Uganda is stepping up efforts to attract more visitors from France and the wider European market as the country showcases its tourism and investment opportunities at the International & French Travel Market (IFTM) Top Resa 2026 in Paris.
Uganda is seeking to strengthen its position in the French and wider European tourism market through its participation in IFTM Top Resa 2026, one of France’s major business-to-business tourism trade fairs.
The three-day event is taking place from September 15 to 17 at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, bringing together tourism professionals, travel agents, tour operators, destinations and businesses from across the global travel industry. The organisers say the 2026 edition features 177 destinations, 1,650 brands and more than 16,700 business meetings.
Uganda is exhibiting at Stand T072, with its participation coordinated by the Embassy of Uganda in Paris under the country’s Economic and Commercial Diplomacy Programme.
The Ugandan delegation includes Ambassador Doreen Ruth Amule, Uganda’s Ambassador to France and Permanent Delegate to UNESCO, and Susan Nakawuki, Minister of State for Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities. They are joined by representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, Uganda Tourism Board and Uganda Wildlife Authority, as well as 11 private-sector destination management companies.
Growing French interest in Uganda
Uganda’s push comes as the country records stronger visitor numbers from France.
According to provisional figures from Uganda’s Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, the country received 1,642,215 international visitors in 2025, representing a 19.7 per cent increase from the previous year. Tourism revenues also rose to approximately $1.62 billion, a 21.3 per cent increase.
France has become one of Uganda’s top 10 international tourism source markets. The country recorded 7,439 French visitors in 2025, more than double the number recorded in 2024.
Uganda is now targeting at least 13,000 visitors from France, while its broader target is 18,000 visitors from France, Spain and Portugal combined.
Ugandan officials view French travellers as an important market because of their relatively high spending and longer stays. French visitors to Uganda reportedly spend an average of more than $2,025 and stay for between eight and more than 15 nights.
Selling Uganda’s wildlife and adventure experiences
At the Paris event, Uganda is presenting itself as a destination built around wildlife, nature, adventure, culture and sustainable tourism.
The country’s tourism offering includes gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable and Mgahinga Gorilla National Parks, which together are home to more than half of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas.
Uganda is also promoting Big Five wildlife experiences across its national parks, trekking in the Rwenzori Mountains, experiences around the River Nile, birdwatching and community-based tourism.
Ugandan tourism operators are also seeking to encourage French travellers to look beyond gorilla trekking and consider longer itineraries that combine wildlife, birding, culture and adventure activities.
Government and private sector seek new partnerships
Uganda’s participation is not limited to promoting holidays. The government is using the Paris platform to connect Ugandan tourism operators with French and European travel buyers and explore commercial partnerships.
The 11 private-sector companies participating alongside the government include Africa Adventure Vacations, Cheetah Safaris Uganda, Destination Jungle, Grassrootz Adventures, Home to Africa, Ibis Adventures, Kazinga Tours, Let’s Go Travel, Sites Travel Uganda, Tripcare Adventures and Terrace Safaris.
The government is positioning itself around policy, conservation, infrastructure and market access, while private companies are responsible for packaging, marketing and delivering tourism experiences to international visitors.
Ambassador Amule said the objective extends beyond simply promoting Uganda, with the country seeking to equip European trade partners with the information and direct contacts required to sell Uganda, while also advancing investment, air connectivity and long-term commercial partnerships.
Paris campaign builds visibility
Ahead of the tourism fair, the Ugandan Embassy in Paris launched a promotional campaign featuring three fully branded Uganda buses operating on central Paris routes, including routes around the Eiffel Tower.
The campaign was estimated to generate as many as eight million out-of-home advertising impressions, giving Uganda additional visibility among potential travellers and tourism businesses in the French capital.
Uganda has also been using international exhibitions, digital platforms, translated promotional materials, travel agents and influencers to improve awareness of the country among French and other European travellers.
Tourism linked to wider economic ambitions
Tourism is a major component of Uganda’s wider economic development strategy. The sector is identified as one of the pillars of the country’s Tenfold Growth Strategy, which aims to build a $500 billion economy by 2040.
France is also important to Uganda beyond tourism. According to the Bank of Uganda’s 2023 Foreign Direct Investment Report, cited by the Ugandan Embassy, French foreign direct investment in Uganda exceeded $1.6 billion in 2023.
This means the country’s tourism campaign in Paris is also being used as part of a broader effort to strengthen economic and commercial ties between Uganda and France.
Uganda is also promoting upcoming events that could provide additional reasons for European visitors to travel to the country.
Among them are the Race the Nile ULTRA Explorer Edition in Arua in November 2026, an 800-kilometre gravel race; the Africa Cup of Nations, which Uganda will co-host with Kenya and Tanzania in June and July 2027; the Rwenzori Marathon scheduled for August 21–22, 2027; and the Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo (POATE) in Kampala from May 20–22, 2027.
Uganda is also expanding its hospitality infrastructure. New and existing accommodation options being promoted include the 181-room Kampala Marriott Hotel, Hemingway’s Hotel in Entebbe and lodges in major tourism areas. Hilton Kampala is scheduled to open in 2027.
A broader African tourism opportunity
Uganda’s appearance at IFTM Top Resa comes as African destinations seek to capture a larger share of the international tourism market.
The 2026 IFTM programme itself includes a dedicated Convention Afrique, running September 16–17, focused on strengthening the competitiveness of African tourism. Discussions include tourism’s role in soft power, Africa’s growing tourism potential and the influence of digital creators in promoting African destinations.
For Uganda, the immediate focus is on turning increased visibility in France and Europe into actual bookings, longer stays, investment and commercial partnerships.
With French visitor numbers already rising sharply, the country is using the Paris tourism platform to build on that momentum and position the “Pearl of Africa” more prominently in one of Europe’s key travel markets.
TNAM
