COVID-19: Ugandan to lose $1.6 billion in tourism earnings during lockdown.

However, Mr Museveni did not mention any time frame with the comment. But latest available data from the country’s statistics’ office states that in 2017 Uganda earned $2 billion from tourism, an increase from $1.7 billion the previous year.

President Museveni adds that the Ugandan economy would also lose the $1.3 billion sent home each year by Ugandans in diaspora as many would be out of work because of the global economic aftershocks of the lockdown.

Last month, the International Monetary Fund reported that Uganda’s tourism earnings would fall by 54% in the 2019/20 (July-June) fiscal year, and decline by 52% in 2021.

The IMF almost cut its forecast for economic growth in Uganda for the financial year ending in June to 3.3% and projects 3.7% growth in the following fiscal year. In the year ended June 2019, the economy grew 6.5%.

Tourism is one of Uganda’s main revenue earners as the east African country attracts visitors to her Savannahs and game reserves to watch lions, giraffes, buffalos and etc.

Others are drawn by the mountain gorillas in forest in the southwest of the country on the border with Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda.