Uganda High Commission, New Delhi in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Tourism Wildlife and Antiquities, Uganda Airlines, Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) and Uganda Wildlife Authority(UWA) is set to participate in the prestigious Outbound Travel Market (OTM), the leading Travel, Trade Show in India scheduled to take place from 30th January to 1st February 2025 at JIO World Convention Center, Bombay.
The Indian travel market is at its inflection point and ranks among the world’s fastest-growing markets. According to an Expedia report, by 2025, 13.9 million leisure departures will be recorded from the metropolitan city. Business travel accounts for 26% of outbound trips, making India one of the largest global markets for business travel.
Out of these arrivals, Mumbai leads as India’s primary outbound market contributing 63% to the leisure and business travel from the country. Mumbai also serves as the commercial and financial centre and a home to Bollywood, India’s premier film industry.
OTM provides a platform for quality networking, connecting exhibitors, tour operators and travel agents from all over the world, with wedding planners, film producers wedding planners, MICE and corporate buyers – with over 1600+ exhibitors from 60+ countries and provides access to 40,000+ trade visitors and 1000+ top buyers across various industry sectors, all with the support of a strong hosted buyer program.
Beyond the exhibition, OTM features knowledge-sharing and networking events, including insightful panel discussions, workshops, and masterclasses in the OTM Forum. The Forum facilitates dialogue on essential trends and strategies shaping the USD$50 billion Indian travel market.
Eight (08) licensed tour companies have been selected to participate at OTM alongside Uganda Airlines, Uganda Tourism Board, Uganda Wildlife Authority, Ministry of Tourism Wildlife&Antiquities and Uganda High Commission, New Delhi together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Ministry together with Uganda Media Centre organised a media launch ahead of Uganda’s first participation at the OTM-Bombay on the 21st January,2025.
In his remarks, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs in charge of Regional Affairs, Hon John Mulimba stated that, the Government of Uganda has embarked on ambitious strategy of growing the economy tenfold from USD 49.5 billion as of FY 2023/2024 to USD 500 billion in the next 15 years.
To achieve this government through the various MDAs and missions abroad intends to leverage four key areas as it embarks on NDPIV that will replace the NDPIII namely Agro-industrialization (including light manufacturing), Mineral beneficiation including Oil and Gas, Tourism Promotion, Science, Technology, and Innovation(STIs).
Apart from industrialization, the government wants to promote tourism differently. “The target is that by 2040, our tourism sector brings in 50 billion dollars,” the Minister stated.
The choice of our Mission in India to make Uganda participate for the first time at the prestigious Indo-Asia’s travel market show, the leading Travel, Trade Show in India and Asia that brings Destination Uganda at the doorsteps of the potentially World’s largest Tourism and Travel market is a correct one and a step in the right direction, ‘Hon John Mulimba said.’
While making his keynote address to the media, the Minister of State for Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, Hon Martin Mugara stated that Uganda’s participation at the OTM-Bombay Trade Fair is a bold step forward in our mission to diversify our tourism markets and increase our global presence.
The OTM-Bombay attracts over 1,600 exhibitors from more than 60 countries, 1,000 top buyers, and an impressive 4,000 trade visitors annually. This scale and diversity make it a prime platform for Uganda to position itself as a premier tourism destination, ‘he said.’
He went on to inform that Trade Fair comes at a pivotal moment when Uganda is preparing for the Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo (POATE) 2025 and that there is no better opportunity than this to tap into the Indian market and interact with the thousands of hosted buyers from over 60 countries, inviting them to participate in the upcoming Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo(POATE) slated for May,2025 stressing that trade shows such as OTM are invaluable avenues for destinations to market their tourism offerings and hence significantly increasing visibility.
He also said that the Indian travel market is among the fastest-growing globally, with an anticipated 19.4 million visitor departures by 2024, presenting vast opportunities for Uganda to position itself as a premier destination. With direct flights from Entebbe to Mumbai by Uganda Airlines, we are fostering seamless connectivity to attract more Indian travelers to explore Uganda’s unmatched offerings wildlife, culture, birding, and iconic experiences.
Our participation at OTM aligns with the government’s Vision 2040 and Tenfold Growth Strategy, which prioritizes tourism development as a key driver of economic transformation. The Uganda delegation, including public and private sector stakeholders, will promote the theme, “Explore Uganda, the Pearl of Africa,” showcasing Uganda as the ultimate adventure of a lifetime; the Minister said.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The Republic of Uganda – Ministry of Foreign Affairs.