Egypt and Uganda have explored opportunities to strengthen cooperation in religious and faith tourism, building on the two countries’ rich Christian heritage and established experience in pilgrimage and religious travel.
The discussions took place during a visit by members of the Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) delegation to the historic Religious Complex in Old Cairo on 24 August 2026, as part of the delegation’s broader study and benchmarking visit to Egypt.
The visit took place on the day several members of the delegation arrived in Cairo, providing an early introduction to Egypt’s diverse and significant religious tourism attractions.
The delegation visited the Hanging Church and several other historic Christian sites in Old Cairo, as well as the historic synagogue and the Amr Ibn Al-As Mosque. The visit provided an opportunity to explore a unique historic area where Christian, Jewish and Islamic heritage sites stand alongside one another in the heart of historic Cairo.
Accompanied by a specialised tour guide, the delegation also learned about Egypt’s approach to preserving and interpreting its important religious heritage sites and integrating them into the country’s broader tourism offering, while exploring opportunities for knowledge exchange and cooperation with Uganda.
Linking two important Christian pilgrimage experiences in Africa
One of the key opportunities highlighted during the visit was the potential to establish a link between Egypt’s Holy Family heritage and Uganda’s internationally significant Uganda Martyrs pilgrimage.
Egypt holds a unique position in Christian heritage through the journey of the Holy Family in Egypt. Churches, monasteries and sacred sites associated with the journey constitute an important part of the country’s religious tourism offering.
Uganda, meanwhile, is home to one of Africa’s most prominent Christian pilgrimage experiences through the Uganda Martyrs, who are commemorated annually on 3 June in Namugongo. The occasion attracts pilgrims from across Africa and other parts of the world.
The complementarity between these two experiences presents an opportunity to explore the development of joint or extended religious tourism programmes and pilgrimage itineraries between Egypt and Uganda.
Pilgrims travelling to Uganda to participate in the annual Uganda Martyrs commemorations could extend their African journey to Egypt to visit sites associated with the Holy Family’s journey. Conversely, visitors travelling to Egypt for religious tourism and Christian heritage could be introduced to Uganda’s rich religious heritage and the story of the Uganda Martyrs.
Such an approach could encourage visitors to spend longer periods travelling within the African continent, contribute to increased tourism flows between African destinations, and create opportunities for cooperation among tourism authorities, airlines, tour operators, churches and organisations involved in pilgrimage and religious travel in both countries.
Exchange of expertise in religious tourism
The visit to Old Cairo also provided the Ugandan delegation with an opportunity to learn about Egypt’s approach to integrating historic religious landmarks into a comprehensive tourism experience through heritage preservation, site interpretation and promotion, specialised tour guiding, and tourism programme development.
At the same time, Uganda’s experience in attracting large numbers of regional and international pilgrims during the annual Uganda Martyrs commemorations provides valuable expertise in pilgrimage tourism and the organisation of major religious events.
The opportunity, therefore, is not limited to Uganda benefiting from the Egyptian experience, but extends to an exchange of expertise between the two countries and an exploration of how they can complement one another through their distinctive religious heritage.
Nancy Abdelhady, Goodwill Ambassador for Uganda Tourism in Egypt and Chief Operating Officer of the African Tourism Board, who facilitated the visit, said:
“Egypt and Uganda have two important Christian pilgrimage stories in Africa. Egypt is distinguished by the heritage of the Holy Family’s journey, while Uganda welcomes pilgrims from across Africa and around the world to commemorate the Uganda Martyrs. There is an opportunity to explore the development of integrated programmes that encourage pilgrims to visit both destinations, contributing to the growth of intra-African tourism.”
The visit to religious tourism sites formed part of a broader series of meetings and activities undertaken by the Uganda Tourism Board delegation in Egypt, covering tourism marketing, cultural and heritage tourism, air connectivity, health and wellness tourism, hospitality, tourism infrastructure and destination development.
The visit highlighted the potential to develop integrated religious tourism products between Egypt and Uganda, strengthen cooperation between tourism and religious institutions, and encourage pilgrims visiting either country to extend their African journey by visiting the other destination.
