UK poll shows Uganda ahead of Spain as a popular tourist destination

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


By Saturday, the poll conducted on the Guardian, UK's website, Uganda had polled 79 per cent against Spain's 21 per cent.


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. "The biggest problem with tourism is poor promotion," Museveni said. "In 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."
 
Museveni said Uganda was a "good place on the globe where you go and have a nice life." 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
  
"We're the number four power in Europe. Spain is not Uganda."
The remark left many Ugandans incensed, with some saying that Uganda enjoyed better Gross Domestic Growth figures than Spain.
Last week, the Guardian's website decided to put the contest to travellers, asking a simple question:
"Uganda or Spain: where would you prefer to go on holiday?"
Many people who commented on the poll said while Uganda was a good destination, its stance against gays had tainted the country's image.
"I'd probably go to Uganda if they changed their policies toward LGBT people," 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: "After all, this is the source of the river Nile - that mythical place explorers sought since Roman times. It's also where savannah meets the vast lakes of East Africa, and where snow-capped mountains bear down on sprawling jungles."
However, it also warned tourists of the country that is 'so homophobic' and that it had tough laws against gays.
Last year, tourism became Uganda'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.