Enhancing public–private partnership operating environment for tourism development in Uganda

Purpose This study evaluates the operating environment factors that enhance tourism development in Uganda through public–private partnerships (PPPs). Design/methodology/approach This study adopted an exploratory qualitative methodology, and data were collected using an interview guide. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 participants drawn from public and private sector organizations and local community leadership. Interview transcripts, specifically the data therein, were analyzed using an inductive qualitative content analysis technique to develop findings, while verbatim texts from the data were extracted and used to explain the emerging themes. Findings The findings reveal that the PPP operating environment within the tourism sector is multi-dimensional, incorporating not just macroeconomic and legal-political factors but also social, institutional, environmental and capacity-related dimensions. Research limitations/implications The findings suggest that the PPP operating environment is multi-dimensional, incorporating not just macroeconomic and legal-political factors but also social, institutional, environmental and capacity-related dimensions. This broadens existing theoretical models of PPP environments, suggesting the need to move beyond economic-institutional analyses to holistic, sector-specific frameworks, especially in tourism. Practical implications This study broadens the understanding of the tourism sector by advancing the need to analyze the PPP operating environment and develop frameworks that transcend economic, institutional and sector-specific analyses to studies with a more holistic theoretical, practical, cross-sector and cross-country impact. Originality/value The PPP operating environment in Uganda’s tourism sector was assessed, and thereafter, a sustainable PPP governance framework whose application would fit within a multiplicity of sectors and developing countries was developed. As most PPP studies focus on sectors of transport, health and energy, this research examined the tourism industry which was found highly sensitive to economic, institutional, social, environmental and political dynamism.