Writer, journalist, travel, and conservation enthusiast Julius Luwemba stated that Ugandans appreciated touring and traveling around the country during the Covid 19 pandemic.
“After the Covid 19 lockdown, many Ugandans were able to travel around the country because they had been confined to their homes and wanted to travel around,” he said during an interview with Crystal Newman on The Groove Cafe.
Luwemba added that the accommodation facilities also reduced the costs of their services due to the reduced number of international tourists enabling domestic tourists to make trips cheaply.
“The subsidized prices in accommodation intrigued Ugandans, especially those that had traveled for the first time, to travel more and more. They found out how interesting it is and to appreciate the wildlife,” he explained.
Julius, being a photographer, an environmental, tourism, and conservation journalist, says that tourism and conservation are inseparable when promoting and protecting wildlife and their habitats.
He narrated his experience, having traveled to Ngamba Island to cover stories about the Chimpanzees on the Island.
“The first tourism story I covered was Chimpanzee politics. Caretakers told me about the alpha male (which is their king) and how they hold elections and big campaigns. It was a fascinating story. Even though I've been there countless times, I realize something new about these chimpanzees every time am there,” he narrated.
Luwemba believes that chimpanzees hold 98.7 percent of the human DNA because of the similar traits they share with humans.
“The more you travel, the more you want to learn about these animals, yet they are getting extinct. So we need to conserve their habitats,” Luwemba advised.
Julius Luwemba is also a fundamental human rights advocate, the General Secretary of the Entebbe Journalist Association, and a journalist working with the Newvision.
The Groove Cafe with Crystal Newman airs every Weekday from 4-5 pm on RX Radio.
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