15/05/2026
Thursday, 14th May 2026 | Virtual: The East African Business Council (EABC) convened a regional webinar on the State of Play of the Tourism Sector in the East African Community (EAC) under the theme: “Opportunities, Challenges and Recommendations for Enhanced Investment.” The webinar brought together policymakers, private sector leaders, and development partners to assess the sector’s performance and outlook. Watch the video here https://youtu.be/GVaEn0pOC-o?si=dOfN4la6rcFXC5Is&t=755
Delivering the opening remarks, Mr. Ahmed Farah, Executive Director of EABC, underscored the strategic importance of tourism as a key driver of economic growth in the region, noting that the sector contributes between 8% and 17% of GDP across EAC Partner States and supports millions of jobs, particularly for women and youth.
Mr. Farah highlighted East Africa’s unique competitive advantages—from iconic wildlife destinations such as the Serengeti and Maasai Mara to coastal tourism, cultural heritage, and the growing MICE industry—positioning the region as a potential globally competitive multi-destination tourism hub.
While acknowledging the sector’s resilience and recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic, he pointed out persistent challenges, including fragmented regional branding, policy and regulatory inconsistencies, limited air connectivity, high travel costs, skills gaps, and low levels of digital transformation.
He emphasized that unlocking the sector’s full potential will require stronger regional integration, enhanced public-private partnerships, and increased investment in sustainable tourism models. Mr. Farah called for the implementation of coordinated regional branding initiatives such as Visit East Africa, improved infrastructure and connectivity, harmonized tourism policies, increased skills development, and better access to finance for tourism enterprises.
During the webinar, Simon Kiarie, Representative from the EAC Secretariat highlighted progress in promoting East Africa as a single tourism destination, while Mr. Tim Mdinka called for innovative, sustainable tourism approaches, including diversification into community and cultural tourism.
Additional insights were shared by Mr. Frank Gisha of the East African Tourism Platform and stakeholders, including Mr. Fred Zake (ITC), who raised concerns over high intra-regional travel costs, and Ms. Helene Weesie, who questioned the effectiveness of multi-destination tourism strategies.
Discussions highlighted key priorities for the sector, including policy harmonization, improved connectivity, product diversification, and sustainable tourism development. Participants called for stronger collaboration among stakeholders to enhance investment readiness and competitiveness.
The webinar concluded with a call for collective action across governments, private sector, and development partners to unlock tourism’s full potential as a driver of regional integration and economic transformation.
