In a bid to improve the quality and standards of Ugandan hotels and, Uganda Hotel Owners Association has partnered with Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) to organized a three day hotel Expo due to take place this Friday 12th to the 14thof June at Kampala Sheraton Hotel.
According to Jean Byamugisha, the executive director, Uganda Hotel Owners Association, this will be the first ever hotel expo to take place in Uganda and it’s aimed at bring together all hotel owners and staff to showcase their services.“We want to recognize the importance and contribution of hotels and their staff in the growth of tourism in Uganda. We have therefore organized a competition where the Best Chef, Best Waiter and best waitress will be recognised,”
“This will be an annual expo and we are mainly aiming at the local sector. In future we can invite international hotels to also participate. Each hotel can select two of its staff for each category to represent them” said Byamugisha.
She added that the winner in each category will be awarded cash prizes, where he or she will take home Shs2m courtesy of Sudhir Ruparelia, a member of Uganda Hotels Owners Association and owner of different hotels in Uganda. Entrance is free for the general public.
Byamugisha also said: “Waiters, Waitresses and the hospitality profession in general is one of the under looked careers in Uganda. Hotels staffs are paid very meagre salaries, society takes them as failures in school. We therefore want to demystify such mind-set by reorganizing hotel staff especially their contribution in the tourism sector.”
John Ssempebwa, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer, UTB, said that most times, stakeholders in the tourism sector think of tourist coming to Uganda but they don’t think about their conditions in the country.
“We have to improve on the quality of services in Ugandan hotels and as regulators of hotels in country, we are happy to partner with Uganda HotelOwners Association where we intend to set standards of services delivery and customer care among hotel staff.”
Richard Wambede, the events director at the hotels and restaurants expo said the function will see over 50 hotels exhibit and over 300 waiters, waitresses and chefs compete in different activities.
Each participate will pay Shs20, 000 on registration.
The general public is encouraged to come and test Uganda’s best foods as they get acquitted with different hotels form different parts of Uganda where they can rest in case they are in those places. The expo is mainly targeting Ugandans.
