A new report released by Consulate General of Uganda in Mombasa Paul Mukumbya during the launch of the second Uganda-Kenya coast tourism conference at the Kenyan coast, revealed that the number of Kenyan tourists who visited the country in the year ending December 2022 increased by 40,000 from 336,294 in 2021 to 376,294.

The increasing interest of Kenyans visiting the country is mainly due to various events that take place in the country such as golf and rugby tournaments, festivals and music concerts.“Kenya is Uganda’s leading source market for tourists; however, Uganda is Kenya’s second biggest source market for tourists,” the report indicated.

Read: Kenya gets most regional tourists from Uganda“For Ugandans, the main reason for visiting Kenya is to enjoy beaches and coastal scenery and features, attend meetings and also for educational purposes,” Mukumbya said.

According to him, there is a growing number of Ugandans who visit Kenya to have their weddings or spend their honeymoon at some of the coastal hotels.

Uganda Minister of State for Foreign Affairs John Mulimba said tourism forms a very significant part of Uganda’s economy.“It contributes more than 7 per cent of our National GDP and it employs a significant number of people directly or indirectly ranging from government, private sector, education tourism, leisure events promoters, professional associations, and individuals to training institutions,” Mulimba said.

He encouraged missions abroad to incorporate tourism within their strategic plans and annual work plans.

Read: East Africa slowly finds its economic feetHe also said the country possesses some unique tourism products like Namugongo Martyrs Shrines, the Source of River Nile, and rich culture among others that can be used to make it one of the world’s leading tourist destinations.

He further said the increasing number of tourists between Uganda and Kenya Coast has been aided by the improved air connection between Entebbe and Mombasa.

Currently, Uganda Airlines operates three direct flights weekly between Entebbe and Mombasa. © Copyright 2022 Nation Media Group. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).