17 November Set for Uganda and Kenya Coast Tourism Conference and Familiarization Trip
From November 16-20, 2022, Uganda and Kenya will have a Tourism Conference, Exhibition, and Familiarization Trip.
From November 16-20, 2022, Uganda and Kenya will have a Tourism Conference, Exhibition, and Familiarization Trip.
Tourism is an important sector in the East African Community (EAC) economies and a major contributor to the GDP through export revenues, foreign exchange, and employment, according to the event’s organizers.
The purpose of the event is to develop synergies and explore tourist potential in a complementary manner through a cooperative marketing strategy, partnerships, and links, as well as to capitalize on employment opportunities within the travel and tourism industry.
According to them, the interventions will build networks, synergies, and diversity to maximize the tourism potential between Uganda and the Kenya Coast, hence fostering domestic and regional connectivity and drawing a substantial number of tourists to local markets.
The Uganda Consulate in Mombasa, the Uganda Tourism Board, the Uganda Wildlife Authority, Uganda Airlines, the Private Sector Foundation Uganda, the Uganda Tourism Association, the Kenya Tourism Board, the Kenya Coast Tourism Association, and the Counties of Mombasa, Kwale, and Kilifi coordinated the event.
In November 2022, it will begin with a tourism conference in Mombasa, followed by a familiarization trip to Uganda.
According to Ambassador Paul Mukumbya, Consul General of the Republic of Uganda in Mombasa, Kenya, the overall goal of the conference is to establish synergies and complementarities between Uganda and Kenya Coast tourism stakeholders.
He stated that they seek to increase awareness of the two regions and the tourism products they offer, strengthen the synergies between important tourism stakeholders from Uganda and the Kenyan coastal region, and develop a platform for B2B networking, learning, and information exchange, among others.
The Conference will be interactive, with presentations and panel discussions that 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 so that they are better able to market these attractions.
The conference will also involve tours to interesting coastal locations. The familiarization trip will be planned and coordinated by the Uganda Consulate General in Mombasa in collaboration with Uganda’s tourism industry leaders.
Ambassadeur Mukumbya stated that the events will help both countries, while also ensuring that tourists receive greater value for their money.
Stephen Asiimwe, executive director of Private Sector Foundation Uganda, praised the effort as one that will not only assist the private sector in Uganda, but tourism in the region as a whole.
Asiimwe stated, “This initiative is timely and will allow more Kenyans to enter Uganda, not to compete but to complement each other.”
Before Covid-19, tourism was Uganda’s largest foreign exchange earner, contributing 10% of the country’s gross domestic product and employing tens of thousands of people, according to him.
Tourism is one of the most important industries in all EAC economies.
The sector’s average contribution to export profits is 17%, and its average contribution to GDP is a hefty 10%. It accounts for approximately 7% of employment in the region.
Uganda’s national parks and protected areas are home to mountain gorillas, tree-climbing lions, and 1,063 bird species.
Several other attractions include the snow-capped Ruwenzori Mountain ranges, Lake Victoria, Lake Bunyonyi, and the River Nile. Additionally, there are chimpanzees and golden monkeys.
The Coastal region is the tourism hub of Kenya and is home to a variety of tourist attractions, including 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 number of tourists visiting Uganda in 2021 was 512,945. Of these, 326,387 were from Kenya, representing 63.63 percent of all arrivals in Uganda.
