East African Business Week

KAMPALA, UGANDA - Uganda lacks decent stop-over points to support the tourism industry, said Makerere University tourism don Richard Drama.
The absence leads to many tourists ending up as short stay visitors. He added that most tourists have to drive directly to national parks to see animals and then, back to their respective countries for lack of desent stop overs. Drama notes that if the issue of decent stop-over points is not addressed, it might ruin the tourism sector in Uganda.
"For example from Kampala to Kabale, there is no decent stop-over point, yet the road has the most tourists' attractions for the country."
The setting up of the Igongo Cultural Centre and Museum at Biharwe, on the outskirts of Mbarara Town, will provide a new trend for tourists plying the South-Western Uganda route.
Set up six months ago, Igongo Cultural Centre is strategically located and designed to provide services of a modern stop-over point. The cultural centre has a museum, which depicts all the south western cultures, a recreation centre, a restaurant and a hotel under construction.
It is established on a two-acreage piece of land, which was once a palace of a legendary King in the 17th century about 14km from Kampala City. It is an ideal place for short stop-over dinners and for those with more time for evening family relaxation.  
"The main attraction to the centre is the museum of south-western cultures and norms. It showcases ancient and modern history of the region and cultures of the Banyankole and Bakiga," indicates Ms Lydia Kananura, a former teacher now the general manager of the cultural centre.
According to Drama, a modern stop-over point should have a modern restaurant, a supermarket, an entertainment place, information centre, lounges, accommodation facilities, clean toilets and bathrooms and car rental services.  
He stresses that an up to date stop-over point must as well have banking and foreign exchange services, postal and internet services, tea and coffee shops. Though Igongo Cultural Centre has not set up all the requirements for a modern stop-over point, the museum can keep visitors busy as they head to other spots.
Moving around the museum, one sees a variety of different cultures, family settings, communities , clans, totems, the two former kings of Ankole Kingdom, their prime ministers and other nuemerous cultural attractions .
Mr. Moses Kashure the museum curator says 10 clans of the Kigezi Empire and 112 sub clans are displayed inside the museum. The museum also has 4 clans and 145 sub-clans of the Ankole Kingdom on show.
The cultural centre has partnered with Mbarara University of Science and Technology for students to carry out research from the site. The community surrounding the cultural centre has also started benefiting from the new project by selling milk, art and crafts to the centre.  
The centre also has a cultural troupe that entertains visitors on a daily basis.