Tourism in Kenya
Tourism in Kenya
Kenya is one of the leading tourist destinations in the African continent, with an average of over a million tourists per year, earning it over 50 billion shillings. This is due to its beautifully beckoning white-sand beaches that spread along the shores of the Indian Ocean, its prolific and diverse wildlife, not forgetting the scenic landscape that forms its countryside. However, there are little efforts that have been done to evaluate whether there is any impact that the swelling number of tourists jetting into the country has on the bio diversity, the economy, environment and the people's culture.
It goes without saying that, such an influx of foreign tourists cannot help but affect society and the environment. A group of researchers conducted a study on the benefits of tourism in Kenya and its impact on the areas of importance mentioned above. They identified the game reserves of Masai Mara, Amboseli, and the Aberdares, the beaches along Mombasa island, and Nairobi; the entry point as locations for their study. They also talked to the key players in the industry including hotel owners, tour operators, ministry of tourism, Kenya wildlife Services and employees in the industry.
The research found that, tourism in Kenya has not been favored by attracting unlimited number of tourists. It has become its own enemy by reducing the number of wildlife due to disruptive human presence in parks. Culturally, the influx of tourists has increased the number of male and female prostitutes in some areas because of money involved; this has therefore caused moral degradation on the society around the tourist sites. On the contrary, the study found out several benefits that the society derived from the interaction, for instance it has helped in maintaining culture amongst some communities with Masai songs and dance been a good example.
The study recommends the formation of a tourism monitoring unit by the Kenya government to regulate the operation of the industry as far as the areas of bio-diversity, the economy, culture and environment are concerned. The unit, once formed should analyze systematically and carefully control the negative impacts. It notes that, infrastructure should be improved, insecurity weeded out that is likely to scare tourist away and bettering of tourist facilities like hotels. It also notes that tourism circuits that involved a number of countries and leaves the most of the economic benefit outside country be should be discouraged.
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