NAIROBI, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan officials said Thursday they are working with Uganda to grow intra-country tourism and enhance their common marketing plan globally.
Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) officials said Uganda is Kenya's largest tourism source market in Africa.
Betty Radier, KTB's Chief Executive Officer, said in Nairobi that the ease of movement between Kenya and Uganda by road and air has made it easy and inexpensive for travelers to explore the two countries.
"Kenya Airways operates regular flights between Entebbe and Nairobi. KTB anticipates that the recent entry of Jambojet, a low-cost carrier, into Entebbe will make travel much more affordable to wider Ugandan population," Radier said in a statement issued in Nairobi.
"Once in Nairobi, they can connect easily to popular destinations such as Mombasa and Diani by either by air, road or through the Madaraka Express Service on Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR)," she added.
As part of further engagement, Radier announced that Kenya will participate in the three-day Pearl of Africa Travel Expo (POATE) which has been organized by the Uganda Tourism Board from Friday in Kampala.
Radier has said Nairobi and the Coastal region remain popular destinations for travelers from Uganda.
"Among the Kenyan experiences that are most sought after by Ugandan travelers include shopping, Kenya's pristine beaches, and medical tourism with Uganda being the largest segment for Kenya's medical services. Kenya's Coast is highly favored for relaxation while Nairobi remains popular for business, shopping, and social scenes."
Last year, the number of arrivals from Uganda increased by 20.6 percent to 61,542, data from the ministry of tourism shows.
In 2017, Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda started a joint marketing of tourism products online with the launch of the first joint East African destination portal.
"If ever there was a better time for Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya to come together, it is now. Our economies are growing stronger and travel has been made easier due to the great improvements in our infrastructure," said Radier.
The three countries also run the East Africa Tourist Visa which allows multiple-entry to Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda.