Hoima City holds an enviable position in the future of this country. It is the capital of the coming petroleum industry. It will soon be home to the second international airport in the country.
It will also soon be home to Uganda’s most modern sports stadium, one of the three that will host the Africa Cup of Nations (CAF) in 2027. But that is not all. Hoima sits smack in the middle of Uganda tourism hotbed. It is very close to Munchison Falls National Park, the Rwenzori Mountains and Queen Elizabeth National Park. Couple this with the fact that an international airport is about to open in the city and you realise that Hoima is about to become a big hospitality city because of all the travellers who will be passing through.
Hotel rooms
This means of Uganda’s 10 new cities that have a bright future, Hoima likely sits at the top of the list. More hotel rooms will be needed not just because it is about to explode economically due to the promising petroleum industry, but because, more urgently, the city needs hotel rooms to accommodate the crowds that will visit it during the Afcon tournament in 2027. Hoima is also about to be home to Uganda’s second international airport after Entebbe. Travellers on their layovers need hotel rooms and restaurants to refresh and eat. Many South Sudanese and eastern Congolese will soon choose Kabalega over Entebbe just to shorten their road trips back home.
Because of the new airport, in the near future, tourists on their way to Uganda’s national parks will likely choose Kabalega over Entebbe. Additionally, the international airport is anticipated to entice more tourists to jet into the country because those who didn’t want to come because of the long road trips from Entebbe will likely change their mind. The more travellers land into Hoima, the more hotels will be needed to host them before and after they tour the different national parks in western Uganda. And the more top tier rooms in that part of the country, the easier it will be to market Uganda’s offerings there like Murchison Falls and the Rwenzoris. Today, the city has only 507 hotel rooms, a sign that there is a gap to fill.
One of the reasons a big chunk of tourists to Bwindi is said to come through Rwanda is because Rwanda’s Kanombe International Airport is much closer to Bwindi than Entebbe. A section of tourists don’t like long drives. This is why Hoima International Airport will likely be an extra incentive for tourists to come into the country because it will eliminate the extra cost of chartering flights into the region and the long road trips from Entebbe. Having said all that, it goes without saying that the reason most people have heavily invested in Kampala’s property industry is because they want to tap into Kampala’s economic opportunities. Going by the same logic, Hoima city is about to receive property investors like never before. All eyes on Hoima.