Uganda beats Spain in UK tourist poll

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Written by Linda Hohnholz

Uganda is leading Spain by a wide percentage in an ongoing online opinion poll over which of the two countries is a favorite destination for tourists.

Uganda is leading Spain by a wide percentage in an ongoing online opinion poll over which of the two countries is a favorite destination for tourists.

By Saturday, the poll conducted on the Guardian, UKโ€™s website, Uganda had polled 79 percent against Spainโ€™s 21 percent.

The poll was prompted after President Yoweri Museveni hinted on the fact that Uganda was better than most European countries, including Spain, in what it offered to tourists.

โ€œThe biggest problem with tourism is poor promotion,โ€ Museveni said. โ€œIn Europe, people go to the Mediterranean coast. I visited Spain; it is very hot and humid in summer. I think Uganda would be a better destination than some of those destinations.โ€

Museveni said Uganda was a โ€œgood place on the globe where you go and have a nice life.โ€

It is not the first time that Spain and Uganda have taunted each other. In 2012, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy kicked off a storm when he sent a text message to his finance minister, compelling him to stand firm in the quest of better terms amidst the bailout package negotiations, reminding him that โ€œweโ€™re the number four power in Europe. Spain is not Uganda.โ€

The remark left many Ugandans incensed, with some saying that Uganda enjoyed better Gross Domestic Growth figures than Spain.

Last week, the Guardianโ€™s website decided to put the contest to travellers, asking a simple question:

โ€œUganda or Spain: where would you prefer to go on holiday?โ€

Many people who commented on the poll said while Uganda was a good destination, its stance against gays had tainted the countryโ€™s image.

โ€œIโ€™d probably go to Uganda if they changed their policies toward LGBT people,โ€ said one of the readers.
In 2012, a reputable online tour magazine, Lonely Planet, ranked Uganda number one among the top ten countries to visit.

The journal said: โ€œAfter all, this is the source of the river Nile โ€“ that mythical place explorers sought since Roman times. Itโ€™s also where savannah meets the vast lakes of East Africa, and where snow-capped mountains bear down on sprawling jungles.โ€

However, it also warned tourists of the country that is โ€˜so homophobicโ€™ and that it had tough laws against gays.

Last year, tourism became Ugandaโ€™s biggest export earner after it fetched $1.4bn in financial year 2013/2014, up from $1.1bn the year before, according to Bank of Uganda. The sector surpassed diaspora remittances and coffee.

About the author

Avatar of Linda Hohnholz

Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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