T+-+Kenya

__**Why does Kenya attract large numbers of visitors?**__ The country is fortunate in having two different environments that are both attractive to foreign visitors:
 * wildlife parks on the plateau
 * Indian Ocean coastline

In a typical two-week holiday to Kenya, people spend one week on safari ad one week on the coast. 80% of visitors say the principal reason for visiting Kneya is the wildlife.

__**Benefits:**__
 * inflow of foreign exchange
 * provides a multipiler effect to toher parts of the economy
 * tourism increases demand for goods and services in agriculture, drinks, transport, entertainment, textiles and carfts
 * provides jobs
 * money can move into the hands of local people directly through tourist buying from market stalls and using taxis
 * tourism protects the wildlife - if there was no demand for tourists to visit the wildife the Kenyan Government would not protect it


 * __Problems:__**


 * __Economic - visitor numbers go up and down__**

The tourist industry in Kenya is not stable and the numbers go up and down through highs and crashes. The reason numbers may crash is as a result of terroist attacks in Mombasa as in 2002 and from political unrest as a result of a disrupted election result.

__**Environmental damage**__ __**Social - conflicts with local people**__
 * coral reefs - anchors when dropped damage the coral, tourists break off the coral for souvenirs
 * game parks - the drivers and tourists are keen to get as close a possible to the wildlife and leave the main tracks and armies of minibuses can surround the animals. The minibuses churn the ground when it is wet leaving to soil erosion in the dry summer months
 * 8000 visitors in the park at any one time which can scare the animals and their numbers have started to drop
 * poaching
 * conflicts between local tribespeople (the Masai) and the Kenyan authorities - when the game parks were set up the Masai were driven off of their land to amke way for the wild animals. Recently rapid population growth of the Masai and shortages of grazing land mean the Masai are living very close to the national parks edge. Elephants trample their crops and lions eat their livestock. Occasionally people are killed by the wildlife but generally it is the wildlife which suffers in human/wildlife conflicts


 * __Strategies for the future__**
 * diversify the country's tourist product range, by opening up new avenues of tourism, such as adventure activities on rivers and lakes (rafting, canoeing, sailing and cruising)
 * achieve a better distribution of tourist activities throughout the country to reduce environmental pressure on tourist hot spots
 * the numbers of tourist in the Masai Mara park are reduced - this has been done by increasing admission prices and increasing the prices for staying at hotels and campsites
 * encouraging ecotourism making sure they use skills and knowledge of local people