The 2019 World Economic Forum Travel and Tourism Competitiveness report ranked the country ranked one of Sub-Saharan Africa’s top five destinations.

Over the period 2009 – 2019, Uganda received hundreds of thousands of visitors annually largely drawn by the country’s abundant natural assets and rich cultural diversity. The increased tourist arrivals resulted in steady growth of the tourism sector, increased demand for skilled and unskilled labour and emergence of the industry as the leading foreign exchange earner and driver of inclusive economic growth across communities. In 2019 for instance, the sector accounted for 7.9 per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), directly supported 1,559,147 jobs (14.7 per cent of total employment) many of whom were youth, women, and vulnerable communities working in the informal economy, generated over USD 1.7 billion in foreign exchange and contributed an equivalent of 16.6 per cent of total exports.

Despite these statistics, the tourism industry remains highly sensitive to shocks and disruptions that cause its growth to falter, threaten its ability to create more jobs and potential to generate additional revenue. Climate change, political turmoil and disease outbreaks such as the Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) and Ebola have emerged as significant threats to travel and tourism around the world. Political turmoil, conflict and civil unrest result in disruption of visits by both domestic and international travellers, cause tourists to rethink their decision to visit a destination and thus negative affect a country’s tourism industry.

While tourism contributes to emission of greenhouse gases (GHG) – the cause of global warming - the industry with its close connections to the environment and climate, is particularly sensitive to climate variability and change. A changing climate is not only influencing how travelers get around but also impacting on where they visit, the accommodations they choose and the activities that fill their itineraries. It is also amplifying the frequency and severity of dangerous weather and degrading the appeal of many destinations in multiple ways.

The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in December 2019 which drastically curtailed global travel negatively impacted the tourism industry. The pandemic brought tourism to a standstill globally disproportionately affected Uganda’s tourism industry, increased poverty, widened inequality; slowed down progress towards attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and reversed some of the gains of nature and cultural conservation efforts. From March to June 2020, tourism suffered a decline of approximately 55%, while other sectors suffered only moderate drops. By December 2020, the country had lost up to one million lost foreign tourist arrivals, almost USD 1.06 billion in foreign exchange, and a significant number of jobs estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands. The contribution of the sector to GDP also dropped to 2.7 percent.

Historically, tourism has shown a strong ability to adapt, innovate and recover from adversity. Empirical data reflects a rebound of the tourism industry after almost two years of stunted growth precipitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Barometer, international tourist arrivals rebounded strongly in 2022, reaching 63% of 2019 levels in January – December. In Uganda, international visitor arrivals increased by 59 percent from 500,000 in 2021 to 814,508 in 2022 with Africa remaining the largest source of tourists to Uganda followed by Asia. Uganda’s tourism revenue also nearly doubled from USD 530 million in 2021 to USD 1,014 million in 2022. The duration of stay and daily spend for leisure and holiday tourists has surpassed pre-pandemic levels. In 2022, leisure and holiday visitors stayed for 11 nights and spent USD 172 compared to 7.6 nights and a daily spend of USD 168 in 2019. Recovery of the tourism industry has largely been driven by removal of travel restrictions owing to the availability of vaccines and lower and numbers of Covid-19 cases.

Technological advances such as the ‘Internet of Things’, location-based services, artificial intelligence, digital solutions, augmented and virtual reality, and blockchain technology which have been effective in stimulating recovery of the tourism industry, normalizing operations, facilitating growth, enabling competitiveness, and generating new business opportunities in the tourism industry. These new developments promise an even more interactive and exciting experience. The emergence of domestic tourism as a reliable and scalable market has also positively impacted on the recovery of the tourism industry. According to the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, the number of Ugandans visiting tourism hotspots has increased almost three-fold from 28,000 to about 83,000 in 2022.

Application Process

Applicants are requested to apply online ONLY via http://supplier.quantum.partneragencies.org/ by 16th August 2023. The application documents, instructions and user guide on how to access the Quantum supplier portal can be accessed on https://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_negotiation.cfm?nego_id=9458 Candidates are invited to submit applications together with their CVs and proposals for these positions via Quantum Portal. UNDP applies a fair and transparent selection process that will consider the competencies/skills of the applicants as well as their financial proposals. Qualified women and members of social minorities are encouraged to apply. Interested applicants should send an email to: ug.procurement@undp.org for any inquiries.

