UHOA gets new Executive Director
Following the interviews held at Hotel Africana on 15th March 2013, the Executive Council appointed Mr. Samuel Balagadde as the new Executive Director (ED) for UHOA. The ED was introduced to the Executive Council and a brief press conference held on Thursday, 21st March 2013 at Kabira Country Club. The new ED was inducted by the Operations and Governance Committee at Hotel Africana on Friday, 22nd March 2013; during which priority activities were highlighted as follows:
- Review of the tax exemption procedures for UHOA members to ensure continuity.
- Registration of all hotels in Uganda to obtain data as a basis for technical support for capacity building from government and development partners.
- Restructuring of Uganda Hotel Owners’ Association and the Secretariat to ensure relevance and efficiency.
- Development of a Code of Conduct for UHOA members and completion of the Strategic Plan.
- Follow up on UHOA representation at The Hotel and Tourism Training Institute and brief the Executive Council on the progress.
- Follow up on the implementation of the MOUs with the Department of Tourism Makerere University (MAK) and UTALI regarding training programs for UHOA members.
- Relocation of UHOA Secretariat offices.
- Establishment of UHOA regional offices for Western, Northern and Eastern regions to ensure improved service delivery.
- Lobby for UHOA Membership on strategic Boards including URA, UIA, UNCCI, KCCA, UMA, etc. Currently UHOA is a represented on the Boards UTB, UWA, UWEC, HTTI, Department of Tourism, MAK. UHOA is a member of PSF-U, UNCCI
- Creation of a database for potential UHOA employees.
- Improvement of the visibility of UHOA through promotional activities to be publicized by the media.
- Ensure a harmonious relationship with the Trade Unions.
- Strengthen marketing through participation in international events (e.g. World Travel Market in London and Indaba, South Africa) and promotion of domestic tourism.
- Monthly news letter for UHOA to improve information exchange and visibility.
- Diversify areas of revenue collection; ensure debt collection and timely reporting to the Executive Council.
- Visit to all regions to mobilize UHOA members and review their contacts.