Kenya and Uganda are looking to technology to expand cross-border tourism, with digital platforms, data-driven destination management and youth-led innovation emerging as priorities in efforts to turn growing visitor numbers into new business opportunities.
The two countries signed four memoranda of understanding at the fifth Uganda–Kenya Coast Tourism and Innovation Summit in Mombasa, bringing together tourism associations, business organisations and innovators to strengthen commercial links and develop products that connect Uganda’s attractions with Kenya’s coastal destinations.
The agreements were signed between the Kenya Association of Travel Agents and the Uganda Association of Travel Agents; the Kenya Association of Tour Operators and the Association of Uganda Tour Operators; the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Private Sector Foundation Uganda; and the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Banana Industrial Research and Development Centre.
The summit’s technology focus reflects an opportunity for businesses to use digital platforms to package travel experiences, connect tourists with operators, improve destination marketing and develop services that make cross-border travel easier. Discussions also covered connectivity infrastructure and data-driven destination management, areas that could create opportunities for technology developers and investors.
Tourism flows between the two countries are already expanding. Kenyan visitors to Uganda rose to 519,041 in 2025 from 466,902 in 2024, according to the Uganda Tourism Board. Ugandan arrivals to Kenya increased to 234,556 from 201,623 over the same period, making Uganda Kenya’s second-largest source market, according to the Kenya Tourism Board.
Technology entrepreneurs from both countries presented digital tourism solutions during the two-day meeting, while business-to-business sessions connected tour operators, hoteliers, technology developers and investors. The programme also explored how innovation could help package Uganda’s wildlife, primates, lakes and mountains alongside Kenya’s beaches and cultural heritage into regional travel experiences.
“Our two countries complement each other,” said Susan Nakawuki Nsambu, Uganda’s Minister of State for Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities. “Our young people and new technology will help us package these experiences together, and easier movement will put them within reach of every East African.”
Beyond digital innovation, the summit addressed regulatory barriers that can constrain tourism businesses. Delegates examined the implementation of Article 104 of the East African Community Treaty, which provides for the free movement of people, and discussed inconsistent border procedures, paperwork and limited public awareness of travel rights.
“Regional integration is measured by how easily our citizens, goods and services move across our borders,” said Beatrice Askul Moe, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for East African Community, ASALs and Regional Development.
The organisers have shifted the annual meeting from a conference focused on awareness to a summit intended to produce institutional commitments and delivery timelines. The outcomes are expected to be documented in a communiqué and reviewed at the 2027 edition.
“The East African Community promised its people the freedom to move, work and do business across our borders,” said Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga, Uganda’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of East African Community Affairs. “This summit must turn our good intentions into actions the rest of the Community can follow.”
More than 450 tourism stakeholders have participated in cross-border familiarisation trips under the partnership, according to the organisers. The 2026 summit also marks 10 years since Uganda established its consulate in Mombasa.
