GULU– Gloria Alelle from Alebtong District in Lango sub-region is Miss Tourism North.
The 24-year-old psychology graduate beat nine other contestants from different district of Northern Uganda for the crown at a glitzy pageant at Smiling Panda in Gulu town on Saturday.
The winner of the competition is expected to promote tourism for Northern Uganda in 201718 and stand firm on developmental issues that need to be addressed in the region across all sector.
The beauty queens received packages from GOtv, Shea butter, among others.
Alelle said Northern Uganda is rich in tourism potential with several virgin attractions that have stayed hidden from the eyes of the world, thanks in part of the protracted LRA insurgencies in the region.
She said it is her goal to expose these untapped attractions to the world to promote tourism that will enhance tourism industry in Northern Uganda and create jobs for the people.
Tina Aciro, a 22-year-old second year Education student at Gulu University, was first runner-up, while Juliet Akech Ameny, interior designer from Oyam District, was the second runner-up.
Geoffrey Kiwanda, the minister of state for tourism, said he will camp for more four days in Northern Uganda to tour and assess the potentials of all the different tourism sites, including Fort Patiko in Gulu and Aruu fall in Pader to strategise how to promote them to create more job opportunities.
Deputy Speaker of Parliament Jacob Oulanya, who was chief guest at the event, appealed to the Government to construct roads that lead to Amuru hot springs in Amuru District, Aruu falls in Pader District, Fort Patiko in Gulu District and other roads to various tourist sites in Acholi and Lango sub-regions to ease movement of tourists and, thus expose the sites.
He said the world still don’t know much about the potentials of tourism that Northern Uganda has to offer.
“I went to Guru Guru hill in Amuru, Fort Patiko in Gulu, Wipolo in Paimol in Kitgum, and Aruu fall in Pader and I was enchanted with their interesting stories. The world must also know about them; Acholi are rich, northern Uganda is rich, we are sitting on wealth,” Oulanyah said.
Oulanya, who was companied by Opiyo Oloya, a renowned newspaper columnist living in Canada, lauded Minister Kiwanda for having kick-started ‘Tulambule’ campaign in Northern Uganda by visiting Guru-Guru Hill in Amuru famous for the 1911 Lamogi rebellion and visiting Awere Hill where Kony is alleged to have started his rebellion against the NRA.
