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    Tourism in East Africa

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    Joseph Zotoo
    East Africa is an attractive tourist destination due to its natural resources like wildlife, beaches, and scenic landscapes. Some of its most popular national parks that attract tourists are the Masai Mara, Serengeti, and Queen Elizabeth. Tourism provides significant economic benefits but also faces challenges like insecurity, environmental degradation, and inadequate infrastructure.

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    Tourism in East Africa

    Uploaded by

    Joseph Zotoo
    2K views3 pages
    East Africa is an attractive tourist destination due to its natural resources like wildlife, beaches, and scenic landscapes. Some of its most popular national parks that attract tourists are the Masai Mara, Serengeti, and Queen Elizabeth. Tourism provides significant economic benefits but also faces challenges like insecurity, environmental degradation, and inadequate infrastructure.

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    East Africa is an attractive tourist destination due to its natural resources like wildlife, beaches, and scenic landscapes. Some of its most popular national parks that attract tourists are the Masai Mara, Serengeti, and Queen Elizabeth. Tourism provides significant economic benefits but also faces challenges like insecurity, environmental degradation, and inadequate infrastructure.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    2K views3 pages

    Tourism in East Africa

    Uploaded by

    Joseph Zotoo
    East Africa is an attractive tourist destination due to its natural resources like wildlife, beaches, and scenic landscapes. Some of its most popular national parks that attract tourists are the Masai Mara, Serengeti, and Queen Elizabeth. Tourism provides significant economic benefits but also faces challenges like insecurity, environmental degradation, and inadequate infrastructure.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
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    The key takeaways are that East Africa has many natural and cultural attractions that drive its tourism industry, such as wildlife, national parks, beaches, and cultural experiences. However, the industry also faces challenges like security issues, environmental degradation, and lack of infrastructure.

    East Africa is favored for tourism due to its abundant natural attractions like wildlife, ecosystems, and scenic landscapes. It also has a pleasant climate and cultural attractions like the Maasai people. National parks and reserves help conserve the environment and biodiversity.

    Some challenges include security issues like terrorism that hurt tourism. Environmental problems like pollution and habitat loss also impact the industry. There is inadequate infrastructure and connectivity in remote areas as well as diseases that can deter visitors.

    GEOG 323: Regional Geography of Africa with special reference to East Africa

    Tourism in East Africa

    Factors Favouring Tourism


    East Africa is an important tourist destination in the world due to several factors as follows:
    Endowed with tourism resources such as Flora and fauna, Herds of animals/wildlife grazing on savanna,
    Flock of birds, Scenic topography, Lakes, Pristine coastline and beaches and Bracing climate
    Large tracts of land as wildlife reserves for animals: Protections from poachers and expanding human
    occupancy. Several animal such as elephants, rhinoceros, hippopotamus, lion, leopard, cheetah, zebra,
    giraffe, buffalo and many kinds of antelope and gazelle. These animals serve as important tourists
    attractions; visitors are mostly Europeans and North America
    Important National Parks such as Masai Mara, Tsavo, Amboseli in Kenya, Serengeti, Selous, Ugalla and
    Rungwa in Tanzania and Queen Elizabeth and Marsabi in Uganda.
    Unique Ecosystem: e.g. Lake Nakuru National Park famous for birds (flamingos) ; Malindi and
    Wantamu Marine Park beautiful coral reefs and numerous (200) species of fish) in clear waters; Fine
    beaches of the Indian Ocean coast: clear waters and good conditions for swimming, boat ride, surfing
    etc.; Magnificent Scenery associated with mountainous areas: Mts. Kenya, Elgon, Ruwenzori, Meru and
    Kilimanjaro excellent viewing, walking and climbing
    In Kenya, most national parks and reserves are located beside scenic lakes, on the slopes of huge
    volcanic peaks and within rift valleys, providing spectacular settings for wildlife observation. Uganda is
    famous for its mountain gorillas. It's also home to the source of the Nile River, and has 1,200 species
    of birds
    Varied climate: 25C to 28C along the coast (Mombasa); 16C to 19C in highland / plateau areas
    (Nairobi) and lower in highland region. There is abundant sunshine all year round in most parts of East
    Africa, has become very appealing to visitors from temperate regions of the world.
    Culture and way of life of the people. E.g. the Masai people attract a lot of visitors promotes cultural
    tourism
    Institutional arrangements: Ministerial support e.g. Ministry of Tourism in Kenya and Parastatal bodies
    eg. Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS)-responsible for wildlife management and conservation. Kenya Tourist
    Development Board (KTDB)- promotes local investment in tourism enterprises and Tanzania Tourist
    Board support tourism initiatives. Open foreign investment policy: hotels, travel business. There is also
    a vibrant hospitality sub-sector- Airlines, travel & tours businesses e.g. Kenya Airways, Kenya
    Association of Tour Operators (KATO), Kenya Association of Travel Agents (KATA) etc.
    Importance of Tourism

    Foreign exchange earnings: Tourism is the third foreign exchange earner in Kenya after tea and
    coffee. In Uganda tourism brings in more foreign currency than the top two exports, coffee and
    fish, combined.
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    Source of employment generation for many. The hospitality services, travel and tours,
    transport, entertainment, tour guides in the wildlife reserves, mountainous areas and along the
    coast all provide forms of employment.

    Promotion of other economic activities at tourist sites: e.g. local arts, handicrafts

    Promotion of national, regional, & local development: through improved infrastructure and
    enhances image of destination areas.

    Basis for resource conservation: the creation of national reserves conserves the biodiversity
    and unique ecosystems.

    Preservation of cultural identity & arts through cultural tourism, sale of handicrafts.

    Challenges of the Tourist Industry


    Insecurity: pirate attacks on cruise ships, terrorist attacks e.g. 1998 US Embassy bombings in Kenya &
    Tanzania, West Gate Shopping Mall Attack. The tourism sector in Kenya exhibited steady growth in most
    years since independence and by the late 1980s had become the countrys principal source of foreign
    exchange. But in the late 1990s, tourism relinquished this position to tea exports, because of a
    terrorism-related downturn. The government and tourist industry organizations have taken steps to
    address the security problem and to reverse negative publicity. Such as steps include establishing a
    tourist police and launching marketing campaigns in key tourist origin markets. Tourism has seen a
    substantial revival over the past several years and is the major contributor to the countrys economic
    growth. But recent West Gate attack is likely to affect the industry
    Ecological modification/destruction e.g. Pollution of lakes and persistent decline of water, Drought &
    degradation
    Destruction of wildlife and natural resources poachers kill animals for meat or for sale, others trade
    parts of animals such as the ivory and rhinoceros horns
    Physical connectivity in terms of roads, air and waterways poor road networks hinder access to certain
    tourists sites
    Natural calamities such as flood and hurricanes at various tourists sites deter people from visiting such
    areas.
    Diseases e.g. Ebola
    Inadequate skilled manpower and expertise in the field of tourism and hospitality industry
    Lack of infrastructure- social services such as hospitals. Most tourist sites are in remote areas therefore
    need such facilities.
    Poor communication networks mobile phones, internet.
    Low government support limited capital investment

    Reference: http://www.eturbonews.com/31337/tanzania-president-calls-competitive-east-africantourism

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