The Ugandan Embassy in Rome has launched a high-visibility tourism campaign across Italy’s major cities, deploying branded transit vehicles to promote the country’s attractions to millions of potential travelers.
The campaign features imagery of Uganda’s wildlife and landscapes displayed on buses operating in Rome, Milan, Venice and Florence, targeting both local residents and international visitors.
Uganda’s Ambassador to Italy, Elizabeth Paula Napeyok, said the initiative is strategically timed to coincide with increased travel during the Easter season, when large numbers of tourists and pilgrims gather in Italy. She noted that the campaign is expected to benefit from the influx of visitors attending Papal ceremonies at St. Peter’s Square.
According to the embassy, the advertisements have been positioned along key routes passing major landmarks such as the Colosseum and the Roman Forum, with an estimated reach of at least 10 million people.
Officials say the initiative reflects a broader push in Uganda’s economic diplomacy strategy, which places emphasis on promoting tourism and investment opportunities through its foreign missions.
Italy has been identified as a strategic market due to its role as a hub for high-spending European travelers. Authorities say the campaign is intended to diversify Uganda’s tourism source markets and increase visitor arrivals from Europe.
The effort aligns with Uganda’s Tenfold Growth Strategy, which aims to expand the country’s economy from 50 billion dollars to 500 billion dollars by 2040, with tourism positioned as a key driver of growth.
Government data indicates that tourism contributed about 5.7 percent to Uganda’s GDP in 2024, generating approximately 4.8 trillion shillings. The sector also supports more than 800,000 jobs across hospitality, transport and related industries.
The Italy campaign is the first in a series of planned promotional activities by the mission in Rome, as Uganda intensifies its presence in European travel markets. Recent efforts have included participation in major international tourism fairs in Berlin and the Benelux region.
