Uganda and Kenya are set to hold a Tourism Conference, Exhibition and Familiarization Trip from November 16-20, 2022.
According to the organizers, tourism is a key sector in all economies of the East African Community (EAC) and a big contributor to the GDP through export earnings, foreign exchange, and employment.
The event is intended to create synergies and complimentarily explore tourism opportunities through a joint marketing strategy, partnerships, and linkages and tap into the employment opportunities within the travel and tourism trade.
They say the interventions will strengthen networks, synergies, and diversity to maximize the tourism potential between Uganda and the Kenya Coast, hence developing domestic and regional connectivity, and attracting large numbers of tourists for domestic markets.
The event was organized by the Uganda Consulate in Mombasa, the Uganda Tourism Board, the Uganda Wildlife Authority, the Uganda Airlines, the Private Sector Foundation Uganda, the Uganda Tourism Association, the Kenya Tourism Board, the Kenya Coast Tourism Association, the Counties of Mombasa, Kwale and Kilifi.
It will commence with a Tourism Conference in Mombasa to be immediately followed by a familiarization trip to Uganda in November 2022.
According to Ambassador Paul Mukumbya, the Consul General of the Republic of Uganda in Mombasa – Kenya, the overall objective of the conference is to create synergies and complementarity between the Uganda and Kenya Coast tourism players.
He added that they want to create more awareness about the two destinations and the tourism products they offer, enhance the synergies between key tourism players from Uganda and the Kenya coastal region, and create a platform for B2B networking, learning and information sharing, among others.
The Conference will be interactive, with presentations and panel discussions which will provide a platform for B2B networking, learning and sharing, equipping the key tourism players from Uganda and the Coastal region with first-hand experience of key tourism attractions for them to be better positioned to market these attractions.
The conference will also include visits to areas of interest on the Coast. The familiarization trip will be planned and organized by the Uganda Consulate General in Mombasa in conjunction with key players in the tourism sector in Uganda.
Amb. Mukumbya said the events will mutually benefit both countries but also ensure tourists get more value for their money.
Private Sector Foundation Uganda Executive Director, Stephen Asiimwe, described the initiative as one that would greatly benefit the private sector in Uganda but also tourism at large in the region.
“This initiative has come in at the right time and will enable more Kenyans to come into Uganda, not to compete but to complement each other,” Asiimwe said.
He said tourism is one of the key strategic business portfolios that before Covid-19, was Uganda’s number one foreign exchange earner bringing in 10% of the GDP but also employing thousands of people.
Tourism is one of the key sectors in all the economies of the EAC region.
The sector contributes an average of 17% to export earnings and its contribution to GDP is substantial, averaging at around 10%. It generates about 7% of employment in the region.
Uganda is endowed with unique safaris, rich cultural and historical heritage, and a variety of attractions of flora and fauna, including the mountain gorillas, tree climbing lions and 1063 bird species in national parks and protected areas spread across the country.
The country also boasts of the snow-capped Ruwenzori Mountain ranges, Lake Victoria, Lake Bunyonyi and the River Nile, among several attractions. Other unique attractions include chimpanzees and golden monkeys.
The Coastal region is the tourism hub of Kenya and has several tourist attractions from the historical Fort Jesus, Beautiful Beaches and Resorts, Marine National Parks, Elephant sanctuary, the Dolphins, Wildlife Parks, slave caves and sacred forests, Vasco Da Gama Fort in Malindi, White sands, the Coral Reefs, diving and snorkelling, among others.
Tourism arrivals in Uganda in 2021 stood at 512,945. Out of these, 326,387 were from Kenya, which translates to 63.63% of all arrivals in Uganda.
