kenya tourism development gap

Tourism in Kenya

An example of how the growth of tourism in kenya (a nee) helps to reduce the development gap.

Kenya is a country in East Africa that has successfully developed a tourism industry over the past 40 years. 

Tourists visit Kenya for many reasons, including to go on safari and to visit its spectacular coastline around Mombasa. Wildlife viewing of animals such as lions, elephants and giraffes is the major tourist attraction in Kenya. Elephants and rhinos almost died out in the 1980’s because of poaching and hunting but tourism has offered a more sustainable economic activity. As can be seen on the graph, Kenya attracted nearly 1.4 million visitors in 2017.

Kenya faces numerous problems as a country, it suffers from periodic failure of the rains such as during the 2011-12 Horn of Africa famine and terrorist attacks from the Al-Shabaab group linked to Al Qaeda. The GDP in 2013 was only $1,245 per person, just above LIC status and making it a lower middle income country.

Some facts about tourism in Kenya

• Travel & Tourism generated 226,500 jobs directly in 2013, indirectly 11.6% of Kenyan’s jobs rely on tourism • 11% of the total wage employment is accounted for by tourism and earnings from tourism allow the government to reduce their level of debt • Tourism contributed DIRECTLY 4.8% of Kenya’s GDP in 2013 and a massive 12.1% of GDP through direct and indirect (e.g. farms supplying hotels) tourist services. • 7.6% of Kenya’s capital investment (money coming into the country to develop industry and projects) comes from tourism • Money spent by tourists in 2014 within Kenya was 17% of Kenya’s exports.   • Tourism brings in US$5.3billion to Kenya’s economy

All of these positive economic features have allowed Kenya to develop as a country – tourism directly supports the development of Kenya as a country and allows the government to reinvest money into improving the quality of life for its people. However there are positives and negatives of the tourism.

Positives of tourism 

1. Tourists like to see cultural shows by Maasai warriors and will pay good money for it 2. Local infrastructure is improved as water and sanitation facilities, roads, buses, taxis and airports are provided for tourists. 3. Tourists see beautiful landscapes, wildlife such as elephants and plants. They can also be educated about the dangers to fragile ecosystems in the modern world. 4. The Kenyan government loves tourism - foreign currency spent by tourists can be invested in improving local education, health and other services 5. Tourism creates jobs for local people in Kenya and people can learn new skills in tourism services and construction 6. Visitors get an insight into local customs and traditions.

Negatives of tourism

1. Foreign companies may bring foreign workers to do the skilled jobs; so local people only do low skilled, poorly paid work. 2. Important projects for local communities might be side lined as infrastructure developments are focused on tourists. 3. Pollution and disruption to wildlife habitats could occur if tourism isn't sustainable. 4. Profits can often go to foreign companies, such as tour operators and hotel chains, rather than to the local community. 5. Coastal Environments such as those in Mombasa have been damaged by tourism e.g. destruction of coral reefs as tourists step on the coral and also take souvenirs

NEXT TOPIC - The location and importance of Nigeria

©2015 Cool Geography

• Copyright Policy
• Privacy & Cookies
• Testimonials
• Feedback & support

Economic Development of Kenya, Tourism Industry Impact

• Conference paper
• First Online: 27 June 2018
• Cite this conference paper

• Jabir Hassan 17 ,
• Romana Gunkevych 17 &
• Sassan Rismani 17  

Part of the book series: Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing ((AISC,volume 783))

Included in the following conference series:

• International Conference on Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics

3575 Accesses

1 Citations

Tourism in general is a hugely important source of export earnings (it is treated as a service export, even though it is consumed in the country in which it is provided) and a dynamic sector of the world economy. Earnings from tourism (receipts) reached $852 billion even in recession battered 2009 (World Bank). Between 2000 and 2015, the number of international tourists grew from 675 million to 1.2 billion (World Bank). Growth was led by tourist arrivals in developing and emerging economies, which far outpaced growth in tourism to advanced economies, although the latter still lead in absolute numbers. It is, therefore, no mystery why the main focus with regard to economic development of Kenya - classified as developing country, was put on the tourism industry, the merits of which are essentially in terms of increased foreign exchange receipts, balance of payments, government revenues, employment, and increased economic activity in general.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

• Available as PDF
• Read on any device
• Instant download
• Own it forever
• Available as EPUB and PDF
• Compact, lightweight edition
• Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
• Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Social scientists, primarily of white European descent, formulated modernization theory during the mid-twentieth century. Reflecting on a few hundred years of history in North America and Western Europe, and taking a positive view of the changes observed during that time, they developed a theory that explains that modernization is a process that involves industrialization, urbanization, rationalization, bureaucracy, mass consumption, and the adoption of democracy.

