Pearl Of Africa Tourism Expo

Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo (POATE)

The Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo (POATE) is Uganda's flagship tourism and travel trade show, organised annually by the Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) under the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities. Each edition brings tourism value-chain actors together in both Business-to-Business (B2B) and Business-to-Consumer (B2C) formats for networking, product showcasing and deal-making.

Last held edition — POATE 2026 (10th edition)

• Dates: 21 – 23 May 2026
• Venue: Speke Resort Munyonyo (Commonwealth Resort), Kampala, Uganda
• Theme: "Wanderlust – It's Your Time to Thrive"
• Host: Uganda Tourism Board (UTB)

POATE 2026 was officially launched on 14 November 2025 at the Sheraton Kampala Hotel by the Minister of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, Hon. Tom Butime, and was opened on 21 May 2026 by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni. The expo featured more than 350 Ugandan exhibitors and 120 hosted buyers from 40 countries, with priority source markets including Turkey, Egypt, China and Canada; Day Two alone drew over 4,000 attendees. The 2026 edition added new segments for film tourism and Ugandan cuisine.

The Pearl of Africa Tourism Awards 2026 were launched and presented at POATE 2026 in partnership with the European Union Delegation, marking 50 years of EU–Uganda partnership, with a dinner gala on 23 May 2026 at Speke Resort Munyonyo.

Status

The 2026 edition has concluded. POATE 2027 dates have not yet been announced by the Uganda Tourism Board. Official event website: poate.co.ug; organiser page: utb.go.ug/poate/.