Ugandan Tour Firms Pitch in Paris Weeks After WHO Ebola all-clear

PARIS — Eleven Ugandan tour companies spent three days courting European buyers at a Paris travel fair this week, less than a month after the World Health Organization declared the end of an Ebola outbreak that led to cancellations and travel warnings across Uganda’s tourism sector.

The firms met buyers from France, Spain, Portugal and the Benelux countries at IFTM Top Resa 2026, a business-to-business tourism fair held at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles from 15 to 17 September, according to the Embassy of Uganda in France, which said the companies secured contracts for the 2027 and 2028 seasons.

The embassy said travel advisories had been lifted following the WHO declaration and quoted an unnamed French operator as saying: “We can finally sell Uganda again without explaining Ebola in every email.”

Uganda declared the Bundibugyo virus outbreak on 15 May after detecting cases linked to the epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The country recorded 20 confirmed cases, 15 of them imported, and 18 patients recovered while two died. It was declared Ebola-free in late August after 42 consecutive days without a new confirmed case.

Hon Susan Nakawuki, the Minister of State for Tourism, who co-led the delegation, said: “France already trusts Uganda with big investments

The outbreak hit bookings during the high season. In late May, Matilda Iremera, chief executive of the Association of Uganda Tour Operators, said many visitors had cancelled, and that operators were unsure whether gorilla permits already bought would be refunded or rescheduled. Jean Byamugisha, chief executive of the Uganda Hotel Owners Association, told local media that hotels were receiving cancellations worth billions of shillings.

Several governments including the US and Canada tightened travel guidance.

The 11 Ugandan firms at the fair, up from five last year, were 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.

Each held between 18 and 22 pre-scheduled meetings on average, the embassy said, adding that talks moved to rates, room allotments and gorilla permit allocations. Buyers showed most interest in gorilla tracking in Bwindi and Mgahinga, Big Five safaris, trekking in the Rwenzori Mountains, adventure activities on the Nile and birding, according to the embassy, which also pointed to new hotel capacity including the 181-room Marriott Kampala, Erebero Hills and Namoni Lodge.

France is a growing market for Uganda. Figures cited by the embassy show 7,439 French visitors arrived in 2025, more than double the 2024 figure, placing France among Uganda’s top 10 source markets, with average spending above US$2,025 and stays of eight to 15 nights. Overall, Uganda received 1,642,215 visitors in 2025, up 19.7 per cent, with tourism receipts of US$1.62 billion, up 21.3 per cent, according to the embassy.

Buyers also raised air access. More than 90 per cent of French and Iberian buyers named the lack of direct flights between Paris and Entebbe as adding cost and travel time, the embassy said. There is currently no nonstop service on the route, and Uganda Airlines’ only European destination is London Gatwick. The embassy said the government is advancing plans for the carrier to fly to Paris by June 2027.

The embassy coordinated Uganda’s participation, its third consecutive appearance at the fair, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities and the Uganda Tourism Board. Three buses in Uganda branding also ran on central Paris routes during the fair, which the embassy estimated generated 8 million impressions.

“We are not just here to exhibit, we are here to secure business that creates jobs back home,” Ambassador Doreen Ruth Amule told the delegation, according to the embassy.

Susan Nakawuki, the Minister of State for Tourism, who co-led the delegation, said: “France already trusts Uganda with big investments, tourism is the natural next step.”