Now in its third edition, the Uganda-Kenya Coast partnership – tourism conference and exhibition – has yielded substantial benefits for tourism sector players and the industry as a whole, stakeholders say.
The inaugural conference was held in Mombasa at Pride INN in November 2022, followed by the second edition hosted at the Diani Reef hotel in Kware County, Mombasa in November 2023.
Themed “The Uganda-Kenya Coast Tourism Partnership: Promoting job creation, inclusiveness and sustainability,” the third edition of the tourism conference will be held in Uganda at the Speke Resort Conference Center, Munyonyo from November 20th to 21st.
Familiarization trips and excursions around Uganda are already underway as part of the weeks-long engagement. These were preceded by the Coast Tourism Golf Tournament which ended on November 10th with Team Kenya winning Team Uganda, a good comeback from the previous encounter in Kilifi where the latter claimed the trophy.
Ahead of the 2-day conference and exhibition, we take a look at the benefits springing forth from the initiative;
Complementarity not competition
Among the core objectives of the partnership; capitalizing on the complementarity between Uganda and Kenya Coast as regards tourism assets and resources to create packages and springboard cross-border tourism offerings is key.
According to the Ambassador Paul Mukumbya, the Consul General of Uganda in Mombasa, who is one of the chief organisers of the conference, both countries have features that are unique and draw in a sizeable number of tourists to the region. Creating tourism packages that avail tourists with an option of touring Kenya Coast and Uganda under one itinerary, the Ambassador says, is win win for the industry.
“Kenya Coast has features like the beautiful beaches and historical attractions that Uganda does not have. The coast boasts sites like Fort Jesus, the Vasco da Gama pillar while destination Uganda has the mountain gorillas, chimpanzees, adventure tourism on the River Nile, Kampala nightlife among others which highlight the difference in products that can complement each other,” Amb. Mukumbya says.
He emphasizes that the Uganda-Kenya Coast collaboration is built on complementarity other than competition because each of the two destinations has features that are unique to them and therefore creating joint, complementary itineraries will draw in a pool of tourists for shared benefits.
Fam Trips for tourism product awareness
Tourism stakeholders including hosted buyers, tour operators, the media among others embark on numerous excursions around the given country to familiarize themselves with the attractions and learn how to sell the destinations better.
Delegates from Kenya have engaged in gorilla and chimpanzee trekking among other activities which many of them are excited to take up and incorporate in their tour packages, according to a brief from the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities.
“The purpose of the fam trips is to give tourism stakeholders an opportunity to experience tourism products in the given country first hand so that they are able to sell what they know well enough. After the fam trip, we are looking forward to the tourism summit where numerous Business to Business meetings are arranged for stakeholders to create partnerships and network for future collaborations,” Ambassador Mukumbya says.
Joint Marketing
112 of the 200 Ugandan participants who took part in a post-conference survey after the Diani edition indicated that they had conducted 1,860 Business to Business meeting and some had started doing business with their Kenyan counterparts.
According to the Permanent Secretary – Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities Doreen Katusiime, the two countries coming together to market their unique features which perfectly complement each other creates a wider market for the tourism product.
“On behalf of the Ministry I want to say we are excited to be hosting the 3rd edition of the Uganda-Kenya Coast Tourism Conference an Exhibition which promotes tourism and travel for the mutual benefit of both countries. Kenya is our biggest source market and much as we are the same people, neighbours – brothers and sisters, we also have our diversity which when put together, is a powerful tourism product,” says Katusiime.
READ: Uganda-Kenya Coast Collaboration Built on Complementarity not Competition – Amb Mukumbya
Promotion of other line sectors
Tourism is one of the key sectors in all the economies of the East African Community (EAC) and its development contributes immensely to the growth of other line sectors such as transportation.
The tourism trend and statistics report released in March this year indicates that the recovery of Uganda’s tourism sector both for the domestic and international tourist receipts was spurred by an increase in tourist arrivals largely from the African continent and other source markets like USA and the UK.
Regional air travel has particularly had a boost with Uganda launching more routes to the EAC states, the Entebbe-Mombasa route being key for this tourism partnership.
“Among the aims and notable benefits of the Uganda-Kenya Coast partnership is the promotion and popularizing of the Entebbe – Mombasa route operated by the Uganda Airlines,” Ambassador Mukumbya noted during the launch of the inaugural conference and exhibition in 2022.
Giving his remarks at the opening of the second Uganda-Kenya Coast Conference in Diani, Uganda’s Minister of State for Regional Integration in the Ministry of foreign affairs, Hon. John Mulimba noted that destination Diani has benefitted immensely from Uganda as a tourism source market and this propelled the inception of the Uganda-Mombasa route by Uganda Airlines.
Tourist statistics for Uganda and Kenya
The number of tourists visiting from both countries is steadily increasing.
In 2023, the number of Ugandans visiting Kenya rose from 150,000 in 2022 to 201,620 (Source; Annual Tourism Sector Performance Report 2023- Kenya), accounting for 10% of all tourist arrivals in Kenya in 2023, making Uganda the second biggest source market behind the United States of America.
Similarly, the number of Kenyans visiting Uganda in 2023 stood at 490,000 which made Kenya the biggest source market for Uganda in 2023 (Source; Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities- Uganda).
The increasing interest for Kenyans to visit Uganda is mainly due to various events that take place in Uganda such as Golf and Rugby tournaments, festivals, music concerts among others.
For Ugandans, the main reasons for visiting Kenya Coast are; to enjoy the beaches and the coastal scenery and features, attend meetings and also for education purposes. There is also a growing number of Ugandans who visit Kenya Coast to have their wedding parties or spend their honeymoon at some to of the coastal hotels.
The conference and exhibition is organized by the Consulate of the Republic of Uganda in Mombasa, in conjunction with tourism stakeholders in Uganda and at the Kenya Coast.
