UpbeatUganda and Kenya tour operators sign three deals to turn visits into livelihoods
At the fifth Uganda–Kenya Coast Tourism and Innovation Summit in Mombasa, tour operators stopped just promoting each other's beaches and bush — and signed. Private-sector organisations from the two countries concluded three cooperation agreements covering tour operators, travel agencies and broader business collaboration, after a six-day familiarisation tour of the Kenyan coast by more than 70 Ugandan operators, agents and hoteliers. The travel is already flowing: Kenyan visits to Uganda rose from 466,902 in 2024 to 519,041 in 2025, and Ugandan arrivals in Kenya reached 234,556. Uganda's First Deputy Prime Minister Rebecca Kadaga set the test for the deals: tourism cooperation must empower local communities, protect natural resources and create sustainable work — not just fill hotels.
SDG 8 · Decent work and economic growth — Mechanism: institutional program