Uganda Tourism Board starts grading, classification of hotels 

The Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) has started to undertake a nationwide grading and classification exercise for accommodation facilities, which include hotels, lodges, guesthouses, tented camps, serviced apartments, motels, cottages, eco lodges, and villas, among others.

The exercise will be conducted in phases to cover the entire country, with the first phase, which began on August 1, 2023, being conducted around Kampala, Entebbe, Jinja, Masaka, Mbarara, Fort Portal, and Mbale.

The grading and classification exercise will consider factors like location, size of the rooms, restaurants, interior décor, guest rooms, bathrooms, suites, hygiene, safety, security, and human resources, among others, leading to the facility being given a one-star, two-star, three-star, four-star, or five-star status.

While announcing the exercise in Kampala, Lilly Ajarova, the CEO of UTB, revealed that the exercise is in fulfilment of one of UTB’s mandates to carry out quality assurance of the tourism sector as enshrined in the Tourism Act 2008, Section J, which mandates UTB to enforce and monitor standards, and Section K, which mandates it to register, inspect, licence, and classify tourism enterprises.

The exercise also aligns the country and tourism players with the provisions of Article 115(2) of the East African Community Treaty. In the treaty, tourism is one of the identified sectors where partner states work together in a coordinated manner to develop the quality of accommodation and catering facilities for visitors within the region.

“The classification and grading exercise is a very vital component of marketing our tourism destination as well as standards enforcement. Once successfully done, it will create a positive impact because of the improved quality of tourism products and services offered to travellers. This will inevitably improve the destination’s competitiveness; it will serve as a useful platform to inform investment decisions and enhance self-regulation of the tourism sector for sustainable development,” she said.

Such an exercise was last carried out in Uganda in 2018, even though according to East African protocols, it is supposed to be done every two years. Ajarova noted that the delay was because of the Covid-19 pandemic, which tremendously affected the tourism and hospitality sector, and the need to first sensitise the hotel owners about the importance of being graded and classified since it is still a voluntary exercise for them to take part in.

“According to the law, it is a requirement for an accommodation to be licenced by UTB for it to operate legally, but it is still voluntary for a facility to be classified and graded. As we improve and develop the tourism sector, it will become a necessity as well that we might amend the law to make it mandatory for everyone because it is one-way UTB can market these accommodation facilities, especially when bidding for business tourism in terms of meetings, incentives, conferences and events (MICE),” Ajarova noted.

Meanwhile, Susan Muhwezi, the chairperson of the Uganda Hotel Owners Association (UHOA), explained that UHOA and the private sector are fully in support of the exercise and urged hoteliers to participate for the good of the industry, as it is a vital component of marketing Uganda as a competitive tourism destination that observes good standards for visitor enjoyment.

“The grading will add value to our investments through increased marketing of the facilities within the accredited grades, align the industry to international standards, manage guest expectations, and support the pricing systems of hotels. It will, therefore, create a positive impact because of the improved quality of tourism products and services offered to tourists,” she said.

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