In 1960 Kenya’s European population represented less than 1% of the populous, however they managed to account for 40% of the wage-bill (Nulty, 2012 ).

Africa Ranking: Top 20 Largest Economies in Africa (2017). http://www.africaranking.com/largest-economies-in-africa/6/

Akama, J.S.: The efficacy of tourism as a tool for economic development, January 2000. http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0047287517700317?journalCode=jtrb

Cira, D.: Kenya Urbanization Review. World Bank (2015)

Google Scholar  

Crossman, A.: A Brief Guide to Modernization Theory. ThoughtCo (2018). https://www.thoughtco.com/modernization-theory-3026419 . Accessed May 10, 2018

Diis, A.: Economic development of Kenya. Academia.edu (2016). http://www.academia.edu/25554332/Economic_Development_of_Kenya . Accessed 14 Jul 2017

Gavan, K.: Top 10 most competitive economies in sub-Saharan Africa. In: World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2014/09/top-10-competitive-economies-sub-saharanafrica/ . 3 Sep 2014

Gocio, D., Kulkarni, K.G.: Women’s empowerment and economic development: the cases of Bangladesh and Kenya. Int. J. Educ. 7 (¾) (2016)

Kenya Economic Outlook: The Story Behind the Numbers. Deloitte (2016). https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/ke/Documents/tax/Economic%20Outlook%202016%20KE.pdf

Kiganda, E.O., Obange, N., Mukras, M.: Analysis of the relationship between trade openness and economic growth in Kenya. J. Econ. Sustain. Develop. 8 (2), 121–137 (2017)

Kimenyi, M.W., Mwega, F.M., Ndung’u, N.S.: The African Lions: Kenya country case study (2016). https://www.brookings.edu/wpcontent/uploads/2016/07/kenya-country-case.pdf

Kreinberg, A.J.: Challenges of Education: Looking Towards the Future. Modern Kenya. University Press of America, Lanham (2000)

Moitui, J.N.: The Nexus Between SSR, Human Development and Economic Growth in Kenya. Lambert Academic Publishing, Saarbrücken (2017)

Newland, K., Taylor, C.: Heritage tourism and nostalgia trade: a diaspora niche in the development landscape. Migration Policy Institute (2010). www.migrationpolicy.org/pubs/diasporas-tradetourism.pdf

Njoya, E., Seetaram, N.: Tourism and poverty reduction in Kenya – A Dynamic CGE Analysis. Journal of Travel Research (2017). http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0047287517700317?journalCode=jtrb

Nulty, C.: The Kenyan development experience: a history of hindrances and limiting factors. Colgate Academic Review. Vol. 3, Article 8. (2012). http://commons.colgate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1022&context=car

Ochieng, W.R.: The Post - Colonial State and Kenya’s economic Independence. In: Maxon, R.M., Ochieng’, W.R. (eds.) An Economic History of Kenya. Nairobi: East African Educational Publishers (1992)

Sen, A.: The ends and the means of development. Development as Freedom. NewYork: Anchor Books, Chapter 2 (1999)

The Independent Kenya Travel Guide. The Kenya economy. http://www.kenya-advisor.com/kenya-economy.html . Accessed July 14, (2017)

The World Bank, Kenya Country Profile (2016). http://databank.worldbank.org/data/Views/Reports/ReportWidgetCustom.aspx?Report_Name=CountryProfile&Id=b450fd57&tbar=y&dd=y&inf=n&zm=n&country=KEN

Valle, E., Yobesia, M.N.: Economic contribution of tourism in Kenya. Tourism Analysis. 14 (2009)

World Travel & Tourism Council.: Travel and tourism economic impact kenya (2017). https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/ke/Documents/tax/Economic%20Outlook%202016%20KE.pdf

Download references

Author information

Authors and affiliations.

Economic Finance and Management, Cracow University of Economics, Rakowicka 27, 31-525, Cracow, Poland

Jabir Hassan, Romana Gunkevych & Sassan Rismani

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jabir Hassan .

Editor information

Editors and affiliations.

School of Technology and Innovations, University of Vaasa, Vaasa, Finland

Jussi Ilari Kantola

Institute of Maritime Operations, University College of Southeast Norway, Borre, Norway

Salman Nazir

Hungarian-Netherlands School of Educational Management, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary

Tibor Barath

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature

About this paper

Cite this paper.

