The Ministry of Tourism has authorized the rehabilitation works at the Source of River Nile in Jinja City. Excel Construction Limited was hired to build a contemporary pier, and last week on Thursday, Doreen Katusiime, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism, gave them part of the tourism site.
This pier will serve as a glass bridge, joining the riverbanks to the precise location where the River Nile rises from Lake Victoria and empties into the Mediterranean Sea.
The pier will also comprise thermal restaurants, art galleries, and a docking area to accommodate over 20 modern boats, and other modern artifacts, which will increase the tourism experience along the river Nile.
Katusiime argues that most of the guests at the Source of River Nile are largely first-time visitors, who never return to the site, largely due to underdevelopment.
“Word-of-mouth marketing is crucial for promoting tourism, but most visitors never return to the River Nile’s source and never tell others in their individual circles of influence about it because there isn’t any essential infrastructure in place to extend their experience time”, she explains
According to Katusiime, the pier’s innovations would boost the Nile’s revenue because visitors will spend more time and money there.
According to Katusiime, the 15 billion shilling pier is a component of the 20-year Nile tourism site development plan. She clarified that the plan calls for the construction of contemporary infrastructure in a 10-kilometer section of Jinja City and Njeru Municipality along the Source of River, respectively.
Katusiime says that they have already contracted a consultant to assess the 10-kilometer area, detailing its viability and available project-affected persons-PAPs for compensation.
The mayor of Jinja City, Alton Kasolo, also points out that visitors were only staying at the Source of the River Nile for less than 30 minutes before leaving to visit other tourist destinations outside of Jinja city. However, with new innovations in place, a significant improvement on the lengthened visitors’ stay at the site is anticipated.
According to Kasolo, the Source of River master development has included Jinja City’s Kimaka Airstrip with the intention of airlifting visitors, primarily from abroad, from Entebbe International Airport or any other nearby area.
Jinja is a vibrant and exciting city located in Uganda. East Africa, it is known as the adventure capital of the country. It offers a wide range of thrilling activities for visitors to enjoy and one of the main attraction is the source of the river Nile which flows through the city.
The iconic river provides ample opportunities for adventure travelers to experience the adrenaline pumping water activities.
