French Buyers Eye Gorilla Permits and AFCON Itineraries in Uganda Tourism Push

What the report says

Uganda’s tourism promotion at IFTM Top Resa in Paris has shifted into more detailed business discussions, according to SoftPower News. On the second day of the three-day event, French and other European travel buyers were reported to be moving beyond broad questions about Uganda as a destination and into conversations about multi-year contracting, access to gorilla permits, and travel packages connected to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.

The article says the talks involved future planning for 2027-2028 arrangements, suggesting that tour operators are assessing how Uganda can be packaged for high-demand wildlife and sports-related travel. Gorilla trekking remains one of Uganda’s best-known tourism draws, and permit availability is often a key issue for operators building itineraries. The AFCON reference points to potential demand from visitors seeking to combine major regional sporting events with longer East African trips.

SoftPower News presents the Paris engagement as part of Uganda’s broader effort to attract higher-value international tourism business, especially from European markets. More generally, such trade fairs are used by tourism boards and private operators to negotiate partnerships, build itineraries and secure advance bookings well before travel seasons begin. The reported discussions suggest Uganda is positioning itself to convert destination interest into concrete commercial agreements.