Mass Tourism; Kenya

Mass Tourism; Kenya

1. Why People Visit Kenya

   • 700,000 visitors a year
   • Adventure Tourism
     • Wildlife Safaris - Big 5
     • Tribal Culture - Masai Tribe
     • Masai Mara - wildebeest migration
   • Beach Tourism
     • Mombasa
     • Warm Climate all year - on the Equator
   • Scenery
     • Mt. Kenya
     • Lake Victoria
     • Great Rift Valley
     • National Parks and Reserves - 23

2. Maintaining Tourism

   • The Tourist board and Ministry of Tourism have launched an advertising campaign in Russia
     • 'Magical Kenya'
   • Infrastructure
     • Airstrips will be built in Ruma and Mount Elgon National Parks to improve accessibility
     • £8 million spent to improve roads, bridges and airstrips
   • Visa fees for adults cut by 50% in 2009
     • No fees for children under 18 to encourage families to visit

3. Positives

   • Economic
     • Tourism contributes to 15% of Kenya's GDP
     • In 2003 around 219,000 people worked in the tourist industry
   • Social
     • Cultures and Traditions of the Maasai tribe are preserved e.g. traditional dances for tourists
   • Environmental
     • Entry fees to national park help fund maintenance of the parks to protect wildlife

4. Negatives

   • Economic
     • Only 15% of money earned through tourism goes to locals. The rest goes to big companies
   • Social
     • Some Massai tribespeople were forced off their land to create tourist attractions
     • Kenyan Muslims are offended by the way female tourists dress e.g. bikinis
   • Environmental
     • Vegetation destroyed by safari vehicles, causing soil erosion
     • Wild animals affected - cheetahs change hunting behaviour to avoid crowds of tourists
     • Coral reefs in the Malindi Marine National Park have been damaged by tourist boats anchoring