Tropical tourist area Kenya case-study – Mass tourism
Kenya is located in Eastern Africa and the capital city is Nairobi and the main coastal area is Mombasa.
The equator runs through Kenya and the country provides both safari and beach holidays.
Positive ECONOMIC effects of tourism
Brings money to local people that sell crafts, jewellery and goods.
Jobs for locals so that they can improve their house or standard of living such as barworkers/hotel jobs.
Large hotel companies provide jobs such as the Marriot hotel so that locals have an income.
Local government can improve roads and shopping areas due to the increased income from tourism.
The cultural element of the Maasai tribe in Kenya providing valuable educational experiences and selling of
jewellery/trips into their homes helps the tribe to make a small income.
Negative ECONOMIC effects of tourism
Large hotel chains such as the Marriott make money meaning that the large profits go out of Kenya.
Large hotels often pay locals very low wages so it can take them a long time to save up a lot of money.
Street sellers can often be nuisance trying to get people to buy goods from them and they often intimidate the old.
Drugs and alcohol can mean that there needs to be an increases presence of the local Police Force costing great
expense to the local government.
Positive ENVIRONMENTAL effects of tourism
Eco-lodges have been developed to reduce the numbers of tourists and therefore prevent any large scale
deforestation for big hotel chains.
The eco-lodges have often been made out of local wood meaning that they do not look unsightly in comparison
to the large hotels that are an eyesore as they stand out on the coastline.
The eco-lodges have solar panels and therefore use no fossil fuels to provide electricity and hot water. This impacts
on climate change and reduces fossil fuels and global warming.
Negative ENVIRONMENTAL effects of tourism
Damage to coral reefs means that many divers are put-off taking a Holiday to Kenya so they book to go to a country
that has unspoilt corals such as the Maldives.
Many tracks and roads become eroded by Landrovers/minibuses meaning that it causes damage to any small animals
or plants in the area.
More exhaust pollution as there can be congestion from hire cars and busy traffic so people that have asthma may
suffer.
Excursions on Landrovers/minibuses can frighten away many animals because of the noise that these vehicles make
not to mention the tourists taking photographs.
When large hotels are built this causes the destruction of natural vegetation (tree and plants) and devastates
ecosystems. For example chopping trees down takes away valuable bird nests and can frighten other animals such as
monkeys.
Strategies for maintaining the importance of tourism in the area and reducing its negative effects.
Eco-lodges have been developed to fit in with the look of the local area and to prevent mass tourism and to control
numbers of people. Safari tours from the eco-lodges have limited groups of tourists going to look at animals so not
to scare them away and prevent less footpath and vehicle track erosion. Also this prevents less emissions from
exhausts which in turn will reduce greenhouse gases going into the atmosphere and hopefully reduce global warming
and rising sea levels.
When answering questions make sure that you can name places e.g. Mombasa, Nairobi, Tsavo and Amboseli National
Park.