.8 trillion in 2025, roughly US$1.62 billion. That compares with US$1.28 billion in international tourism receipts reported for 2024. The average visitor spent close to US$986 per trip and stayed 8.8 nights, a long stay by regional standards that reflects how far apart Uganda's headline parks are.

The ministry estimates that tourism now contributes about 5.9 per cent of gross domestic product and supports more than 876,000 direct jobs, around 7.5 per cent of national employment. Senior Statistician Denis Rodney Ojok presented the numbers, and Permanent Secretary Doreen Katusiime described the abstract as a planning tool for the sector rather than a scoreboard.

State Minister for Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities Martin Mugarra Bahinduka credited government investment in the sector, saying: "These efforts have created the enabling environment necessary for tourism to thrive."

Africa is the main market

The single most striking line in the abstract is where visitors come from. Mainland Africa accounted for 79.2 per cent of arrivals in 2025, led by Kenya, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The leading overseas markets were India, the United States, the United Kingdom, China and Germany.

That mix shapes the purpose of travel. Visiting friends and relatives was the biggest reason for coming, at 35.4 per cent of arrivals, followed by business at 17.3 per cent. Leisure travellers, the safari and gorilla-trekking visitors who dominate Uganda's marketing, made up only about 17 per cent. For operators, the takeaway is that a large share of the people already crossing the border are not yet buying tours, and that the regional traveller is an underused market.

The traffic runs both ways. ATC News, reporting on next month's Uganda–Kenya Coast Tourism and Innovation Summit, notes that 234,556 Ugandans entered Kenya in 2025, nearly a third of all African arrivals into that country, and that Kenya is targeting 300,000 Ugandan visitors in 2026. The summit runs on 26 and 27 October 2026 at the Sarova Whitesands Beach Resort in Mombasa, with sessions on regional mobility, a youth innovation showcase and business matchmaking.

Inside the parks

National parks recorded 467,065 visitor entries in 2025, up 6.9 per cent. Two parks carried most of that load: Murchison Falls National Park took 32.3 per cent of visits and Queen Elizabeth National Park 26.4 per cent, together close to six in every ten park entries. Ugandans themselves made up 55.6 per cent of park visitors, a reminder that domestic tourism is no longer a footnote.

Gorilla permit sales reached 42,960, up 3.6 per cent, with a utilisation rate of 60.1 per cent. In plain terms, roughly four in ten available trekking slots went unsold across the year, which means outside the peak months there is usually room for travellers who plan a few weeks ahead. Our guide to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park covers how the trekking sectors differ.

The abstract also counts how Ugandans travel at home. It reports that 3.27 million Ugandans took part in domestic tourism in 2024, a 17 per cent increase, making around 20 million trips.

The weak spot: hotel occupancy

Not every indicator rose. National hotel room occupancy slipped to 52.1 per cent in 2025 from 53.2 per cent in 2024. More visitors and slightly emptier rooms suggest that new accommodation has been opening faster than demand in some places, and that many visitors, especially those visiting family, are not staying in hotels at all.

At the same time, the industry says it is short of the right kind of rooms. When the Future Hospitality Summit Africa announced in May that it would hold its first Uganda edition in February 2027, the Uganda Tourism Board and its partners pointed to a shortage of branded hotel accommodation in Kampala, Bwindi and Queen Elizabeth National Park. The summit is designed to put hotel investors and developers in front of those opportunities.

Betting on conferences

The other growth lever is business travel. Business Times Uganda reports that the 15th Annual Mineral Wealth Conference and Expo, held at Speke Resort Munyonyo in late September, drew more than 1,500 delegates from over 50 countries, with organisers adding a three-day excursion to mining sites in eastern Uganda. Conference visitors tend to spend more per night and often travel in quieter months, which helps lodges and hotels fill the gaps between peak seasons.

With the Future Hospitality Summit due in February and Uganda preparing to co-host the Africa Cup of Nations in 2027, the next two years will test whether the country can turn record arrivals into fuller hotels and longer leisure trips.

What the numbers mean for travellers

For visitors, a busier Uganda is mostly good news: more flights, more lodges and more competition. But the concentration of traffic in Murchison Falls and Queen Elizabeth means those two parks can feel busy at peak times, leaving less-visited parks such as Kidepo Valley, Mount Elgon and Semuliki with far fewer vehicles. If you want a gorilla permit for July, August or the December holidays, book early; outside those months the data suggests there is usually more flexibility.

Planning a visit

Entry: Most visitors need a visa. Uganda's single-entry tourist visa costs US$50, and if you are also visiting Kenya or Rwanda, see our guide to the East Africa Tourist Visa.

Getting in: Entebbe International Airport is the main gateway for overseas visitors; see our Entebbe destination page for where to stay on arrival.

Where to go: For classic game drives, Murchison Falls and Queen Elizabeth are the busiest for good reason. For fewer vehicles, consider Kidepo Valley or Lake Mburo.

Gorillas: Bwindi and Mgahinga permits are sold by the Uganda Wildlife Authority; book months ahead for peak season.

Timing: The drier months, June to August and December to February, are the most popular for trekking and game viewing.

Photo: Rod Waddington / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0).