Uganda Tourism Board is inventing plans to add insects on the tourism menu alongside wildlife, culture, and marvelous physical features.
The tourism section of Uganda has boasted so much wildlife particularly wild mammals, birds, physical features, and culture which are the major puller of the influx of tourists who pour in high numbers to witness this abundance.
Well, one role of UTB is to find ways of packaging and marketing Uganda as the best world tourism destination. The board has resolved to consider a number of insect species and added them to the country’s tourism product.
“Insects like cockroaches, mosquitos, and bed bugs are not highly sought after amongst travelers, tourists, and recreationists, but Uganda is destined to join insect collectors, butterfly enthusiasts, dragon-hunters, and apiarists in documenting and raising insects for recreational purposes,” said Lilly Ajarova UTB CEO.
She revealed this during the insect exhibition at Sheraton Hotel that happened on July 12, 2022, and will end on July 23, 2022.
Ms. Ajarova added, that elsewhere in the world, insect recreation is a booming industry. People are fascinated by the beauty of butterflies and huge clouds of locusts in flight. Insect conservations are popular in Europe, Asia, and Australia.
Already butterflies have stimulated Uganda Wildlife Authority conservation efforts, we get inquiries on dragonflies, and beekeeping is keeping elephants away from communities close to national parks.
In Uganda, insects bring both excitement and irritation. This is witnessed with the white ants (Enswa) and Nsenene (grasshoppers) seasons.
There was a national outcry when swarms of locusts hit Karamoja region, and plans were created to ensure the country gets rid of the insects.
Some countries like South Africa have already developed dragon trails and there is a fire flying tour in New Zealand.
Attilio pacific, the ambassador of the European Union to Uganda told guests at the exhibition he is an insect lover.
Pacific also said has seen insects in Murchison Falls National Park that have some biological diversity which makes the relevant in conservation at a time when the world is threatened by climate change.
Akite Perpetra from Makerere University department of Zoology said that in Uganda it is only butterflies that are widely studied.
“Am glad through this exhibition, innovators, educators, researchers, and tour operators will collaborate on entomology, sociology, and anthropology,” said Akite
To bring insects from the recreational fringes to the forefront of many conservation and leisure initiatives.
Cockroaches have five senses like human beings except that they hear through their legs, and they make a unique hissing sound when communicating, Akite added.
Takaaki a whistleblower on what other attractions Uganda is endowed with, said is amazed by insects that are active at night. I have moved at awkward hours to see them.
He told guests at the exhibition, it’s common in Japan to go into a pet shop and buy insects.
Takaaki revealed that people keep millipedes as pets, they are fascinating given the body with two parts carried 400 legs. He added that the ant queen has a life span of 20 to 30 years.
One thing that insects share in common, are vegetarians and prefer eating fresh leaves, and they also bite when handled roughly.
