At the end of our master we developed this new concept of Happiness Community-Based Experience in Northern Uganda. The project has been realized under the coordination of Prof.Andrea Rossi and Prof. Maurizio Goetz and it has been presented to Viaggi Solidali and Fondazione Cariplo on July 2nd. Starting from the concept, a business plan will be developed to be proposed to a tour operator that will, eventually, turn it into a package tour and put our work into practice.

2. Alessia Simula, Anzhela Tanas, Aries Criscione,
Bohdana Bukatar, Carolina Mardegan, Giuseppe
Pistone, Ilaria Battistella, Iulia Davydova, Marco
Lancellotti, Mariana Masotti, Martina Marcucci,
Matteo Taller, Myriam Granozio, Ritwik Patil,
Sara Lucarini, Stefania Rampini, Stefania Tedesco
Valeriia Maltseva, Yulia Shinkareva
Andrea Rossi
Maurizio Goetz

3. TO DEVELOP AN AND
CONCEPT ABLE TO
TOURISTIC FLOWS IN
NORTHERN UGANDA

5. Methodologies of the Research
Interview to:
Dario Ferroni (Viaggi Solidali)
Francesca Oliva (AVSI)
Cristina Toscano (Fondazione Cariplo)
Enrico (Trekking Italia)
PRIMARY RESEARCH
Blogs analysis
Literature analysis
Statistics analysis
SECONDARYRESEARCH

6. • What is the actual and
the potential touristic
demand?
• Where do tourists
come from?
• How long do they
stay? And how much
do they spend?
• Why do they go?
• Who are our main
competitors?
• What do they offer?
• What is the actual
situation in Northern
Uganda?
• How can we be
different?
• Where is Northern
Uganda?
• What is its Political
Situation?
• What are the main
attractions?
• Which are its main
problems?

7. • Community Based Tourism
Studies
• Definitions
• Our definition
Literature
analysis
• Identification of potential
segments
• Development of a Segmentation
Model
• Definition of target segment
Segmentation
Model
CREATIVITY
PHASE

8. What do we know about Northern Uganda?
• Leader
• War
Political Situation
• Position
• Population
• Infrastracture
Geographical
Location
• National parks
• wildlife
• Local community
Main
Attractions
See Appendix I
for further details

9. Surface: 236.040 km²
Population:34.590.205
kWh per capita: UGANDA 12
USA: 14.000
Capital : Kampala
ROADS:30,000 kilometers, of roads;
2,800 kilometers are paved
RAILWAYS: about 1,350 km
AIRPORTS: Entebbe, 32 km from Kampala
The geographical mobile phone coverage is about
65%
See Appendix I for further details
Geographical Location

10. Political situation Government: Presidential republic
President: Yoweri Museveni (since 1986 )
Vice President: Edward Ssekandi
Prime Minister: Amama Mbabazi
Currency: Ugandan shilling
Official Language : English and Swahili
WAR: The president has struggled for years in the civil war
against the Lord's Resistance Army , which has been guilty of
numerous crimes against humanity, including child slavery
and mass murder. Conflict in northern Uganda has killed
thousands and displaced millions. For years people from
Northern Uganda have been gathered in small spaces for their
own safety, and only recently they could go back home.
VAT : since july there is this nex tax on the tourist product
that is the 20%
See Appendix I for further details

11. See Appendix I for further details
1. Murchison Falls National
Park
2. Kidepo National Park
3. Very interesting for the bird
watching
4. Breathless scenary
5. Amazing wild animals
Main
Attractions

12. What is the actual and potential demand?
1. What is the actual turistic demand?
2. Where do tourists come from?
3. How long do they stay?
4. How much do they spend?
5. Why do they go?
See Appendix II for further details
2011
2011

13. Who are our competitors?
See Appendix III for further details
30 TOs in
Uganda
25 TOs in
Africa
10 TOs
Worldwide
WHAT DO THEY OFFFER?
The most common offers are Safaris and/or
Nature based activities.
ACTUAL SITUATION IN NORTHEN UGANDA
Wildlife trekking is the main activity
provided in the region.
Northern Uganda is known for kind and
colourful communities.
There is a vague evidence of community-
based tourism in the region characterized by
one/half day visit to local villages.

