The Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo 2026 has entered its second day with renewed calls for stronger regional collaboration, as Kenyan tourism leaders urged East African countries to break barriers and work together to unlock the region’s tourism potential.
Officials at the expo said the event is increasingly becoming a major platform for promoting intra-African travel, trade, and tourism partnerships across the region.
John Olol Tuaa, Kenya’s Principal Secretary for Tourism, said initiatives such as visa-free travel among African countries and stronger policy alignment are critical in driving visitor numbers across East Africa.
He noted that Kenya has already opened its borders to visa-free travel for all African nationals, a move he said is improving connectivity and positioning East Africa as a unified tourism destination.
Figures shared during the discussions show that Uganda remains one of Kenya’s top tourism source markets globally and the leading one in Africa, with more than 234,000 Ugandan visitors recorded by the end of 2025.
In return, Kenya continues to rank among Uganda’s top tourist source markets, highlighting what stakeholders described as a mutually beneficial tourism relationship between the two neighbouring countries.
Meanwhile, Victor Kitaka, chairman of the Kenya Coast Tourism Association, pointed to growing partnerships such as the Kenya Coast–Uganda conference, which he said has already contributed to increased tourist flows between the two countries.
Tourism stakeholders at the expo said the next focus should be on implementing open skies policies, easing travel restrictions, and harmonising regional regulations to further boost tourism growth.
The message from Kenya at POATE 2026, stakeholders said, is that a more connected East Africa will attract more visitors, strengthen economies, and create shared prosperity across the region.
