Uganda, Kenya tour firms sign deals to tap 750,000-visitor cross-border market

Tour operators and travel agents from Uganda and Kenya have signed cooperation agreements in Mombasa, as they try to win a bigger share of a fast-growing cross-border travel market.

More than 750,000 visitors travelled between the two countries in 2025, based on figures from the Uganda Tourism Board and the Kenya Tourism Board.

Kenyan visitors to Uganda rose from 466,902 in 2024 to 519,041 in 2025, according to the Uganda Tourism Board. Kenya Tourism Board data puts Ugandan arrivals in Kenya at 234,556 last year, making Uganda one of Kenya’s largest source markets. Kenya is targeting 300,000 Ugandan visitors this year.

The agreements were signed on the opening day of the fifth Uganda–Kenya Coast Tourism and Innovation Summit, at the Sarova Whitesands Beach Resort & Spa on 26 and 27 October.

The Association of Uganda Tour Operators (AUTO) and the Kenya Association of Tour Operators (KATO) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on promoting sustainable tourism and regional tourism cooperation across East Africa.

The Uganda Association of Travel Agents (TUGATA) and the Kenya Association of Travel Agents (KATA) signed an MoU on implementing the Uganda–Kenya Coast Tourism Collaboration. The document describes itself as a framework for cooperation on innovation, investment, youth participation and regional integration.

A third MoU, on trade, investment and private-sector cooperation, was signed by the Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU) and the Mombasa chapter of the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI).

Organisers had set a target of three MoUs for the summit. They also aim to broker at least 10 business-to-business connections between Ugandan and Kenyan coastal tourism operators, with progress tracked over three months. They also want at least two digital tourism prototypes commissioned, demonstrated and supported towards commercial use.

The industry is betting on a “Beach to Bush, Bush to Beach” circuit that links Kenya’s coastal attractions with Uganda’s wildlife, national parks, adventure tourism, cultural heritage and hospitality. Organisers say combined itineraries would bring business to tour operators, hotels, transport companies and local communities in both countries.

Ambassador Herbert Kiguli, Uganda’s Consul General in Mombasa, said the two countries were promoting their products as complementary rather than competing.

“Our approach is to embrace complementarity rather than competition, connecting Kenya’s coast to Uganda’s rich natural and cultural heritage through the ‘Beach to Bush, Bush to Beach’ concept, for the mutual benefit of both countries,” he said.

Kiguli stressed strategic partnerships, seamless mobility and joint promotion. At a media launch in September, he cited high air fares as a major obstacle. He proposed that the region be treated as a single bloc for aviation, to remove international taxes on flights between Uganda and Kenya.

The summit follows a six-day familiarisation tour of the Kenyan coast by more than 70 Ugandan tour operators, travel agents, hoteliers and Uganda Tourism Board officials. Operators are looking to package football with gorilla trekking, safaris and beach holidays during the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, which Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania will co-host.

Susan Nakawuki Nsambu, Uganda’s Minister of State for Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, said partnerships had to turn into lasting business relationships and practical opportunities.

“The value of this partnership lies not simply in the meetings we hold, but in the relationships we build, the businesses we connect, and the opportunities we unlock,” she said.

Nakawuki said government policy priorities should be built into tourism promotion so that partnerships contributed to sustainable growth in the sector. She asked organisers of familiarisation trips to include officials from her ministry to strengthen policy guidance, co-ordination and implementation.

Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga, Uganda’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for East African Community Affairs, gave the keynote address.

She called for formal cooperation frameworks, business-friendly policies, better transport infrastructure and improved visitor safety to unlock tourism investment and strengthen cross-border partnerships.

“Tourism cooperation must go beyond promoting destinations to empowering local communities, protecting our natural resources and creating sustainable economic opportunities,” she said.

Kadaga said cooperation should promote technological innovation, improve connectivity and create authentic visitor experiences. She stressed the value of community participation, sustainable architectural design and knowledge exchange.

Ambassador Charles Ssentongo, representing the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, described tourism as central to attracting investment, creating jobs and expanding business across borders.

“As the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and as Government, we will continue to facilitate, work with and advocate for the interests of tourism stakeholders,” he said.

Ssentongo said tourism was one of the four sectors, alongside agriculture, minerals, and science, technology and innovation, that the government calls ATMS and is relying on under its Ten-Fold Growth Strategy. The strategy aims to grow Uganda’s economy from about $50bn to $500bn by 2040.

He said problems affecting trade and industrial competitiveness were being handled through the Uganda–Kenya Joint Permanent Commission. He called for practical, time-bound solutions to outstanding trade barriers.

The summit runs under the theme “Unlocking Tourism Opportunities: Resolving Policy Bottlenecks through Technology, Youth and Seamless Mobility across East Africa”. Organisers say this year’s edition marks a move from promotion and networking towards policy action, digital innovation and investment.

Organisers also plan an assessment of Article 104 of the East African Community (EAC) Treaty, which covers the free movement of people, labour and services, to identify barriers to cross-border travel. Government representatives are expected to sign a joint declaration on priority actions for submission to the EAC Secretariat.

A summit communiqué naming institutional commitments and delivery timelines is to be published within two weeks and reviewed at the 2027 summit.

Discussions also cover how young innovators can develop digital tourism applications, how local communities can take part in conservation, and how tourism infrastructure can combine local materials with modern design.

The summit, which began in 2022 as the Uganda–Kenya Coast Tourism Conference, is convened by Uganda’s Consulate General in Mombasa. It falls under Uganda’s Economic and Commercial Diplomacy Strategy for 2025/26 to 2029/30, led by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The strategy treats diplomatic missions as frontline agents for promoting exports, attracting investment and expanding tourism markets.

The ministry says the Mombasa consulate connects Ugandan tourism operators with Kenya’s coastal market and arranges business-to-business meetings.