Essay on TOURISM in kenya

Essay by simmy January 2004

download word file, 3 pages 3.0

Downloaded 87 times

TOURISM IN KENYA

"By developing its tourist industry, Kenya has the potential for reducing poverty and protecting the environment." To what extent do you agree with this statement?

Can tourism reduce poverty in Kenya or will it cause further problems? There is a lot of poverty in certain parts of Kenya as many people (only 31%) have safe drinking water and little food. Their conditions of living are very poor; they have short medical facilities and the patient ratio of 10,000 people per doctor. Kenya is situated in East Africa, in the south of Ethiopia and north of Tanzania. Here the dry climate and poor soils make farming difficult. Kenya is a constant struggle for survival.

Kenya relies on tourism as its greatest source of foreign exchange earnings. In 1994 Kenya attracted over 800,000 visitors annually, yielding revenue of more than US$421 million. Earnings from tourism dipped in 1993 and 1995 because of growing violence and unrest.

Tourists primarily visit Kenya's national parks and game reserves to see and photograph the wildlife; many also enjoy the beaches along the Indian Ocean coastline.

The growth of eco-tourism resulted from two major factors. First of all, tourists have become more interested in a learning experience in natural environments and have grown dissatisfied with traditional, crowded tourist centres and resorts. Secondly, ecotourism has been assisted by improved infrastructure, an increased number of tour companies, widespread publicity, and recognition by many governments.

There are many reasons to why eco-tourism is a good idea, as there are disadvantages to this idea. It is thought that by increasing the tourism the poor will benefit, but this may not be so.

There would be more job opportunities for local people because there would be hotels and resorts to open where people could work. Tourism often creates a...