The Inspector General of Police, Abas Byakagaba, and senior leadership of the tourism police, held a strategic meeting with Juliana Kagwa, the chief executive officer of Uganda Tourism Board (UTB), and her team.
The discussions held at the Uganda Police Force (UPF) headquarters in Naguru, on Tuesday, 2nd September centred on strengthening the critical link between security and tourism to ensure that Uganda remains a safe, competitive, and attractive destination for both domestic and international travellers.
According to Kagwa, the engagement emphasised the need for collaboration between law enforcement and the tourism industry to create a safe and welcoming environment for tourists
“Key issues discussed included; Security highlighted as a fundamental tourism asset, with both sides agreeing that visitor confidence depends heavily on a safe and predictable environment.”
Both institutions stressed the importance of real-time information sharing between law enforcement and the tourism industry, especially during peak travel periods, crisis communication was identified as a priority, with agreement that UTB and Police should speak with one coordinated voice during emergencies to manage perceptions and prevent misinformation, community engagement and capacity building were recognized as essential pillars, including training for both law enforcement and tourism stakeholders in visitor care, response protocols, and incident reporting and management, apprehension and prosecution of fraudulent operators.
The meeting agreed to align tourism police deployment with UTB’s destination priorities, conduct joint audits, establish structured information-sharing channels and regular security briefs, roll out training programs for tourism police on visitor experiences and create co-branded visitor safety awareness materials.
The collaboration is expected to improve visitor safety and satisfaction, enhance the speed and coordination of responses to incidents, strengthen Uganda’s image as a secure destination, and build stronger trust between law enforcement, tourism stakeholders, and the travelling public.
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