WORLD CHAMPION NAMED AS TOURISM AMBASSADOR FOR UGANDA
The Uganda Tourism Board has chosen the reigning World 10,000m champion, Joshua Kiprui Cheptegei, as its brand ambassador to contribute to the recovery of the tourism sector in a global Uganda campaign.
The Minister of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities Col. Tom Butime hailed the partnership with the Uganda champion as a “vivid statement about our intentions to rebuild our tourism sector post Covid-19. That we have chosen our own home-grown star talent to promote our uniqueness to the world, it couldn’t get any more authentic than that,” he said.
The partnership with Cheptegei is part of the Government’s tourism push that focuses on investment in tourism infrastructure and massive marketing for the “Pearl of Africa” brand.
Uganda’s National Development Plan III outlines strategic areas for investment. It includes improving tourism infrastructure, enhancing airline connectivity, reviving Uganda Airlines, improving roads as well as strengthening Destination Uganda’s brand globally.
The reputation of Joshua Kiprui Cheptegei is due to attract international interest for the destination. “Having been born and raised in the mountainous Kapchorwa district in the Sebei sub-region on the slopes of Mountain Elgon, close to the famous Sipi Falls, I am deeply aware of the impact of tourism on livelihoods, from the top to the very bottom of the chain. I know what tourism can do for the youth, women groups and even the uneducated,” explained the champion.
