Does tourism benefit the people of Kenya?

Essay by evilgiraffe November 2003

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Introduction

In this enquiry I will be asking the question "does tourism benefit the people of Kenya?". Tourism is Kenya's fastest growing industry - from 1960 to 1990 the number of tourists got 6 times bigger! - and it's Kenya's largest money earner from overseas, but it does not come without its problems. I will be addressing those problems along with the attractions and benefits of tourism in Kenya. Also, I will include solutions to the problems and an answer to the question.

Kenya is a country in eastern Africa. It is located on the equator by the coast of the Indian Ocean. Its neighbouring countries are Tanzania, Somalia, Sudan, Uganda and Ethiopia. It is a large country, twice as big as the UK, but the population is half that of the UK. However the population of Kenya is increasing very rapidly. Kenya is one of the poorer countries in the world but for wildlife it is one of the richest.

It contains spectacular scenery and wildlife. Its natural vegetation includes desert, grassland and tropical trees. The highest mountain in Kenya is Mt Kenya, which is 5199 metres high. Kenya has many different ethnic groups, one of them is the Kikiyu. There are two major lakes in Kenya, lake Turkana and lake Victoria. The currency is Kenyan shillings. The capital of Kenya is Nairobi (which has a population of 219 700) and another big city is Mombasa (in the south). The entire population is over 28.5 million. Most people in Kenya live near the coast, lake Victoria and the highland areas because these are the cooler areas. Nairobi is in a highland area.

Attractions

Kenya has many features that attract tourists, but the main one is of course the wildlife. There are safari holidays that people can go on...