Hassan, J., Gunkevych, R., Rismani, S. (2019). Economic Development of Kenya, Tourism Industry Impact. In: Kantola, J.I., Nazir, S., Barath, T. (eds) Advances in Human Factors, Business Management and Society. AHFE 2018. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, vol 783. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-94709-9_13

Download citation

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-94709-9_13

Published : 27 June 2018

Publisher Name : Springer, Cham

Print ISBN : 978-3-319-94708-2

Online ISBN : 978-3-319-94709-9

eBook Packages : Engineering Engineering (R0)

Share this paper

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

• Publish with us

Policies and ethics

• Find a journal
• Track your research

• South Africa
• Understanding

Kenya’s tourism sector growth impressive in the first half of 2023

In the six months to June 2023, the United States remained the leading source market for Kenya’s tourism sector growth.

• Americans are familiar with Kenya’s Mount Kenya region and the Maasai Mara National Reserve, which offers Safari experiences.
• Uganda was the second leading source of travelers with 89,968 (10.6%), Tanzania came in third with 69,777 (8.2%), the UK fourth with 65,563 (7.7%) while India closed the top five list.

International tourist arrivals grew 32 per cent in the half-year to June, closing at 847,810 as the Kenya’s tourism sector growth continued post-Covid-19. This was up from 642,861 arrivals recorded in the same period last year, official data by the Ministry of Tourism indicates.

Also read:  Kenya to abolish visa requirement for Mozambique

The performance represents a 92 per cent recovery compared to the 2019 in same period. The increased numbers came with higher earnings for the country and the sector.

“The tourism sector in Kenya experienced a remarkable upswing in international arrivals leading to a positive effect on the country’s tourism receipts,” Kenya Tourism Board said.

During the half-year period, the total tourism receipts surged to $1.1 billion (Ksh152.6 billion), reflecting an impressive growth rate of 31 per cent compared to the previous year’s earnings of $804.7 million (Ksh.116.2 billion).

Top source markets

In the first half of 2023, the US remained the leading source market for Kenya’s tourism sector growth, closing at 118,480 North American tourists who visited Kenya. Americans are familiar with Kenya’s Mount Kenya region and the Maasai Mara National Reserve, which offers Safari experiences. American visitors during the six months accounted for 14 per cent of the total arrivals.

Most European tourists from the UK, Germany, and Italy prefer the coastal region (Mombasa, Diani, Malindi, Kilifi, and Lamu), competing with Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar as leading beach holiday destinations in East Africa.

Uganda was the second leading source with 89,968 (10.6 per cent), Tanzania came in third with 69,777 (8.2 per cent), the UK fourth with 65,563 (7.7 per cent) while India closed the top five list with 42,805 arrival (5 per cent).

Some key markets have surpassed 2019 half–year performance, KTB said, notably the US by seven per cent in 2019 from 110,743 to 118,480; Italy by 15.6 per cent from 22,017 to 25,451; Germany by four per cent from 32,142 to 33,418 and Rwanda by 34.5 per cent from 18,845 to 25,422.

Ethiopia also surpassed last year’s arrivals by 66.1 per cent from 11,018 to 18,296; the Netherlands by 6.9 per cent from 19,123 to 20,442; Nigeria by 7.3 per cent from 15,307 to 16,424; Ghana by 28.1 per cent from 5,137 to 6,583 and Russia by 40.8 per cent from 2,514 to 3,539.

Also read:  Airtel Kenya aims to invest more than US$150M to expand its network coverage

Purpose of entry.

The government statistics indicated that the period holiday was the primary purpose of entry closing at 338,509 (39.9 per cent). Business & MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) was the second primary purpose if visiting Kenya by international tourists.

During the period under review, 226,908 (26.8 per cent) were in the country for meetings, conferences, and business deals. Those visiting family and friends totaled 213,417 arrivals, the third primary purpose of touring Kenya. On Transit passengers were 44,620 (5.3 per cent), while other purposes, among them education, medical, religion, and sports totaled 24,356.

The country’s biggest airport and regional aviation hub, the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, was the main entry point recording 589,553 visitors. Mombasa’s Moi International Airport was the second entry point with 65,468 arrivals, while other airports recorded a combined appearance of 3, 671 mainly small planes and private jets. Moreover, entries through border points totaled 189,118, with Ugandan and Tanzanians crossing over mainly for business.

Domestic bed nights

Domestic tourism also had positive growth, with bed nights recording a 16 per cent increase in 2023 (January – June), closing at 2.3 million, compared to 2.02 million same period last year.