14. TO BE DIFFERENT WE HAVE TO LEVERAGE ON LOCAL
COMMUNITIES AS A VIBRANT UGANDAN RICHNESS
How can we be different?
SOLUTION :

15. What did authors say about Sustainable and
Community Based tourism?
See Appendix IV for further details
After the analysis of the literature, we identified which points are the
most important for us to develop our own experiential concept of
Community Based experience.
-WTO
-COMCEC
-KISS
-APEC
-DIXEY
-MAKUMBA
-SIMMONS
-PEARCE
-BOONRATANA
Our community based experience should..
Increase local economy and
diversity
Promote partnership between
national and international
tourism stakeholders
Increase Self reliance
Reduction in the use of energy
Take care of social and
economic needs of residents
Protection of biological
diversity and natural resources

16. Which segments can be identified? Which one is our target?
See Appendix IV for further details
We developped our segmentation model,
identifying 10 different types of segments
whose description can be found in the
appendix IV . We decided to focus on the
ECO TOURIST

17. How did we get to an innovative experiential concept?
See Appendix VI
for further details
To use, transform and improve the information and the ideas we
gathered in Phase 1 in order to design an
Innovative Experiential Concept for Northern Uganda
Tourism
Goal
We applied an Accurate creative methodologu developed by
Professor Andrea Rossi and Professor Maurizio Goetz called
TOURIST EXPERIENCE DESIGN®
Method
We came out with a brand new concept, described in a
Manifesto, exemplified by a Storytelling and described in any
aspect from the Tourist Profile to the Experiential Results: the
HAPPINESS COMMUNITY BASED TORUST EXPERIENCE
Output

18. Which creative tools did we use?
See Appendix II
for further details
The classic technique has been applied
to every aspect of the concept as a
starting point for further selection and
improvement
A technique to improve our previous
ideas by Substitute Combine Adapt,
Magnify, Put to other uses, Eliminate or
Rearrange some of the elements
A story created to give life to our
concept. It exemplifies the experience
we conceived and it is useful both for
the tour operators and the tourists.

19. What did we define in the Creative Phase?
OurTouristProfile
• Who he/she is
• How we want
him/her to feel
• What are his/her
need s and
motivations
• Dreams and Fears
• Main Constraints
ExperientialConcept
• Definitions of
Community and
Happiness
• Our broad Concept
• Experiential Points
• Value and meaning
• Differential and
Innovative aspects
• WOW elements
• Behaviour and
Interaction
• Experiential Results
ExtendedExperienceCycle
• Pre- experience
Phase
• In-Experience
Phase
• Post-Experience
Phase

20. Who is he/she? How do we want him/her to feel?
He/She wants to escape from ordinary life
He/She wants to see breathless scenary
He/She respects the environment
He/She is interested in local people and their tradition
• ENTHUSIASTIC to partecipate to the local life
• MOTIVATED to be involved in the environment
• EXCITED about the community-based experience
See Appendix II
for further details

21. What are his/her needs, motivations, dreams and fears?
Needs
Relax in
nature
Feel Free
Observing
Wildlifee
Learning
about local
communities
Motivations
Escape from
ordinary life
Discover new
places and
feelings
Be involved in
environment
al projecs
Participating
in outdoor
activities
Dreams
Self
actualization
Economic
Stability
Being
appreciated
by others
Environment
al Stability
Fears
Feel
useless
Job loss
Diseases
Bad igenic
conditions
See Appendix II
for further details

