Uganda will add about 0.9 millio jobs in the Travel & Tourism sector by 2028 according to a major new report by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC).
In 2017, the total contribution of the sector to employment in the country, including jobs directly supported by the industry was 6.3 per cent (605,500) of total employment. The report expects figure to rise by 3.8 per cent in 2018 to 628,000 jobs and rise by 3.6 per cent per year to 898,000 jobs.
In 2017 the sector directly supported 229,000 jobs, which is 2.4 per cent of total employment in the country. “This is expected to rise by 4.2 per cent in 2018 and rise by 3.9 per cent per annum to 349,000 or 2.4 per cent of total employment in 2028,” the report says.
Meanwhile, the direct contribution of the sector to the country’s GDP was Shs2.7 trillion (USD749.9m) or 2.9 per cent of total GDP in 2017 and is forecast to rise by 6.5 per cent in 2018, and to rise by 5.9 per cent pa, from 2018-2028, to Shs5.1 trillion (USD1,412.8m) or 2.8 per cent of total GDP in 2028.
However, the total contribution of the sector to GDP was Shs6.9 trillion (USD1,913.9m) or7.3 per cent of GDP in 2017, and is forecast to rise by 6.0 per cent in 2018, and to rise by 5.7 per cent p per year to Shs12.7 trillion (USD3,516.1mn) or 7.1 per cent of GDP in 2028.
Visitor exports generated Shs3.06 trillion (USD850.2m) or 17.9 per cent of total exports in 2017. This is forecast to grow by 7.8 per cent in 2018, and grow by 6.0 per cent per annum, from 2018-2028, to about Shs6 trillion (USD1, 641.7m) in 2028. This would be 18.0 per cent of total visitor exports.
Uganda is a hot spot for almost half of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas, whose habitat is shared with Rwanda and the DRC. The country also has beautiful national parks hosting wild animals including the big cuts. It also boats of different species of birds compared to any country in Africa. These are just a few of the tourism attractions that the country offers.
The report says Travel &Tourism investment in Uganda in 2017 was Shs1.2 trillion (USD324.6m), which was 4.9 per cent of total investment. It should rise by 3.6 per cent in 2018, and rise by 4.5 per cent per year over the next ten years to Shs1.9 trillion (USD520.2m) in 2028, 4.1 per cent of total of total investment.
WTTC’s latest annual research, in conjunction with Oxford Economics, shows Travel and Tourism’s contribution to world GDP outpaced the global economy for the seventh consecutive year in 2017.
In 2017, the sector’s direct, indirect and induced impact accounted for: US$8.3 trillion contribution to the world’s GDP, 10.4 per cent of global GDP 313 million jobs, 1 in 10 jobs around the world US$1.5 trillion exports (6.5 per cent of total exports, 28.8 percent of global services exports) US$882 billion investment (4.5 per cent of total investment).
The research shows that 2017 was a bumper year for the global Travel &Tourism sector, which grew at 4.6 per cent, much faster than the economy as a whole (3 per cent growth during 2017). “Its role as a driver of prosperity is clear, as the sector created seven million new jobs in 2017, 1 in 5 of all new jobs across the world,” the report adds. WTTC says such empirical data helps both public and private bodies make the right decisions for the future growth of a sustainable sector.
Full report
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