The 5th Uganda- Kenya Coast Tourism & Innovation Summit concluded on 27th October 2026.
The Summit was only the final chapter in a great programme of events to strengthen the tourism partnership between Uganda and Kenya Coast. Over one week, partners from Uganda and Kenya moved from a familiarization trip, to a golf tournament, to a conference room, and that sequence is exactly what makes this collaboration work.
Experience a destination with a depth of understanding of why Uganda and Kenya Coast are complimentary propositions for the tourism economy. Play together and connect outdoors. Then stakeholders had the opportunity to sit down and make decisions. Here is how the week unfolded, and what it means for Vipingo Ridge.
How the Partnership Began
The Uganda-Kenya Coast collaboration is an initiative started in 2022 by the Uganda Consulate in Mombasa to promote tourism between the two countries. Its first step was the Uganda-Kenya Coast Tourism Conference and Exhibition in Mombasa on 17 November 2022, followed by coast excursions and a familiarization trip to Uganda for selected Kenya Coast tour operators.
The idea rests on complementarity. Uganda's Consul General Emeritus, Amb. Paul Mukumbya, has explained that Uganda offers mountain gorillas, chimpanzees, cultural and religious tourism and Kampala nightlife, while the Kenya Coast offers beaches, marine tourism and historical sites. The aim is to let visitors combine both in one itinerary, or travel between the two destinations.
The Kenya Coast Tourist Association chairman called the 2022 event the first regional tourism conference and business-to-business engagement hosted at the Kenya Coast.
It has since become an annual event, with a conference and exhibition each year:
2022: inaugural conference in Mombasa, organised with the Mombasa, Kilifi and Kwale county governments, the Kenya Coast Tourist Association and Uganda's tourism bodies, among others.
2023: second edition, which also looked at Uganda Airlines' Entebbe-Mombasa route.
2024: third edition at Speke Resort Munyonyo, Kampala.
2025: fourth edition in Malindi, on the theme of youth, innovation and technology.
2026: this fifth Summit in Mombasa.
In February 2026 the collaboration received the Cross-Border Coastal Tourism Resilience Award at the Global Tourism Resilience Day Awards in Nairobi. Vipingo Ridge's Golf Open, now in its 4th edition, is the sporting arm of the same relationship as Vipingo Ridge joined the collaboration with fellow tourism stakeholders in 2023.
The Familiarization Trip, Seeing the Coast First-Hand
The week opened with a familiarisation (FAM) trip, bringing Ugandan travel agents, tour operators and media to experience the Kenyan coast before the formal discussions began.
A FAM trip does something no brochure or webinar can do. It puts decision-makers in the destination, where they can taste the food, walk the course, meet the people and form their own opinions. Last year's delegation included more than 100 travel agents and influencers, and the content they shared helped the event trend on X in Uganda.
For Vipingo Ridge, the FAM trip is where the sales conversation begins, because a partner who has stayed with us, played with us and eaten with us sells us with far more confidence.
This year we welcomed Ugandan Tourism stakeholders interested in our unique destination Wedding, Bridal Shower and special private events, Business and Incentive Travel specialists interested in our Conferencing, Team Building and Incentive Travel.
The 4th Uganda Kenya Coast Open, where the crane meets the Ocean.
On 24 October, golfers from Uganda and Kenya met on the PGA Baobab Course for the 4th edition of the Uganda Kenya Golf Open. Last year's 3rd edition the visiting Ugandan side taking the overall team title, a friendly rivalry that has become a fixture on the East African amateur calendar
This year's individual honors went to: Willson Miano was the Overall winner with 40 points, Angelo Wasike came out as the Best gross with 78 gross, Zawadi Safari was Third overall with 34 points, Rose Musau was the Best lady with 36-point, Best man position was taken by Simon Wambungu with 35 points and to close up the podium finish Maureen Obunga was runner up with 36 points. Congratulations to every winner, and thank you to all who played.
A tournament is also one of the most effective marketing tools a golf destination has. Players spend a full day with the product, share photos and stories across their networks, and leave as ambassadors. Four editions in, the Open has become a repeat touchpoint for the corridor rather than a one-off event.
The Summit, Turning Goodwill into Strategy
On 26 to 27 October, the conversation moved indoors. The Summit brought together leaders, innovators, investors and young people from Uganda, Kenya and the wider region to discuss tourism policy, digitalization, investment, innovation, youth empowerment and regional cooperation, with a focus on using digital tools and AI to connect the region.
Vipingo Ridge CEO Alex Horsey spoke on the smart destination panel, "Data driven destination management and the future of the Uganda-Kenya Coast Corridor." He used the golf course as his example:
"Specifically for us, our current focus is on our golf course - particularly regarding feedback on the greens and their consistency. Capturing that data allows us to zero in on areas for improvement, because a thousand golfers a month examine our facilities in far more detail than we ever could ourselves.
It's a way of gathering feedback from a thousand sets of eyes and acting on it directly. While the golf course is just one example, this concept applies to nearly every aspect of a business: when more people contribute insights, leveraging that feedback correctly becomes incredibly powerful."
The message is practical. Smart destination management starts with listening to visitors at scale and acting on what they say.
Uganda - Kenya Coast Partnership continues to deliver
The week's structure is itself the strategy.
Experience builds belief. The FAM trip turns partners into first-hand ambassadors of the product.
Sport builds loyalty. The golf open creates friendly competition, shared memories and content that travels well beyond the course.
Dialogue builds influence. The Summit places Vipingo Ridge in the room where policy, investment and technology are discussed, we are an industry leader in the sector and not only a place to play.
Together, the three stages move a visitor from curiosity to experience to long-term partner, and each one reinforces the others.
Why Choose Vipingo Ridge for Your Coastal Break
You do not need to be Ugandan, or a golfer, to see the appeal. Here is why any visitor to the Kenyan coast should put Vipingo Ridge on your itinerary.
A championship course with a view. The Baobab Course with the panaromic view of the Indian Ocean and the largest driving range in Kenya.
Golf among wildlife. Tee off with the Zebras and Eland beside you. Here you get to have your mini golf safari with an ocean backdrop.
A choice of stays. Accommodation ranges from hotel rooms to signature villas, with family stays and long stays also on offer, so the same destination suits a long weekend or an extended holiday.
Conservation built in. With our Space to thrive initiatives that we have in practice ensures wildlife within our corridors and blue-species are protected. Which matters to travellers who want a stay that gives something back.
Learning the game. The PGA Academy and junior golf programmes make it a place to learn as well as to play.
A growing network of partners. Ugandan and wider East African partners now know the estate first-hand, which makes it easier to build itineraries that pair the coast with other destinations.
For a non-Ugandan visitor, the Uganda partnership is a mark of quality rather than a limit. It shows a destination that other countries visit, play and return to.
The Uganda Partnership: Four Editions and Counting
Four editions of the Golf Open, repeated FAM trips and now a fifth Summit show a partnership that is deepening year by year. Looking ahead, the opportunities include golf-and-safari or golf-and-beach packages for Ugandan groups, reciprocal visits for Kenyan golfers, and shared use of data and digital tools to market the corridor as one destination.
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