Uganda, Kenya launch coast tourism summit in Kampala

Uganda and Kenya have launched a joint tourism summit aimed at cutting the cost of regional travel and easing the movement of visitors between the two countries.

The 5th Uganda-Kenya Coast Tourism and Innovation Summit was launched at Uganda’s foreign affairs ministry in Kampala on Tuesday, ahead of the main event in the Kenyan coastal city of Mombasa in October.

Organisers say this year’s meeting has been scaled down and made more focused, shifting from a broad conference to a smaller, invitation-only gathering intended to produce firm commitments rather than speeches.

The summit runs on 26 and 27 October at the Sarova Whitesands Beach Resort in Mombasa, with a separate launch planned in the Kenyan city on 1 September.

‘One opportunity’

State Minister for Tourism Suzan Nakawuki, who officially launched the summit, said the two countries should market their attractions as complementary rather than competing.

“Kenya Coast and Uganda are two destinations but one opportunity,” she said.

Nakawuki said travel within East Africa was often harder than travelling overseas, and urged governments to remove barriers and make regional movement “easier, smarter and more rewarding”.

“I sit down and wonder why we still have borders when East Africans have gone ahead of us,” she said.

Kenya’s representatives struck a similar tone. David Kabata, from Kenya’s high commission in Kampala, said the two countries were partners, not rivals.

“Uganda does not compete with the coast. Uganda complements the coast,” he said, adding that Kenya’s beaches and marine attractions could be combined with Uganda’s wildlife, mountains and the source of the River Nile to create wider regional trips.

High air fares

The cost of flying within the region was singled out as one of the biggest obstacles to growth.

Stephen Asiimwe, head of the Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU), said a 50-minute flight between Entebbe and Nairobi could cost about $800 (2.9m Ugandan shillings), while fares to the Kenyan coast ran to about $700 (2.5m shillings).

Cheaper travel would encourage more frequent trips, longer stays and higher spending, he said, adding that a planned railway could help bring costs down.

Asiimwe said young people were central to the sector’s future because they were “dynamic, digitally connected” and well placed to promote the region’s destinations online.

Growth targets

Speaking for the ministry’s permanent secretary, Leonard Mugerwa said tourism was a key part of Uganda’s plan to expand its economy.

He said the government wanted to raise annual tourism earnings from more than $2bn to $20bn by 2040, as part of a wider ambition to grow the economy towards $500bn.

Travel between the two countries is already substantial. Mugerwa cited official figures showing Kenyan visitors to Uganda rose from 466,902 in 2024 to 519,041 in 2025, while Ugandan arrivals in Kenya grew from 201,623 to 234,556 over the same period, making Uganda Kenya’s second-largest source market.

He said the two countries could each aim for five million tourists a year if travel became easier and marketing improved.

The summit will feature a showcase of digital tourism products built by young entrepreneurs, and a policy session on free movement of people under Article 104 of the East African Community treaty, which organisers hope will produce a joint declaration for the EAC Secretariat.

Convened by Uganda’s consulate in Mombasa since 2022, the partnership is marking its fifth edition this year, alongside the consulate’s 10 years in the city.

A Kenyan delegation is due to visit Uganda from 1 to 8 November as part of the exchange.