“The best performing months were April and June, which can be attributed to the Easter holidays and business travel, respectively,” KTB said in its report.

Domestic tourism has remained vital in cushioning the tourism and hospitality industry in the country since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. With international numbers picking up, local industry players are also hoping to sustain the domestic market despite reduced incomes by households in the wake of high inflation.

“Disposable income has reduced with many households seeking to meet basic needs first before planning for holidays. This is likely to affect how the domestic market spends,” said Sam Ikwaye, the Kenya Association of Hotel Keepers and Caterers executive, Coast region.

Also read:  Grey List – Mozambique and Kenya agrees to share information on terrorism

Global performance and outlook.

International tourism recovered 63 per cent of pre-pandemic levels in 2022, with Europe and the Middle East in the lead, according to the UNWTO.

Significant pent-up demand and the lifting or relaxation of travel restrictions in many countries backed up the stronger-than-expected results.

Approximately 900 million tourists traveled internationally in 2022, double those in 2021 though still 37 per cent fewer than in 2019.

Looking ahead, international tourism will consolidate its recovery in 2023, backed by pent-up demand, particularly from Asia and the Pacific, as destinations and markets open up.

The UNWTO Panel of Experts Survey indicates that 72 per cent of respondents expect better performance in 2023.

However, most experts (65 per cent) also believe international tourism will not return to 2019 levels until 2024 or later.

Based on UNWTO’s scenarios for 2023, international tourist arrivals could reach 80 per cent to 95 per cent of pre-pandemic levels this year, with Europe and the Middle East expected to reach those levels.

However, important risks remain ahead, primarily economic and geopolitical.

“Tourists are expected to increasingly seek value for money and travel close to home in response to the challenging economic environment,” UNWTO said.

The complete recovery, however remains subject to certain risks like a potential economic slowdown amid high inflation and rapid interest hikes, which have increased financial costs and debt levels.

Also read:  What tourists should know before visiting Kenya

Higher food and energy prices result in lower purchasing power and weaker consumer confidence, which could weigh on travel demand in 2023, especially in spending. The Russian offensive in Ukraine and geopolitical tensions in North-East Asia could also disrupt the normal travel, UNWTO noted further.

The Exchange

News analysis and comment from the The Exchange, a leading publication providing economic news and analysis on the capital markets of Africa, with a specific interest in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia and Congo. We provide features in banking, capital markets, energy, mining, manufacturing and industrial development.

Related Posts

US$300k in business grants awarded to 18 Gambian women

Grey List – Angola amends judicial cooperation and anti-terrorism laws

The Mastercard Foundation’s agri-focused fund is accepting applications

Mozambique rubies yielded nearly €1B since 2012

Coca Cola launches cutting-edge recycling facility in Namibia

Translate this page, read the latest.

Eighteen women have been awarded a total of US $300,000 in small business grants. Within three months, they have already...

FurtherAfrica Partners Network

Subscribe to furtherafrica.

Enter your email address to receive new articles on your email.

Email Address

© 2021 FurtherMarkets

FurtherAfrica is a FurtherMarkets Limited platform

Welcome back.

Login to your account below

Remember Me

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Are you sure want to unlock this post?

Are you sure want to cancel subscription.

Sustainable tourism development for Kenyan Destinations

Before the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic, over-tourism was common in popular Kenyan tourism destinations. The affected destinations experience overcrowding which in turn leads to littering and a lack of observance of the park and reserve rules put in place e.g. using designated walk paths. In many cases, there is little involvement of the local communities. Whether it’s in the supply of materials to be used in the destinations or employment positions, the communities miss out or are left out of the benefits enjoyed by the destinations. As a result of the usual all-inclusive packages in the destination, there’s is the limited purchase of local food offered by the local communities. Respect for the culture of the locals in the destination is sometimes ignored. For instance, some cultures in Kenya value modest dress codes for women. However, some tourists dress in a manner that upsets the community. Habits such as these are picked up by the younger generation who often end up looking down on their culture’s values on clothing, as an example. This is where the appropriation of culture comes in. There is the pressure of maximizing positives obtained from tourism and minimizing the negatives but we would need to do things differently.

