Kigezi sub region in the southwestern region of the country has very many fake orphanages that target to fleece money from foreigners. The companies own fake websites that are never updated and this has tainted the name of the country and the tourism sector.
Herbert Byaruhanga, the president of the Uganda Tourism Association made the revelation on Saturday afternoon after a one day training of tour managers from the Kigezi sub region.
“Most of them are known to us and we shall deal with them” Byaruhanga said.
According to Byaruhanga, most of the fake orphanages target tourists who contribute towards the education of the ghost orphans.
“Worst of all is that when the tourists choose to visit the orphanage homes, the directors disappear,” Byaruhanga added.
Instead, Byaruhanga advised these ‘orphanage owners’ to learn more about tourism in Kigezi which would earn them a decent living other than creating fake orphanages. Kigezi region is said to have about60 percent of Uganda tourist attractions.
Professionalism in tourism
Byaruhanga revealed that by the end of August, Uganda Tourism Board was set to conduct assessments to award tour guiding and other tourism agencies in the country to streamline the sector.
He said the only way for Kigezi to reap big from tourism was to go professional, by offering professional services in the sector guided by professional ethics.
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