Last week the latest edition of the KH3 Kampala-Jinja relay was run with much funfare, huffing and puffing.
The relay kicked off at about 6 am from the Kira town
roundabout, with the 36 teams snaking their way through the back roads of
Wakiso, the greenery of Mukono and Mabira, sugar cane fields of Lugazi and
finally ending lakeside in Jinja after dusk.
Easily
500 runners made the event and hotel rooms were at premium at the lake shore town, which did not seem very prepared for the invasion of guests, not only from Kampala, but from as far afield as Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda and Togo...
While the organisers insist it is a fun run, local
authorities and the tourism ministry need not take them at their word.
I could not help comparing it with the world reknown Comrades
marathon, which was run earlier last month in South Africa. The grueling run – this year over 85 km, had
people not only joining the race from all over the world but was watched by thousands
more on television inside and outside South Africa.
With all due respect, the scenery surrounding the Comrades
marathon did not hold a candle to that seen on 96 km Kampala-Jinja relay last
weekend and yet the wider world had no clue about this event, which has been
run since 2004.
While comparisons maybe unfair – for the Comrades marathon, the missed opportunity for marketing the country in general and Jinja town in particular is criminal, to put it politely...
My friend Amos Wekesa – Uganda's chief tourism evangelist , has been crying himself hoarse for years, calling for better marketing of
the country. If one did not know better, one would think there are no events or
attractions to show, hence our anaemic marketing.
Accompanying the Kampala-Jinja relay should put all such
thoughts to rest.
Anyone who has been to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) cannot
stop and marvel at how those countries have conjured an oasis of fun and excitement
from the bareness of the Arabian desert. Their dune rides are underwhelming, their
cities, concrete jungles trigger claustrophobia and their hospitality very
contrived.
If you gave the Kampala-Jinja run to them to showcase, I can
bet good money, the whole world would be beating down their doors to have a
piece of the action.
And this is not about resources.
For almost 20 years the run has existed without the help of
government – not to discount the police patrols that escorted the runners along
the route. The participants and corporate Uganda (who have also failed to capitalise
on the run) have carried the weight of making it happen annually.
This is about being strategic and executing said strategy.
To state the obvious tourism can be a big driver of investment, both foreign and local. Beyond the few dollars the tourists spend when here, tourism allows people to come see for themselves, to disabuse themselves of the myths, especially the unfair ones and make first hand assessment of our localities, warts and all....
An investor is always looking for a return on his money, but
at the back of his or her mind are the questions would they want to work in the
place or not? Are the people hospitable? Is the weather benign? and at the end
of the day, can we put our feet up and relax in peace?
The world media that many people are exposed to, again both
locally and abroad, uses broad brush strokes, bad caricatures of the reality on
the ground, almost always ignoring the subtler nuances that would make a place
more attractive, if not likable.
In this day and age of social media one would think the work
of the relevant authorities has been eased considerably.
Off the top of my head these are my two pence on how Uganda
and the local authorities can maximize the benefits of the Kampala-Jinja run.
1.
Say it loud, say it proud
For weeks before the event there should be a communications strategy
telling people about the relay, that include the route, the history of the
places along the route, the best places to take pictures and even provide extra
bandwidth along the route, just in case all 500 participants decide to fire up
their social media at once. Which one would hope would happen more often than
not.
2.
Convenience is key
A friend was once told that when the tourists google Uganda
they can not see enough public toilets along our major highways. And since many
tourists may retirees who would need the bathroom more often this is a major
disincentive to making the trip. We are human beings and our motivations can be
as basic as that. Along the route use was made of the loos of private homes.
Thank God for the hospitality of the residents, but we cannot leave such
important issues to chance.
3.
Roll out the red carpet
While it was understandable that rooms were hard to find in
Jinja on the day the relay came to town, it is inexusable that even in some of
the establishments they had not rumped up the supply of eggs, fish and beer to accommodate
the new numbers. It suggested the town – its authorities and businesses, are
not working together. With a little bit of effort people may have spent more,
stayed longer and even made a mental note to return before next year’s event.
And all along the route were people prepared, participants
would have bought fruits, meat and beverages rather than carry all their
supplies from Kampala.
I know how it goes. They say God gives meat to those who have no teeth. This event fell into the laps of the government, local authorities and businesses and they are still with mouths agape, frozen in the headlights and unable to maximize its potential...
We can do better. We have 360 more days to work it out.
