Uganda will lose $1.6 billion a year in earnings from tourism as visitors stay away due to the impact of the coronavirus, President Yoweri Museveni said.

“Already Uganda will lose $1.6 billion per annum from the loss of tourism,” Museveni said in a speech, referring to the impact of Covid-19 on the country's economy.

According to Reuters, tourism is one of Uganda’s economic mainstays as the east African country attracts visitors to see its range of wildlife, including lions, giraffes, buffalos and others that roam its savannahs.

Men carry rafts and kayaks used during white water rafting at Itanda falls on the River Nile near Jinja district, 109km east of the Ugandan capital of Kampala, October 19, 2013. — Reuters
Men carry rafts and kayaks used during white water rafting at Itanda falls on the River Nile near Jinja district, 109km east of the Ugandan capital of Kampala, October 19, 2013. — Reuters

Uganda has so far recorded 458 cases of Covid-19, with no deaths reported.

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