NOTE: Only applications received via the Quantum portal will be considered.

PLEASE NOTE THAT – UNDP DOES NOT CHARGE ANY FEES AT ANY STAGE OF ITS PROCUREMENT PROCESSES. UNDP HAS ZERO TOLERANCE FOR FRAUD AND CORRUPTION, MEANING THAT UNDP STAFF MEMBERS, NON-STAFF PERSONNEL, VENDORS, IMPLEMENTING PARTNERS AND RESPONSIBLE PARTIES ARE NOT TO ENGAGE IN FRAUD OR CORRUPTION

Duties and Responsibilities

Taking into the objective of the assignment described above, the consultants will draw on a variety of data collection methods including, but not limited to document review; structured and semi-structured interviews; surveys and questionnaires; focus group discussions, observation technique, case studies and real-time big data analysis and provision. In this regard, the consultants will be required to jointly:

Prepare an inception report that details the consultants’ understanding/ interpretation of the TORs; overall scope, approach, design and timeframe; and detailed outline of the methodology of carrying out the assignment and approaches to deliver on the scope of work; proposed schedule of work and deliverables.
Undertake a literature review of documentation specific to the duration of implementation of the Uganda Tourism Master Plan including Ministerial Policy Statements, Sector Review Reports, National Development Plan Evaluation Reports and several others.
Undertake a detailed analysis of key aspects of the Tourism Development Master Plan (Tourism planning and management, destination marketing, infrastructure development, human resource development, product development, conservation of natural and cultural heritage; tourism financing and investment, safety and security, private sector capacity development, and community tourism development) and provide recommendations and guidance on priority areas for inclusion in the subsequent National Sustainable Tourism Development Master Plan and alignment to the National Development Plan.
Define a consultative process and mechanism; and organize and conduct consultations and brainstorming sessions with key stakeholders in the tourism sector as well as allied sectors to solicit their assessment of the performance of the Uganda Tourism Development Master Plan, elicit inputs, ideas, opinions and recommendations on the current and future needs of the tourism industry.
Using the criteria of relevance, efficiency, complementarity and coordination, effectiveness and sustainability, assess the contribution of the Tourism Development Master Plan to the growth, recovery and resilience of the tourism industry, and Uganda’s socioeconomic progress.
Using a highly participatory approach, assess the performance of the Tourism Development Master Plan against its goals and objectives to determine the specific results (intended and unintended) achieved, what was not and the reasons why; factors that have proved critical in helping or hindering the achievement of targeted outcomes; role of the Tourism Development Master Plan in influencing policy and its overall contribution to the realisation of Uganda Vision 2040.
Evaluate the effectiveness of the Tourism Development Master Plan Implementation Structures and coordination mechanisms; and recommend on appropriate changes to the current institutional framework (including tourism-related organizational structures and tourism data management) for better coordination and management of the tourism sector.
Review existing legal frameworks affecting the tourism sector, assess their impact on the performance of the Tourism Development Master Plan; and determine whether they are supportive of, or inimical to, the implementation of the Master Plan.
Undertake a gender analysis to show, in as much detail as possible, the differences and inequalities between women and men, their causes, consequences in the tourism industry; and propose mechanisms for the elimination gender gaps that exist at the core of tourism.
Identify lessons for the design and implementation of future Plans, while ensuring sustainable development.
Competencies

Demonstrated technical expertise in the result-based management, evaluation methodologies and programme/project monitoring approaches with development partners.
Proven extensive national and international experience of at least ten (10) years in conducting qualitative and quantitative evaluations of national planning strategies, development programmes and policy interventions.
Proven experience in conducting similar assignments in the tourism sector is an added advantage.
Substantive knowledge of tourism industry in Uganda, East Africa and the rest of the world.
Proficient in both spoken and written English language.
Excellent interpersonal and communication (written and verbal) skills.
Strong analytical and reporting skills with the ability to conceptualize, articulate, present (written and verbal) about tourism development issues.