This year’s Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo (POATE) will bring together private- and public-sector stakeholders in the Ugandan ecosystem with the aim of positioning Uganda as a preferred destination in the domestic, regional, and international source markets.
POATE 2024 will be hosted as a B2B and B2C exposition and will take place at the Speke Resort Convention Centre, Munyonyo – Kampala from May 23-25.
For the last seven years, POATE has presented exclusive business prospects, networking opportunities and travel trade business deals.
The expo will attract 70 hosted buyers and 186 exhibitors including tourism boards and associations, corporate companies, trade visitors, and consumers.
“POATE 2024 will provide an avenue to grow and reinforce Uganda’s tourism brand in the country’s major traveller-generating countries, and enable hosted buyers and local value chain suppliers to network for long-term business relationships. Small and medium-scale operators will have an opportunity to interface with hosted buyers and exhibitors from across the globe,” the Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) said in a statement.
Ordinarily, the SMEs might not have had the opportunity to transact business face-to-face with international buyers due to budgetary restrictions.
The hosted buyer programme will provide opportunities for international and regional buyers to gain practical experience of Uganda’s tourism offerings to promote recommendations and destination training with their networks.
POATE 2024’s theme is Responsible Tourism. “With this strategic direction, the UTB will champion best practices in responsible destination management and position Uganda as a sustainable tourism destination in the global marketplace,” the UTB added.
Over the years, Uganda has achieved milestones in the conservation of wildlife and biodiversity, preservation of local cultures, and encouraged community participation while offering unique traveller experiences in the destination.
POATE 2024 will highlight these achievements and align interventions toward sustainable tourism promotion and development under the brand – Explore Uganda, The Pearl of Africa.
