Walking Rig deployed by TotalEnergies in the Tilenga project. Photo taken in July 2023Tour operators have expressed mixed reactions about the development of oil and gas in the Albertine Graben.The Albertine Graben has 10 out of the 22 protected areas (national parks and wildlife reserves) in Uganda which are tourism destinations in Uganda.The region is also recognized internationally as home to the threatened and endemic mountain gorilla, and there are a number of cultural heritage resources, archaeological and historic sites.Findings of a community-based research supported by the African Institute for Energy Governance (AFEIGO) said the majority of respondents (98.1%) perceived conservation as very important for their livelihoods, while 1.9% considered it moderately important.The research was participated in by 66 tourism sector stakeholders from Uganda including tour operators, tour guides, travel agents, drivers, hotel workers as well as food and beverage service providers.The researchers noted that of the respondents that participated in the study, the majority, 22.5%, identified biodiversity destruction as the leading threat to tourism, followed by underfunding of the sector by the government.“This implies that the surveyed tourism operators largely acknowledge the direct link between sustainable environmental practices and the success of tourism activities” reads part of the brief released on Tuesday.The data from the research shows that 61.3% of the respondents consider the oil and gas industry and its associated impacts including biodiversity destruction, climate change and the development of infrastructure in protected areas as some of the biggest threats to their livelihoods. It said 13.5% the tourism sector stakeholders that participated in this study perceive the oil and gas industry as a threat to the tourism industry.According to the brief 17.4% of the respondents identified oil and gas developments as a threat to the tourism industry. “Other threats that were identified include charcoal burning in protected areas (17.4%), climate change (16.9%), oil and gas activities in protected areas (13.5%), as well as the development of roads in protected areas (8.4%).”The community research was conducted between February and July 2025 to assess the perceptions and attitudes that Ugandan tourism sector players have towards Uganda’s oil and gas industry. The study’s respondents affirmed that “tourism depends on intact ecosystems. Protecting national parks and biodiversity hotspots is non-negotiable”.“Some of the research participants recommend that government and oil companies should not drill for oil in protected areas. Others recommend enforcement of Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs), buffer zones, and no-drill areas in or near national parks like Murchison Falls and Queen Elizabeth,” it says.Further, 92%, believe that tour operators should actively engage oil sector players and government to protect their livelihoods, while 8% were opposed to this view. “This indicates a strong call for proactive dialogue to ensure that the interests of the tourism sector are represented and protected.” the researchers noted. Perceived benefits of the oil industry to the tourism sectorThe majority of the respondents (43.6%) noted that the oil and gas developments have led to improvements in infrastructure like hotels and roads, therefore improving the tourism sector in the former sleep towns in the Albertine.The region now boats of over 700 kilometer of tarmacked road popularly known as the oil roads. About 25% of the respondent noted that the tourism operators can forge partnerships with the oil and gas companies to develop tourism initiative that can benefit the industry and local communities.About 23% of the respondents said there has been an increased demand for travel services due to an influx of oil and gas workers and related industries. The Albertine Graben is also recognized internationally as home to the threatened and endemic mountain gorilla, and there are a number of cultural heritage resources, archaeological and historic sites.AFIEGO’s CEO, Dickens Kamugisha, said the community-based research was important because tourism sector stakeholders from the national to community level need to be heard.“One of the things that they unequivocally said is that ‘tourism depends on intact ecosystems which must be protected from oil risks.’”He adds, “Some of the research participants recommended that protected areas should be established as no go zones for oil drilling. They also want government to better fund the tourism sector, while reducing taxes. Government and oil companies should listen to the tourism sector stakeholders and act on their recommendations.”The findings from a brief “Those Oil Liars! They Destroyed My Business” Tourism stakeholders’ views of Uganda’s oil sector” partly agrees with as Study tilted “Linkages Between Tourism and Oil and gas Sectors of Uganda” published by the Petroleum Authority Of Uganda in September 2024. The PAU study said a number of legal frameworks have been put in place to support development of the oil and gas sector including the Petroleum (Exploration, Development And Production) Act, 2013, the Petroleum ,(Refining, Conversion, Transmission and midstream storage) Act, 2013; the Petroleum (refining, conversion, transmission and midstream storage) Regulations, 2016, the Petroleum (Exploration, Development and Production) Regulations, 2016., the Health, Safety and Environment Regulations, 2016 have cross-cutting provisions that can promote sustainable oil exploration and production while respecting environmental standards and human safety. “However, tourism and hospitality have not been explicitly articulated in the legal and policy frameworks which focus mainly on biodiversity conservation and environment protection” reads part of the over 100-page study.“It was noted that tourism services are still generally poor and there is need for investment especially in tour guiding and site interpretation services and food and beverage services. Tourism support services (such as banks, telecom networks) are available in the urban areas and need to be extended to rural areas and remote tourism destinations” it added.Linkages and gaps between tourism and oil and gas With respect to the nexus between oil and gas sectors, the study revealed that there are limited linkages at the moment between tourism enterprises and oil and gas sector. Like the respondents in the AFIEGO brief, the linkage report by PAU said the construction of more than 700 kms of quality tarmac roads has improved access to various parts of the Albertine region, kindled tourism development through investments in hospitality facilities such as hotels, and improved access to tourism attractions that were hard to reach such as Kabwoya game reserve.“The linkages and benefits between tourism and oil and gas sectors are projected to increase as more oil related infrastructure is constructed and Kabalega International Airport comes into operation to serve tourists by 2025,” it said.The study revealed that although most stakeholders have interacted with the oil and gas operators (TotalEnergies and CNOOC) and regulator (PAU) to update them on the oil exploration and development activities, there has been limited discussion of the linkages between tourism and the Oil and Gas operations and the resultant opportunities.“Such opportunities include utilisation of six percent of the oil and gas revenues as royalties to local governments to support tourism development in the oil and pipeline districts, as stipulated in the Public Finance Management Act 2015 section 75(1) 35,” it says.-URNThe post Tour Operators Express Mixed Feelings About Oil Developments In Bunyoro appeared first on Business Focus.