SITE NEWS

Meeting your SITE Africa board

This month we meet Site Africa board member, Babra Adoso Vanhelleputte from MICE UGANDA-Asyanut Safaris & Incentives.

How did you become involved in tourism and how did it lead to you being a leading DMC in Uganda?

My career commenced as a volunteer at the Red Cross. This role took me to many parts of Uganda, where my appreciation for the beauty of Uganda blossomed. At this stage I had no knowledge about tourism. After working with the Red Cross, I set off to do my Masters in the United Kingdom. When I returned to Uganda, I travelled a bit for various job interviews. During these travels, I soon realised that obtaining travel tickets in Uganda was rather challenging. This is why I established a travel company in 2003, to assist people with this and to share this beautiful country with others.

How did you become aware of the value of incentive travel?

After four years of operating my travel company, I heard the term MICE, for the first time. This captured my interest, and I began exploring. In 2007, I established a MICE division, the first in Uganda, while others focused on leisure.

I attended WTM London, but the MICE aspect was not really there. I continued my quest for more information when I learnt about IBTM and IMEX.

When the Ministry of Tourism began planning the Uganda Convention Bureau, I was invited to go on a benchmarking trip to Rwanda, which had established their convention bureau. I met several young and enthusiastic incentive organisers in Rwanda. During IBTM I attended various educational sessions on incentives and there my journey began, learning about incentives. I decided to take it seriously by completing the CIS (Certified Incentive Specialist) certification and subsequently, joined SITE, while at IMEX.

Why did you become a member of SITE Africa?

I believe that belonging to a recognised and experienced association has numerous benefits for me and my business. I was already a member of SITE, but at the time, it was far away in Chicago. I needed a community whcih was closer, that could support my growth and development in the incentives space. It made a lot of sense to join SITE Africa as a member. It offered me the support I needed.

In your opinion, what are the key features of Uganda to draw incentive travellers?

Uganda is a niche travel destination with a lot of unique attractions. Uganda, as a destination, is ready to receive incentive travellers. It is well connected to Europe and beyond, including the Middle East and the rest of the world. It also has good connections to major African regional travel hubs.

What unique experiences does Uganda offer incentive travel groups?

Uganda has good infrastructure, i.e., hotels, meeting rooms, tourist attractions, good connectivity, as well as warm and friendly people to host guests. The weather is unique. Uganda is on the Equator and at high altitude, so all year-round travel is possible. The unique flora and fauna offer an amazing travel experience — Uganda has ten national parks and twelve national reserves; it has the largest population of the endangered mountain gorillas (a phenomenal experience when had). It also boasts the Nile River (the longest river in the world), and the Rwenzori Mountains offer spectacular team building travel experiences.

What are the challenges facing incentive travel into Uganda?

• Due to the fact that Uganda is a niche travel destination, some attractions are expensive and may not fit the overall budget of the incentive buyer. The average cost to host an incentive in Uganda, compared to other destinations, is high. This is a big challenge when bidding to host the incentive.

• The distance between the various attractions can be considerable. Unfortunately, this can be a challenge for incentive groups with limited time.

• The unique nature of some our most popular attractions, i.e., gorilla and/or chimp trekking has some access limitations. For example, incentive groups usually want to experience the same activities on the same day and stay in the same lodge or hotel. The challenge in our national parks is that the capacity is low, for obvious environmental reasons. Big hotels are not built in the parks, so this makes the logistics around hosting large groups quite complicated.

Any immediate solutions to any of the above?

The solution would be to split a group into smaller groups and allow them access to the same activities, but at different times.

What is your personal favourite destination in Uganda and why?

Uganda, as a country, is uniquely blessed with beauty. I have so many favourite places but if I had to choose, I would say Kisoro and Kidepo — it’s breathtakingly beautiful and it is known as the Switzerland of Africa.