This study examined the contribution of the Batwa indigenous community to the socio-economic growth of the tourism industry in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park (MGNP), Kisoro District, Uganda. The Batwa — Uganda's oldest indigenous forest-dwelling people, evicted from the Bwindi and Mgahinga forests upon their gazettement as national parks between 1991 and 1994 — had since the late 1990s been partially incorporated into the park's tourism ecosystem through cultural tourism programming that showcased Batwa forest heritage, traditional practices, and ecological knowledge as distinctive tourist attractions. Yet the economic benefits of this cultural tourism integration for the Batwa community, and its actual contribution to broader tourism industry growth in Kisoro District, remained empirically understudied. Drawing on a cross-sectional mixed-methods survey of 248 respondents comprising Batwa community members, tourism enterprise operators, Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) officers, Kisoro District tourism officials, and international tour operators, the study assessed how Batwa cultural heritage tourism programming, Batwa ecoguide services, and Batwa craft and cultural enterprise development contributed to tourism industry revenue growth, tourist satisfaction and return intentions, and Batwa community socio-economic outcomes. Descriptive statistics revealed moderate levels of Batwa tourism integration and socio-economic benefit (means 3.12–3.64). Pearson correlation confirmed significant positive relationships between all three Batwa tourism contribution dimensions and industry growth outcomes (r = 0.574–0.718, p < .001). Multiple linear regression demonstrated that the three dimensions collectively explained 62.8% of the variance in tourism industry socio-economic growth (R² = 0.628, F = 36.94, p < .001), with Batwa cultural heritage programming emerging as the strongest predictor (β = 0.421, p < .001). Structural Equation Modelling confirmed cultural heritage programming as the construct with the largest total effect on tourism growth (total β = 0.524), with eco-guide services partially mediating this relationship (indirect β = 0.144). The study recommended expanded Batwa cultural tourism investment, benefit-sharing reform, digital marketing of Batwa heritage experiences, and community enterprise capacity building as priority interventions.