Nairobi — Senior officials from Kenya and Uganda are meeting in Diani, Kwale County, to explore partnerships geared at promoting tourism in the region.
The 2nd Uganda-Kenya Coast Tourism Conference which kicked off on Monday will also explore strategic engagements between the two countries including Uganda Airlines' bid to promote the Entebbe-Mombasa route.
Uganda's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, in Charge of Regional Cooperation Mulimba John and his Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities counterpart Bahinduka Mugarra led a delegation of over 200 Ugandan private and public sector players to the conference.
"At the first conference, our Minister of State recommended that this be an annual event, so we had no choice. For us, we thought we were organizing a one-off event, but the minister, in his wisdom, saw a very big opportunity," Ambassador Paul Mukumbya, the Consul General for Uganda's Mombasa Consulate, observed.
Ambassador Mukumbya emphasized that following the Minister's directive the tourism gathering transitioned into an annual event.
The conference, a follow up of an inaugural convention held in Mombasa in November 2022, aims to consolidate networks, synergies, and diversity to maximize the tourism potential between Uganda and Kenya's Coastal Region.
Speaking at the opening ceremony on Monday, Mulimba emphasized the strategic significance of the conference for both countries.
He underscored their untapped potential and highlighted how exploration and global showcasing, catalyzed by platforms such as the tourism conference can propel growth.
"As you are aware, Uganda is endowed with unique safaris, rich cultural and historical heritage, a variety of attractions of flora and fauna, including the mountain gorillas, tree climbing lions and over 1063 bird species in national parks and protected areas spread across the country," Mulimba said.
He added: "On the other hand, the Coastal region of Kenya is endowed several tourism 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 snorkeling among others."
The State Minister, however, decried information gaps in as far as the tourism products of the two countries are concerned.
"A big section of the population, including tourism stakeholders, is not aware of the rich and diverse products in each other's countries, even when the two countries remain each other's top tourist source markets," said Mulimba.
He called on the tourism stakeholders to raise awareness about the tourism products in both countries to foster the increase of tourist numbers between the two nations.
The conference will seek to assess progress since the 2022 conference, evaluate destination products and enhance synergies among key tourism players.
Participants will also explore investment opportunities, business networking, in addition to gaining a firsthand experience to attractions in the coastal region.
Ambassador Mukumbya explained that the tourism conference operates on a model of complementary, not competition.
He pointed out that both countries have unique tourism products that cannot be duplicated, but can be complemented to boost tourism numbers in both Uganda and Kenya.
"Uganda doesn't have beaches like the ones we see here. We also have some things we call beaches, but they are not quite comparable to what we have here.We don't have Fort Jesus, and we are not about to create one. We don't have Vasco Da Gama's pillar, and we are not about to create one.
What do we have in Uganda? We have the mountain gorillas, and please, Kenyans, these monkeys and whatever they are, are not about to turn into mountain gorillas. Even with evolution, they will not become mountain gorillas," said Ambassador Mukumbya.
Kwale Governor Fatuma Achani emphasized on the need for collaboration among tourism players in the two countries.
"The conference theme depicts the importance of building synergies and complementarity based on the different tourism products bought by Uganda and Kenya cost," she said.
Ambassador Mukumbya highlighted key successes of the 2022 conference saying the 2023 gathering provides an opportunity to build on gains made.
"Last year after the conference, we took Ugandans who came for the conference on excursions at the coast here in Diani, in Mombasa and Malindi. Then, after the conference, we took some Kenyans to Uganda on a fam trip to experience these products, so that when they are selling, they're selling something they have experienced."
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Conference participants are scheduled to take excursions along the Kenyan Coast from Wednesday to Saturday.
The excursions will provide the 200-strong Ugandan delegation with the opportunity to experience and relax on the pristine beaches of Diani in Kwale, and Bamburi and Nyali in Mombasa.
Water sports enthusiasts and adventure lovers will participate in activities such as snorkeling, scuba diving, kite surfing, deep-sea fishing, dolphin-watching tours, and coral reef exploration.
Delegates keen on the coastal culture will explore Swahili cuisines and traditions. They will also have an opportunity to visit old towns, and local markets. These trips will ultimately position the participants better to market these attractions.
A Kenyan delegation is scheduled to conduct a familiarization trip to Uganda from November 22 to December 3.
The trip will include visits to cultural and religious sites, such as the Ndere Centre and the Namugongo Martyrs Shrine.
It will also cover heritage and wildlife parks including the Source of the Nile, Bwindi National Park, and Murchison Falls. Additionally, the Kenyan delegation will have the opportunity to experience the urban nightlife and other diverse tourism offerings.
