Kenya and Uganda Partner to Build a Unified East African Tourism Market
Nairobi, 28 August 2026
Capitalising on Uganda’s position as Kenya’s top export market, both nations are integrating their tourism sectors to eliminate travel barriers and boost regional economic growth.
A Foundation of Strong Economic Ties
The push to integrate the tourism sectors of Kenya and Uganda is underpinned by robust historical and economic ties. On 25 August 2026, the 5th Uganda–Kenya Coast Tourism and Innovation Summit 2026 was launched at Speke Resort Munyonyo in Kampala, setting the stage for deeper bilateral tourism integration [1]. This initiative is scheduled to progress further with a main summit planned to take place at the Sarova Whitesands Beach Resort in Mombasa on 26–27 October 2026 [1]. By establishing these business-to-business partnerships and developing joint travel packages, the two nations aim to position the Kenyan Coast and Ugandan destinations as complementary rather than competitive, directly aligning with the broader integration objectives of the East African Community (EAC) [1].
Leveraging Trade Volumes for Tourism Growth
The economic rationale for this joint initiative is clear when examining recent trade data. In 2024, Uganda stood as Kenya’s largest export market, absorbing 11.3 per cent of Kenya’s total exports valued at KSh125 billion, while Kenyan imports from Uganda reached KSh36 billion [1]. The total trade volume between the two neighbours during this period thus amounted to 161 billion KSh. Tourism also represents a major pillar of this relationship; of the 2.4 million international visitors Kenya welcomed in 2024, approximately 9.4 per cent—or roughly 226,000 travellers—originated from Uganda, making it Kenya’s second-largest source market [1]. Industry leaders, such as Patrick Maina Kamanga of the Kenya Association of Travel Agents (KATA) Coast Liaison, have emphasised that both nations possess unique, marketable products that can be packaged together to sell East Africa as a unified destination [1].
Dismantling Cross-Border and Logistical Barriers
Political commitment to this regional integration has solidified over the past year. In July 2025, Kenyan President William Ruto and Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni signed eight bilateral agreements spanning tourism, transport, agriculture, fisheries, investment, and standards, bringing the total number of trade and cooperation instruments between the two countries to 25 [1]. This was followed by an agreement in August 2025 to eliminate tariff and non-tariff trade barriers, reclassify products from either nation as “transfers” rather than imports, and actively target logistics congestion at the critical Malaba and Busia border points [1]. However, analysts point out that marketing campaigns alone cannot replace physical infrastructure improvements, as convoluted visa systems and poor transport logistics across the wider continent still frequently disconnect promotional promises from actual on-the-ground experiences [2].
The Broader East African Integration Outlook
Addressing wider regional bottlenecks is vital for the long-term success of the East African tourism market. Intra-continental airfares in Africa remain 30 to 50 per cent higher than those in Europe or Southeast Asia, often forcing passengers into indirect routes via extra-continental hubs [2]. Unifying regional aviation through the full implementation of the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) is projected to unlock $1.3 billion in annual economic output and reduce airfares by 25 to 35 per cent [2]. Historically, the EAC Single Tourist Visa framework proved highly effective, boosting cross-border arrivals by over 18 per cent within three years of its launch [2]. Expanding such open-visa regimes and adopting digital payment systems like M-Pesa or PAPSS—which could reduce cross-border transaction fees by $5 billion annually [2]—will be essential to ensuring that local businesses and communities benefit directly from the growing influx of regional travellers [1][2].