The number of Kenyans who visited Uganda for the year ending December 2023 has significantly gone up to 490,000, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said.
This is an increase of 113,706 from the 376,294 in the year ending December, 2022.
Speaking during the launch of the third Uganda-Kenya costal tourism conference in Kampala, Uganda's Consul General in Mombasa, Amb. Paul Mukumbya said Kenya has continued to be the biggest source market for tourists to 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," Mukumbya said.
He said on the other side, in the year ending December, 2023, the number of Ugandans visiting Kenya rose from 150,000 in 2022 to 201,620, accounting for 10% of all tourist arrivals in Kenya .
This made Uganda the second biggest source market for Kenyan tourists behind the United States of America.
"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," Mukumbya said.
He underscored the role played by the Uganda-Kenya coast tourism conference, now in its third edition to highlight the untapped tourism opportunities between the Kenyan coast and Uganda.
Amb.Mukumbya said the concept behind the Uganda- Kenya Coast partnership is to promote complementarity between tourism products in Uganda and at the Kenya Coast.
"This was on realization that Uganda and Kenya Coast have different tourism products which can complement one another. Whereas Uganda has mountain gorillas, chimpanzees, cultural and religious tourism and Kampala night life, the Kenya Coast has beautiful beaches, marine tourism and historical sites. Thus, both countries can work together without necessarily competing to promote tourism," he said.
According to Uganda's Consul General in Mombasa, experience from excursions done at the Kenya Coast in 2022 and 2023 showed that many participants from Uganda were not very familiar with tourism products at the Kenyan Coast.
"Similarly, their counterparts from Kenya who undertook fam trips to Uganda in 2022 and 2023 also indicated that they were not aware of most of the tourism products they saw." He said the third conference will build on what has been achieved in the past two years to create more awareness about the two destinations to enable tourism stakeholders, especially tour operators and agents, to sell products that they already know and have experienced.
Clara Ningome Chonga, the tourism minister for the coastal county of Kilifi said the past two conferences have seen an increase in the number of tourists from Uganda going to the coast.
"I wish to confirm that already, as a tourist destination, Kilifi has seen a gradual increase. There has been a gradual increase in our operators doing business with Uganda, with impressive outcomes so far. Kilifi tour operators have included the Uganda product in their tour package and itineraries with visible increase business," Chonga said.
The Uganda Tourism Board chairperson, Pearl Hoareau Kakooza said the Uganda- Kenya coastal tourism conference is more than a conference but a celebration of the vibrant cultures and everything the region has to offer.
"A collaboration is not just numbers, it is about creating jobs, fostering inclusiveness and also growing our respective economies. By promoting our joint tourism products, we will create opportunities," Kakooza said.
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She emphasized sustainable tourism management by both countries in a bid to preserve natural and cultural heritage to thrive for future generations.
The state minister for Tourism, Martin Mugarra said the onset of the Covid pandemic was a blessing in disguise, especially for the tourism sector for both countries.
He said the end of Covid saw a growth in domestic tourism but also regional tourism.
The third Uganda-Kenya coast conference will run between November 20 and 21 at Speke Convention Centre in Munyonyo.
The conference will be followed by a familiarization trip to the Kenyan coast between November 27 and December 6.
As part of the conference, the two countries will host the Uganda-Kenya Coast Open Golf Tournament will take place on November, 9 2024 at the Kampala Golf Club.