In order to do things differently; to have the tourism we engage in to respect the environment, the local community, and to be economically viable, we need to adopt sustainable tourism. Sustainable tourism is an approach that looks into developing the environmental, socio-cultural, and economical aspects of tourism. Ecotourism Kenya has put in efforts to lead and encourage practitioners of tourism in Kenya to learn and pick up sustainable tourism practices. We have achieved this through the eco-rating scheme we run for accommodation facilities mainly hotels, camps and lodges. We are also part of the key implementation partners of the GreenTour Kenya project that aims to replicate tourism industry sustainability best practices into the Kenyan and wider African tourism supply chain through an integrated business-led approach. Through the project, we support sustainability training, coaching and certification of tour operators on the Travelife online platform. We have also offered sustainability coaching sessions to tour and driver guides.

Introducing Green Destinations Pilot Program in Kenya

We would like to get as many stakeholders of tourism as possible to better understand sustainability and eventually practice it. We have collaborated with the Green Destinations to further advance this goal with different destinations. The Green Destinations pilot program offers an opportunity for destinations managers to join in and have a seat at the table. The program, currently active in 60 countries, uses recognized principles and the re-known Sustainable Development Goals to support destinations in implementing suitable solutions and in delivering sustainable and responsible tourism, while actively involving their local community and business sector. It assists different destinations in sustainable tourism development in the following ways.

● Destination management, monitoring, training, and support; uses 30 criteria guidelines ● Green Destinations Awards; uses 85 criteria and four advance levels; Bronze, Silver. Gold & Platinum Awards. Top 100 Competition, GSTC certification ● On-site training; get assistance from coaches ● Involving your tourism businesses; using the Good Travel Guide to increase visibility and make business more responsible.

List of the benefits of joining the Green Destinations pilot program

Who can participate in the program? Municipalities, cities, counties, protected areas such as parks, conservancies, and private destinations. Local tourism communities can also participate.

For inquiries please contact Mercy Onyango on [email protected] or Call 0726366080

Ecotourism Kenya welcomes you to join the Green Destinations Pilot Program

You might also like

Leave a Reply

Leave a reply cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Green Tour Kenya is a European Commission funded project under the Switch Africa Green Programme Phase II

Project News

ECOTOURISM KENYA (EK)

KATO Place, Longonot Road, Upper Hill P.O. Box 10146-00100 Nairobi, Kenya

Tel: +254 20 529 2078 Mobile: +254 726 366 080 | +254 780 815 683 Email: [email protected]

Resources you can trust

Mass tourism in Kenya

All reviews

Have you used this resource?

Resources you might like

• International edition
• Australia edition
• Europe edition

World Bank suspends Tanzania tourism funding after claims of killings and evictions

Plan to expand Ruaha national park has been beset by allegations of abuse, leading bank to withhold final $50m of $150m budget

The World Bank has suspended financing intended to develop tourism in southern Tanzania after allegations of killings, rape and forced evictions.

The bank began investigating last year after being accused of enabling abuses around Ruaha national park, which was due to double in size as part of a World Bank-supported programme .

“The World Bank is deeply concerned about the allegations of abuse and injustice related to the Resilient Natural Resources Management for Tourism and Growth (Regrow) project in Tanzania,” said a World Bank spokesperson.

“We have recently received information that suggests breaches of our policies in the implementation of the Regrow project. We have therefore decided to suspend further disbursement of funds with immediate effect.”

Tanzania was due to receive a further $50m, having already received $100m of the funding. Developments include building roads, viewing areas and visitor centres, and investing in wildlife monitoring and increased security.

The Guardian reported in September 2023 that the US-based thinktank the Oakland Institute had documented a range of abuses by Tanzanian rangers against villagers accused of encroaching on the national park, including the killing of cattle herders and fishers, the confiscation of livestock and the rape of women.

The Oakland Institute welcomed the “long overdue” decision, which came a year after the World Bank was first informed of potential violations of its own policies on safeguarding in April 2023.

Anuradha Mittal, the thinktank’s executive director, said: “It sends a resounding message to the Tanzanian government that there are consequences for its rampant rights abuses taking place across the country to boost tourism. The days of impunity are finally coming to an end.”

The Oakland Institute said that despite the World Bank announcing an investigation, the Tanzanian government moved forward in October with plans to redraw the boundaries of the national park, which would result in 21,000 people facing eviction.

The institute said their research shows other abuses have also continued, including the killing of a 21-year-old cattle herder in October and seizure and sale of thousands of cattle this year.

“The government’s plan to expand the park cannot go forward against the will of local communities, who will lose everything from such an expansion,” said Mittal. “In addition to preventing forced evictions, the bank must focus on how to remedy the harms caused to the villagers who have lost loved ones to ranger violence or had their lives devastated by livelihood restrictions.”

The Tanzanian government had not responded to requests for comment at the time of publication.

• Global development
• National parks

Most viewed