22. Main Definitions
“RELATIONSHIP AND INTERACTION OF PEOPLE WITH SPECIFIC
NEED BELIEVES AND DIALECTS WHO SHARE COMMON VALUES
AND COOPERATE TO REACH THEIR HAPPINESS”
COMMUNITY
“HAPPINESS IS A POSITIVE STATE OF MIND THAT INCLUDES
EXCITEMENT, EUDAMONIA, OPTIMISM AD PEACE OF MIND
CAUSED BY EXTERNAL FACTORS THAT CAN CHANGE YOUR
APPROACH TO LIFE AND MAY LEAD TO ELATION ”
HAPPINESS
See Appendix VI
for further details

23. What is our Experiential Concept?
• Our concept has been conceived as a great opportunity to escape from the stress of ordinary life
and recharge the batteries.
• Northern Uganda and its local population attitude, are perfect to experience a deep sense of
happiness
• We hope it will make the travellers become conscious of their own identity through many
different experiences
• We would like the travellers to leave back their western mental habits and to remind the essential
values of life such as family, friendship, sense of community.
• We wish it will help travellers to find a new sense of life so that they will never be the same.
The Happiness Community Based Experience in Northen Uganda
See Appendix VI for further details

24. What are the main Experiential Points?
See Appendix VI for further details
Sharing lifestyle and collaboration with locals will be the core of the experience. The interaction
will be based on Respect and the tourists will feel themselves part of the community.
Tourists will perform all the everyday activities of the communities like fishing,
planting, building traditional musical instruments and handcraft necklaces
In our wishes, the experience should bring tourists to meditate on the true values of
life and on what is truly important.
The tourists will hopefully experience a sense of peace with themselves and the
universe, and will feel the happiness the locals are able to transmit
The experience will stimulate also sthe senses: breathtaking landscapes, local music,
traditional dishes, contact with nature and no trace of smog when breathing!SENSE
RELATE
ACT
THINK
FEEL

25. What are the Value and the Meanings of the Experience?
IN ORDER TO BETTER EXPLAIN OUR CONCEPT AND ITS VALUES
AND MEANINGS, WE ALSO REALISED A MANIFESTO AND A
STORYTELLING!
See Appendix VI
for further details
The meaning of the trip is the QUEST FOR HAPPINESS
Western people, often used to think that they have everything,
will have the chance to understand that these people, despite
having much less than us, are still able to feel really happy.
The values transimitted are solidality, friendship and fraternity as
well as respect for differences

26. What is innovative and different?
See Appendix VI
for further details

27. and collaboration are the core of the experience
INTERACTION
for traditions, ways of living and for diversities
RESPECT
of cultural differences in
behaviours andperceptions: tourist should be aware
of what is consideredacceptable and what is not.
KNOWLEDGE
Behaviour and Interaction
Behaviour and interaction play a decisive role for the success of the Experience.
Therefore, they should be defined very clearly:
See Appendix VI
for further details

28. What Experiential Results do we expect?
See Appendix VI
for further details
In our expectations, tourists will hopefully
learn that modern commodities, as well as food
and water are not to be taken for granted will
hopefully resize their problems comparing them
with the essential ones faced by Northern Uganda
people
develop a deep sense of gratitude for what
they have instead of focusing on what they
have not
resize their problems comparing them
with the essential ones faced by Northern
Uganda people
learn how to be happy everyday

29. Extended Experience Cycle
So far we have focused on the
aspects of our Experiential Concept
related to the experience itself.
However, it is also important to
remember that the experience is not
limited to the duration of the holiday.
It begins before (Pre-experience
Phase) and it continues after (Post-
Experience Phase) and even if the In-
Experience is vital for Post-
Experience phase, this is crucial for
the Pre-Experience Phase. This is why
we talk about
EXTENDED EXPERIENCE CYCLE
See Appendix VI
for further details

