PARIS — Uganda concluded a high-impact participation at IFTM Top Resa 2026, France’s leading B2B tourism fair, securing firm business commitments for 2027–2028 while advancing plans for direct Uganda Airlines flights between Entebbe and Paris by June 2027.
Held at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles from 15–17 September, the fair brought together more than 34,000 tourism professionals, 1,700 brands and 1,200 international buyers, ranking among Europe’s major travel trade platforms alongside ITB Berlin, WTM London and FITUR Madrid.
Uganda’s participation was coordinated by the Embassy of Uganda in Paris under the Economic and Commercial Diplomacy Programme, in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, and Uganda Tourism Board. It was Uganda’s third consecutive participation and was led by H.E. Amb. Doreen Ruth Amule and Hon. Susan Nakawuki, Minister of State for Tourism.
The commercial drive was led by 11 private Destination Marketing Companies, more than double the five that participated in 2025. The companies held an average of 18–22 scheduled B2B meetings with buyers from France, Spain, Portugal and Benelux, with discussions moving from general interest to rates, allotments and gorilla permit allocations.
Demand was strongest for gorilla tracking in Bwindi and Mgahinga, Big Five safaris, Rwenzori trekking, Nile adventures and birding. Uganda’s tourism offer was further supported by new hospitality investments, including Marriott Kampala, Erebero Hills and Namoni Lodge.
Uganda welcomed 1,642,215 visitors in 2025, generating USD 1.62 billion in tourism receipts. France emerged as a high-value priority market, recording 7,439 visitors in 2025, more than double the previous year, with average spending above USD 2,025 and stays of 8–15 nights.
Uganda’s visibility was also boosted by a citywide campaign featuring three fully branded Uganda buses operating along major Paris corridors, including the Eiffel Tower, Champs-Élysées, Opera and Montparnasse. The campaign generated an estimated eight million impressions.
Air connectivity emerged as a key constraint, with more than 90% of French and Iberian buyers reportedly identifying the lack of direct Paris–Entebbe flights as a cost and time barrier. Government is therefore advancing plans for Uganda Airlines to introduce direct Paris service by June 2027.
The proposed route also aligns with Uganda’s wider investment and tourism diplomacy. France was Uganda’s leading source of FDI in 2023, with more than USD 1.6 billion in inflows, according to the figures presented at the fair. Paris also offers a strategic hub for travellers from Spain and Portugal.
Confidence in Uganda’s tourism market was further strengthened following the WHO declaration ending the Ebola outbreak in late August and the subsequent lifting of travel advisories.
As the pavilion closed, the message from Uganda’s private sector was clear: “We came as 11 small companies, we left as Team Uganda.”
