Preparations in high gear ahead of the 4th Uganda-Kenya Coast Tourism Conference and Exhibition in Malindi
Preparations in high gear ahead of the 4th Uganda-Kenya Coast Tourism Conference and Exhibition in Malindi
In a room full of excitement and anticipation, the Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU), on Thursday, July 24th, hosted officials from the Consulate General of Uganda in Mombasa, together with representatives from Uganda Tourism Board (UTB), Uganda Tourism Association (UTA), Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), and Uganda Hotel Owners Association (UHOA), among others, for the 2nd preparation meeting of the 4th Uganda-Kenya Coast Tourism Conference and Exhibition.
The event is set to take place from Monday, October 27th to Tuesday, October 28th, 2025, at the Ocean Beach Resort & Spa in Malindi, Kenya.
This year’s edition runs under the theme "Leveraging Youth, Innovation and Technology for Responsive and Inclusive Tourism" and aims to further deepen cross-border collaboration in tourism between the two East African nations.
During the preparation meeting, Ambassador Paul Mukumbya, from the Uganda Consulate in Mombasa (UCM), revealed that the event will official be announced with two media launches; one on Tuesday, August 19th, in Malindi, and another on Thursday, August 28th in Kampala.
Organised by the Consulate, in partnership with key tourism stakeholders, the conference is part of a broader initiative to promote regional tourism through the Uganda-Kenya Coast partnership launched in 2022.
To achieve this, stakeholders in the meeting suggested a flurry of avid tourism influencers, investors, and practitioners across Kenya and Uganda.
The platform brings together public and private sector players to enhance destination marketing and joint product development.
The 2025 edition will include a familiarization trip for Ugandan stakeholders from October 22nd to 26th, and a golf tournament at Vipingo Ridge on October 25th, continuing efforts to integrate sports into tourism promotion. A return fam trip for Kenyan delegates will be held in Uganda from October 29th to November 9th.
Statistics from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicate a strong mutual market between the two participating countries, with 466,000 Kenyans visiting Uganda in 2024, and 225,559 Ugandans traveling to Kenya, in the same period—highlighting the success of previous joint initiatives and the growing potential for even greater intra-regional tourism.
The event will also feature keynote speeches, exhibitions, B2B sessions, excursions, and discussions on key topics such as tech-based tourism, smart destinations, and cultural heritage.
Young innovators, content creators, tour operators, hoteliers, government officials, and investors are expected to attend.
Through this growing partnership, Uganda and Kenya hope to create sustainable tourism models that not only increase numbers but also enrich the traveller experience while empowering communities and preserving cultural and environmental assets.
The conference builds on the achievements of previous years, which have seen increasing participation, knowledge-sharing, and product awareness, and the popularization of routes like Entebbe–Mombasa via Uganda Airlines.
