Assessing the feasibility of promoting Fort Patiko as a tourism destination at Patiko sub county Gulu District
Abstract
Promotion of a tourism destination involves provision of information required by tourists about a particular destination, use of various promotional measures in order to provide message to potential tourists and influence them to visit a tourism destination, development of supportive facilities such as hotels and lodges, sensitization of the local community, development and improvement of infrastructures near a tourism destination. The study was conducted to assess the feasibility of promoting Fort Patiko as a tourism destination. The study was guided by the use of questionnaires, interview guide and descriptively analyzed.
The study established a number of tourism resources at and near Fort Patiko such as Rocky Hills, the Fort and its history, agricultural tourism, increasing number of tourists, community and cultural tourism. The study results reveal that these tourism resources can promote Fort Patiko as a tourism destination through sensitization of the local community about the Fort, packaging the tourism resources to diversify the tourism products at the Fort, making documentaries and publications about the Fort and its history. The study findings further revealed some challenges of promoting the Fort as a tourism destination such as inadequate marketing, limited customer information, poor road network and lack of hotel facility. In spite of these challenges, the study recommended establishment of a hotel facility near the Fort, employment of more experienced tour guides to provide quality guiding services, establishment of a museum to display and exhibit photographs, art pieces, and publications about the fort and its history in order to enhance tourists experience while at the site.