Tourism stakeholders drawn from Uganda and Kenya are meeting in the Kenyan port city of Mombasa at an event dubbed ‘Uganda-Kenya Coast Tourism Conference and Exhibition’.
The three-day engagement, which is being held under the mantra “Strengthening Networks, Synergies, and Diversity to maximize the tourism potential between Uganda and the Kenya Coastal Region” commenced Thursday at Pride Inn Paradise Hotel.
According to Uganda’s Consul General to Mombasa Amb. Paul Mukumbya, engagements are aimed at creating partnerships between key players in the tourism sectors of Uganda and the Kenya coast.
“It is my sincere hope that by the end of the conference and the fam trip, a strong foundation for cooperation will have been built between key tourism players in Uganda and the Kenya Coast,” Mukumbya remarked on Thursday.
The conference has been organized by the Consulate General of the Republic of Uganda in Mombasa, in partnership with key tourism players in Uganda and the Kenya Coast: the Uganda Tourism Association, the Private Sector Foundation Uganda, the Uganda Tourism Board, Uganda Airlines, the Kenya Coast Tourist Association, the Counties of Mombasa, Kilifi and Kwale among others.
According to a statement from Uganda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the three-day conference seeks to explore the opportunities in joint marketing of the tourism products. And equip the key tourism players from with first-hand experience of the key tourism attractions. The latter is vital in enabling participants on how to better market these attractions.
Promotion and popularization of the Entebbe-Mombasa route plied by Uganda Airlines shall also form part of the talking points.
It is worth noting that Kenya’s coastal region is home to various attractions that include Fort Jesus that was built between 1593 and 1596 on the orders of Portugal’s King Felipe II unique safaris, beaches and historical heritage making the two nations ideal for travel.
Other facilities within the coastal belt, Kwale County to be particular; include Baobab Beach Resort, The Residence at Leopard, Diani Reef Beach Resort and Spa, Kinondo Kwetu which scooped various awards at the 2022 World Travel Awards which were held in Nairobi.
Kwale Governor Fatuma Mohamed Achani says efforts are underway to develop other attraction sites; Majimoto, Wasini Boardwalk, Shimoni and Fikirini caves and First World War Memorial graves at Mkongani among others.
Kenya Coastal Tourism Association
According to the Chairman of Kenya Coast Tourism Association (KCTA) Victor. M. Shitakha, this conference is historic because it is the first-ever regional tourism conference and business to business engagement to be held at the Kenya Coast.
“As Kenya Coast, Uganda is one of our major Africa trading partners and tourism source market. Both the two nations enjoy mutual and peaceful coexistence that supports growth of the regional economy.
It is also important to note that both Kenya Coast and Uganda offer unique memorable and complimenting experiences, I therefore call upon the regional tourism stakeholders to seize the opportunity and work together in enhancing the regional tourism trade and investment,” Shitakha explained.
He added that this conference offers an opportunity for a structured discourse towards developing Kenya Coast tourism and Uganda circuit where foreign tourists to the region can visit both the two nations under one circuit while also accelerating cross border tourism.
Statistics
Suffice to note that the conference is of key significance to Uganda, which for a decade has seen a spike in tourists numbers.
A concept note shows that tourism arrivals in Uganda, as of 2021; stood at 512,945. Out of these, 326,387 were from Kenya, which translates to 63.63% of all arrivals in Uganda.
Between January and March 2022, close to 95,000 Kenyans visited Uganda for various reasons. There is increasing demand for Kenyan visitors to Uganda due to various events that have taken place in Kampala such as Golf and Rugby tournaments, festivals, music concerts among others.
At the same event Hon. John Mulimba the Minister of State for Regional Cooperation Foreign Affairs noted that, “the importance of tourism in our economies cannot be underestimated. It is insurmountable.”
According to analysts, these numbers can even go higher once the tourism players in the two countries join hands.
