Preparations are in top gear for the inaugural East African Ocean Festival (EAOF) that is set to be hosted in the port city of Mombasa.

The festival that is slated for October 18 to 20 promises to be a fun-packed event that will attract visitors across the East African coast and beyond.

Addressing the media Thursday afternoon, Hamisi Mwaguya, a co-founder of the festival said the event provides a platform for both locals and tourists to appreciate and celebrate the pivotal role that the ocean has played in the growth and development of majors cities across the East African coast.

“The ocean has played a vital role in establishing major coastal cities like Mombasa, Lamu and Dar Es Salaam through trade and transportation. We therefore want to celebrate our history and also look at how we can further achieve more through the ocean,” said Mwaguya.

The festival, Mwaguya said, will showcase to the community the potential of the ocean to turn around the economy and lives of people living near the ocean.

“We want to show the community that the ocean can be used for business, tourism, transportation and also for leisure. I want to extend an invite to all east Africans to come see the display of culture and also identify areas they can invest in,” Mwaguya said.

The hosting of the event in Mombasa he said will put Mombasa on the global stage as one of the top tourism destinations across the region.

He added that so far eight events have been approved for competition during the festival.

They include swimming, dhow racing, kayak competition, canoe racing, Jetski racing and sailing.

The main events will take place at the Tudor, Junda and Kibarani creeks.

“We intend to have this as an annual event as it will provide a platform to position Mombasa at the world map. We are working with different partners including Magical Kenya, KMA, KPA< KAA, Kenya Navy, Kenya Coast Guard, the county government of Mombasa among others,” he said.

Among the countries expected to participate in the festival includes Zanzibar.

Mombasa county executive for tourism and trade Osman Mohammed said the county will fully incorporate the event in their tourism calendar of events.

This he said will be vital in promoting Mombasa as a tourism hub adding that the county will work with all tourism stakeholders to revive tourism.

“We have established the Mombasa Tourism Council that has been working round the clock to push tourism in Mombasa. The council is working with different stakeholders to promote Mombasa as the prime tourism destination across the East African coast,” said Osman.