30. Extended Experience Cycle: Pre-Exp Phase
During the Pre-Experience Phase, potential customers search the web
to find information about some tourist offer that can be interesting for
them. It is then crucial to adapt a web strategy to make our project
visible and appealing to customers.
See Appendix VI
for further details
In this phase they:
• Gather information on our offer
• Gather information on other offers
• Compare
• Create an image of the experience and shape their expectations

31. Extended Experience Cycle: Pre-Exp Phase
WE HAVE TO BE ACTIVELY PRESENT
AND PROMOTE OUR EXPERIENCE
ON EVERY MEDIA, PROVIDING
ACCURATE AND IMMEDIATE
INFORMATION ABOUT THE OFFER
See Appendix VI
for further details
WEBSITE
MAGAZINES
VIDEO CHANNELS

32. Extended Experience Cycle:Post-Exp Phase
See Appendix VI
for further details
During the Post-Experience Phase, customers that have lived the
experience will go home and share their comments and feelings with
friends and relatives as well as on the web. This is why during the
experience we must ensure that everything is wonderfoul.
In this phase they:
• Compare with what expected
• Communicate and share the experience
• Express positive or negative opinions
• Remember the experience (hopefully in a positive way!)

33. Extended Experience Cycle:Post-Exp Phase
See Appendix VI
for further details
In this phase we perform an active listening and try to catch valuable
feedback from our customers! Our aim is to improve as much as
possible the experience. We have to monitor blogs, social media
conversation and rating websites such as Trip Advisor!
Thanks to the information Gathered we
ask ourselves: Have we reached the expected goals?
If there is a problem, we use web tools ans listen.
Once defined the problem, we should take note the comments
of our customers and take notes of our weaknesses. Then,we
must work on re-design the experience to improve it.

34. Plot & Characters
See Appendix VI
for further details
Our protagonist is Bob, a 40-year old guy. He
works for a company 12 hours per day and he
is really stressed.
In order to recover himself, he decides to plan a
particular vacation in Northern Uganda.
Bob will discover a new
sense of life thank to
the experiences, and he
will go back home with
his pockets plenty of
human treasures…
.
He StoryTelling is the exemplification of our Experiential Concept
Other characters are:
• Girl in the library
• Irumba, Northern Uganda guide and cultural
mediator, who explains Bob the sense of all the
experiences he lives
• Nala (Irumba’s wife) and the children
• Northern Uganda community

35. Values and Meanings in the Storytelling
There are a lot of things in the story that carry particular meanings:
See Appendix VI
for further details
• Legends of animals: the ancient stories that Irumba
tells Bob make him think about his place in the world.
• The sunset that is shaping all the surroundings with a
breathtaking blending of colours: this gives Bob a great
sensation of freedom
• The smiles and hugs of Irumba’s family: thank to them
he doesn’t feel a stranger but part of that family
• Special dinner: in this occasion Bob is able to absorbe
and understand the values of family and hospitality
• The necklace given by the chief of the tribe: this is a
symbol of belonging to the local community, now Bob is
not a tourist anymore
• The traditional clothes that the guest wears to feel part
of the HAPPINESS community

36. Which are the WOW Elements?
The first WOW Element is the moment in which Bob arrives
in Northern Uganda and is shocked by the breathtaking
landscape. He cannot explain this feeling but he feels
immediately better
See Appendix VI
for further details
He stands in front of the mirror, watching himself wearing
again the western clothes makes him feel a strange
emotion. A part of him is afraid to lose the happiness
gained so far. Right in that moment, Irumba enters the
room. He stares at him, smiles kindly and says: “Don’t you
see? It’s not what you wear, or where you are. It’s just
you…happiness is in your heart.

37. It’s INNOATIVE because it’s the first
quest for happiness, where people go
to be helped and not the contrary.
It is both innovative and
SUSTAINABLE, because it respects
people, traditions and environment.
It is able to ATTRACT touristic
flows because its unique
offer,combines the interest for
environment and local tradition
with spiritual benefits!