Kenya and Uganda are further bolstering their strong tourism ties with the establishment of the first ever Kenya Coast – Uganda Tourism Conference and Exhibition in November.

Kenya is Uganda's number-one source market for tourists while Mombasa is a key destination for Ugandans. Last year, Uganda saw 512 945 tourism arrivals, 326 387 of which were from Kenya, representing 64% of the arrivals.

While briefing the press at the launch of the conference, the Minister for Regional Cooperation in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hon John Mulimba said: "As a region, we need to promote destination East Africa to the world but, most importantly, amongst ourselves, to harness the potential of the sector and grow our economies."

Thousands of travellers from around the world visit the Kenyan coast each year and end their travels there, yet countries like Uganda offer unique attractions, such as gorilla tracking, that can be packaged by travel agents through synergies in both countries.

According to Uganda's Consulate General in Mombasa, Ambassador Paul Mukumbya, both countries stand to benefit from a partnership between the private tour operators of Kenya and Uganda, where each can market the other's tourism products.

The conference is being organised in partnership with the Mombasa, Kilifi and Kwale counties in conjunction with the Kenya Coast Tourism Association and the Uganda Tourism Association. It will be held on November 17 at the Pride Inn Paradise Beach Resort in Mombasa followed by a familiarisation trip to Uganda hosted by the Consulate from November 20.

Tourism is one of the key sectors in all the economies of the East African Community, contributing an average of 17% to export earnings and around 10% to GDP. It also accounts for about 7% of employment in the region.