A discussion panel airing out views on the forthcoming POATE 2025 that will be held at Speke Resort Munyonyo between May 21st-24th
HABARI DAILY I Kampala, Uganda I With just about 36 days left to the 9th Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo (POATE) 2025, officials have disclosed that the exhibition venue has been overbooked, and contingency plans have been put in place to find more space.
Vivian Lyazzi, the Acting Commissioner Tourism Development Department at the ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, disclosed that currently, over 1,000 participants have registered to take part in the expo.
“In addition to these 260 exhibitors have booked space for us, meaning that we have to expand the exhibition area. We had put budgeted for 250 exhibitors, meaning that the venue has been overbooked,” he said in an exclusive interview on the preparation of the expo, which is the biggest on Uganda’s tourism calendar,” he said.
The annual tourism and travel trade show, to be held between 21st – 24th May 2025, at Speke Resort and Convention Centre in Munyonyo, presents a rosy picture and enthusiasm from prospective participants from around the globe.
Lyazzi said that in addition to the 1,000 people have already registered to participate, 100 host buyers from countries around the world have also booked to take part.
He said so far, exhibitors from Sudan, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Egypt, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and South Africa.
“In addition to those, we also have people from Spain, UK, France, Hungary, the Middle East, China, United States, Canada, Brazil, among others.”
He pointed out that these are part of the advance teams, who share information about Uganda with prospective visitors and participants.
To be held under the theme “Tourism and Sustainable Transformation,” this year’s POATE is aimed at bringing together tourism stakeholders, international buyers, investors and media representatives to experience the diverse offerings of Uganda’s tourism sector.
A cross section of officials who took part in the recent media launch of POATE 2025 at Speke Resort Munyonyo
The event will also serve as a platform to showcase Uganda’s unique attractions and experiences, enhancing its visibility on the international tourism map.
Alongside the expo will be the “Tell Your Story – Explore Uganda” Campaign, a storytelling initiative that encourages Ugandans to share their most captivating tourism experiences through videos, photos and written content.
Doreen Katusiime, the Ministry of Tourism Permanent Secretary earlier on said that POATE 2025 is a key milestone in Uganda’s journey towards achieving the tenfold growth strategy.
“This strategy is a vision we have set to increase tourism’s contribution to the world. We want to increase tourism’s contribution to our GDP by ten times or 25 times in the coming years,” she said.
She further noted that achieving this ambitious goal requires collective efforts from all stakeholders, both government and private sector.
“From the local communities, international partners, and events like POATE play a critical role in realizing this vision. By attracting global attention and bringing international travel agents to operate tourism, we are achieving the goal of improving tourism’s contribution to the world.” Katusiime added that in last year’s POATE, they saw an incredible turnout and support from partners, the tourism industry key players and many other well-wishers.
“Additionally, we had 250 participants, 30 exhibitors, and 59 hosted buyers. These were travel trade partners and media from other countries across the world,’’ she said.
POATE 2025 will start with a Regional Tourism Conference which will serve as a platform to promote regional tourism, recognizing its significant contribution to Uganda’s visitor arrivals.
“Regional tourism accounts for 80% to 90% of the total inbound traffic to Uganda, with the majority of visitors coming from our neighboring countries including Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania,” said Lyazzi.
POATE is an annual tourism flagship event designed to position Uganda as a leading global tourism destination. The expo provides an invaluable platform for industry players to engage in high-level networking, create business partnerships, and explore investment opportunities.
The 2025 edition is expected to host 70 selected international buyers, over 5,000 trade visitors, and a diverse range of exhibitors from around the world, enabling robust Business-to-Business (B2B) and Business-to-Consumer (B2C) interactions.
