Uganda wins ‘Best in Show – Africa’ at top New York travel expo

“This recognition celebrates Uganda’s immersive and experiential showcase, brought to life through our rich culture, warm hospitality, premium coffee and Uganda Waragi tastings, engaging gorilla experiences, and cutting-edge virtual reality tours of the Pearl of Africa,” says the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a social media post.

The award recognised Uganda’s outstanding presentation at the show, which aimed to highlight to visitors the country’s authentic adventure experiences, rich cultural heritage and hospitality.

The 2026 Travel & Adventure Show brought together over 20,000 travel enthusiasts and industry professionals, as well as more than 600 exhibitors from across the world.

A strategic presence in New York

“Uganda’s presence at this show was strategic,” comments Francis Nyende, Marketing Manager at the Uganda Tourism Board, in a LinkedIn post. “The United States remains one of Uganda’s most important long-haul source markets and a priority market under our tourism growth agenda.

“Being on this platform allowed us to directly engage travellers, travel advisors, media and decision makers who influence where Americans travel, how they travel, and what destinations they trust.

“Over the three days, Uganda stood out through an immersive and experiential showcase, combining culture, hospitality, premium coffee experiences, virtual reality destination tours, and compelling storytelling around our wildlife, landscapes and people.”

Adds Nyende: “We were not only telling Uganda’s story, we were allowing people to feel it.”

The Nile Post, a Ugandan online news platform, quotes tourism officials as saying the win reinforces Uganda’s growing visibility and competitiveness in the US, a key source of high-value travellers seeking adventure, nature and cultural experiences.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the United States remains central to the country’s ‘Vision 2040’ national transformation plan, which targets over 200,000 American visitors annually.

Uganda will also be participating in 2026 Travel & Adventure Show USA locations in South Florida and Los Angeles. These take place in late February and early March.

Enhancing Africa’s travel and tourism sector was a focus of the African Marketing Confederation’s 2025 annual conference held in Ghana. The AMC is collaborating with UN Tourism on its Brand Africa initiative to create a responsible, sustainable and attractive pan-African tourism brand.

At the conference, the AMC also launched a dedicated Tourism Chapter for African tourism marketers.