Uganda Wants More French Tourists. There’s One Problem: Getting There

Uganda went to Paris this week looking for more French tourists. It found something else too: a reminder that selling a destination is only part of the job.

At the International & French Travel Market (IFTM) Top Resa, held from September 15 to 17, Ugandan tourism operators met French and European travel buyers to sell safaris, gorilla trekking, mountain adventures and other experiences. Eleven Ugandan tour companies took part alongside government agencies and the country’s embassy in Paris.

The timing makes sense. Uganda recorded 1.64 million international visitors in 2025, up 19.7% from the previous year, while tourism receipts reached about $1.62 billion. French visitors also more than doubled to 7,439 last year, putting France among Uganda’s top 10 source markets.

But the meetings in Paris exposed a problem Uganda cannot solve with advertising alone.

French interest is growing

Uganda has been trying to build a larger market in France for some time.

The country used this year’s Paris campaign to put its tourism offer in front of travel companies that can actually sell those trips. Its attractions are familiar to international travellers: mountain gorillas in Bwindi and Mgahinga, safari parks, the Rwenzori Mountains, the Nile and a large birding market.

The numbers suggest there is room to grow.

The 7,439 French visitors recorded in 2025 were more than double the 2024 figure. The Ugandan Embassy says French visitors also spend more than $2,025 on average and can stay for eight to 15 nights.

That makes France valuable beyond the raw number of arrivals. A traveller who stays for two weeks and pays for several activities, accommodation and transport can generate considerably more tourism income than a short visit.

Uganda is therefore trying to turn the recent increase into something more permanent.

Then there is the flight problem

Travel buyers at the Paris event pointed to a practical obstacle: there is no direct Paris–Entebbe flight.

According to Uganda's embassy, more than 90% of French and Iberian buyers who met Ugandan tour companies identified the lack of a direct route as a source of additional cost and travel time.

That matters because a beautiful destination can still be difficult to sell if getting there involves long connections, awkward schedules or higher fares.

For tour operators, the problem becomes commercial. They have to build itineraries around available flights, while travellers have to accept longer journeys to reach a destination that is competing with places that may be easier to access.

Uganda's tourism campaign in Paris therefore ran into a problem that belongs partly outside the tourism ministry: air connectivity.

Uganda is selling more than safaris

There is also a broader economic reason for the push.

Tourism is one of the sectors Uganda is counting on as it pursues its long-term economic expansion plans. The ministry says tourism receipts reached a record UGX5.83 trillion ($1.62 billion) in 2025 and the sector contributed significantly to exports and employment.

The country is also trying to connect tourism with investment, hospitality and major events.

Among the opportunities being promoted to European operators are the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, which Uganda will co-host with Kenya and Tanzania, the Rwenzori Marathon and the Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo.

There is a commercial logic to this. A visitor coming for a sporting event or conference can be introduced to Uganda's wildlife, culture and landscapes and potentially extend the trip.

But none of that removes the basic issue raised in Paris.

Uganda now has evidence that French travellers are interested. It has tour companies ready to sell the destination and a growing tourism industry behind them.

The next challenge is making Uganda easier to reach.

If the country can solve that piece, the French market it is chasing could become much more than a promising number in a tourism report.