Tourism · Ministry of Internal Affairs, UBOS and Uganda Wildlife Authority
Who travels, and where they go
There were about 1.8 million arrivals into Uganda in 2023; December was the busiest month (199,000). Entebbe airport handled 34% of arrivals in 2023. The busiest road border was Katuna (326,000).
Arrivals, 2023
1.8 million
crossings into Uganda
Through Entebbe
34%
of arrivals, 2023
Hotel rooms taken
51% → 20%
2019 → 2020
Source of the Nile, 2023
190,330
visitors
Entebbe airport handled 34% of arrivals in 2023. The busiest road border was Katuna (326,000).
Arrivals by month, 2023
Thousands of arrivals into Uganda
- Arrivals
- Departures
| Month | Arrivals | Departures |
|---|---|---|
| Dec | 199k | 201k |
| Nov | 164k | 173k |
| Oct | 162k | 176k |
| Sep | 162k | 182k |
| Aug | 181k | 192k |
| Jul | 168k | 172k |
| Jun | 147k | 152k |
| May | 148k | 149k |
| Apr | 131k | 138k |
| Mar | 132k | 139k |
| Feb | 118k | 136k |
| Jan | 135k | 144k |
Where people enter Uganda
Arrivals by border post, thousands, 2023
| Arrivals (000s) | |
|---|---|
| Entebbe | 625k |
| Katuna | 326k |
| Malaba | 277k |
| Busia | 240k |
| Nimule | 131k |
| Cyanika | 95k |
| Mirama Hills | 68k |
| Mutukula | 42k |
| Kamwezi | 30k |
| Mpondwe | 8k |
Visitors from neighbouring countries
Arrivals of residents of each EAC country, thousands
- Burundi
- Kenya
- Rwanda
- South Sudan
- Tanzania
| Month | Burundi | Kenya | Rwanda | South Sudan | Tanzania |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 43k | 499k | 359k | 85k | 34k |
| 2022 | 20k | 376k | 158k | 59k | – |
| 2020 | 14k | 322k | 23k | 12k | 22k |
| 2019 | 45k | 243k | 60k | 26k | 29k |
| 2017 | 45k | 334k | 442k | 36k | 89k |
Hotels emptied in 2020
% of hotel rooms occupied, by region
- 2019
- 2020
| 2019 | 2020 | |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern | 55% | 21% |
| Northern | 53% | 23% |
| Kampala | 52% | 18% |
| Central | 49% | 18% |
| Western | 48% | 25% |
| Uganda | 51% | 20% |
Popular days out, mostly school trips
Visitors a year, all categories
- Source of the Nile
- Uganda Museum
- Uganda Wildlife Education Centre
| Month | Source of the Nile | Uganda Museum | Uganda Wildlife Education Centre |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 190,330 | 131,508 | 619,164 |
| 2022 | 138,655 | 67,366 | 486,313 |
| 2021 | 48,316 | 2,883 | 131,117 |
| 2020 | 28,128 | 3,910 | 67,789 |
| 2019 | 157,925 | 55,426 | 383,398 |
School groups made up 65% at the Source of the Nile, 80% at the Uganda Museum, 69% at the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre in 2023.
More on tourists and national parks: Visitors to Uganda
About these numbers
- Arrivals and departures count every crossing at official borders and airports, by Ugandans and foreigners, in thousands.
- EAC arrivals are people resident in each neighbouring country; UBOS gives no figures for 2018 and 2021, and none for Tanzania in 2022.
- Hotel room occupancy is the share of rooms taken; 2020 includes the COVID-19 lockdowns.
- Visitor numbers are from the Uganda Wildlife Authority.
Where this comes from
- Total Arrivals and Departures by Month, 2023 (‘000s)
- Total Arrivals and Departures by Border and Sex, 2023 (‘000s)
- Arrivals from and Departures to the EAC Pattern States (‘000s), 2017 – 2023
- Room Occupancy by Financial Year Quarters and Region 2019 - 2020
- Category of Visitors to the Source of the Nile, Jinja, 2019 – 2023
- Category of Visitors to the Uganda Museum, 2019 – 2023
- Category of Visitors to Uganda Wildlife Education Centre, 2019 – 2023