Tourism Case Studies (MEDC & LEDC)

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  • Created by: sanjay cj
  • Created on: 05-04-10 11:11

Tourism in an LEDC – KENYA CASE STUDY

Where is Kenya?

· Kenya is situated in East Africa, its capital city is Nairobi and it has a population of approximately 30 million.

Why visit Kenya?

· Attractive climate (Tropical) - sunshine all year round; hot and humid at the coast; temperate inland and dry in the NE (rainy season - April-June and Oct-Dec; heavy rainfall afternoon / early evening)

· Safari Holidays popular - e.g. Maasai Mara / Nakuru National Parks

· Cultural experience - many visit local tribes such as the Maasai

· Coastal holidays - SE of Kenya - fine sands and coral reefs - e.g. Mombassa.

· Kenya was one of the first LEDC countries to achieve mass tourism - in the 1970s and 1980s there was a rapid increase in the numbers of tourists - particularly following the release of the films - Born Free and Out of Africa.

· Tourist numbers also increased as larger aircraft in the 1980s bought prices of air travel down -

Advantages of Tourism in Kenya?

· Tourism encourages the building of new roads and better communications

· Jobs in tourism have helped develop people's business skills

· Tourism has created all year round jobs for Kenyans

· Tourism is Kenya's biggest earner of foreign exchange

· Tourism has stimulated farming, by creating a demand for local food from farmers

· National parks have been created - these help to encourage people to protect the environment

Disadvantages of Tourism in Kenya?

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· There is leakage of income - a lot of the money paid for holidays, never reaches Kenya (travel companies and foreign owned hotels get it).

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· Safari minibuses disturb animals often getting too close (e.g. can be 30-40 buses around a single animals in the Maasai Mara) and cause soil erosion (tyres churn up the Savanna grasses)

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· Many Maasai are traditionally nomadic, many have been forced out of the National Parks - losing their land and also losing their traditional lifestyles

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· Hot air balloons in parks such as the Maasai Mara disturb animals by casting shadows and from the noise of the burners.

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· Coastal environments such as those in Mombassa have been damaged - e.g. destruction of coral reef

Comments

Rhys B-M

Report

Very detailed, thanks!