Abstract
Tourism is widely recognised as a tool for poverty alleviation following its ability to create employment, entrepreneurial opportunities, and impact societies' social infrastructure positively. Countries, such as Kenya, have reaped from these benefits following evidence that the sector is the third-largest contributor to the economy following agricultural and manufacturing sectors. Using case studies of the Maasai community and the coastal regional tourism-based of the Bomas and Safaris, this chapter asserts the significance of tourism in poverty reduction among marginalised Kenyan communities. The concept, coupled with ecological sustainability, has opened up societies to share their cultures and tourist attractions for their own benefit. The opportunity cost of these advantages is a rise in local goods and neocolonialism tendencies characterised by dominant foreign control of the tourism sector and its gains, particularly at the coast. This situation is reversible by the adoption of community-based tourism, which ensures that tourism optimally benefits local communities.
TopIntroduction
Sustainable tourism aims at reconciling intergenerational equity challenges, conserving the environment and promoting social justice and economic growth. This is because of its ability to recognise differences between guests and hosts as well as individuals and groups to facilitate fair treatment in the sectoral activities (Akama & Kieti, 2007). The implementation of this concept in practice could greatly contribute to sustainable socio-economic growth and resources management. The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) as noted by Manyara and Jones (2007) asserted that sustainable tourism is a roadmap to economic development and poverty eradication. Poverty eradication in the context of sustainable tourism is in line with the first sustainable development goal of “no poverty’. This is because it offers opportunities to trade goods and services; diversifies employment and economic opportunities for locals of marginalised areas who are mainly poor; offers small-scale-labour-intensive opportunities just like the agricultural sector. Furthermore, it promotes gender equity by offering employment to women hence their empowerment; links local economies without their leakage and is based on landscape, wildlife and cultural assets, most of which belong to the poor (Manyara & Jones, 2007). According to Kibara et al. (2012), tourism results to ‘dollar democratisation’ since wealth and income are transferred from developed to developing countries leading to collaborative participation of economic sectors and the improvement of the quality of life among the hosts. Similarly, the World Tourism Organization (2002) asserted that tourism diversifies the livelihoods of the pro-poor in developing countries and reduces their vulnerability by offering a variety of economic and entrepreneurial opportunities. It is thus agreeable that tourism has a role to play in poverty eradication, economic development, and environmental conservation in line with the achievement of sustainable development goals.
In Kenya, the tourism sector is a great contributor to the economy. According to Manyara and Jones (2007), tourism is the leading foreign exchange earner and contributed at least 10% of the country’s gross domestic profit (GDP). According to the Government of Kenya (GoK) (2011), the sector contributed Kenya shillings (Kshs.) 65.4 billion in 2007 which was an increment from Kshs 21.7 billion in 2002 and is a major economic contributor following the agriculture and manufacturing sectors. In recent statistics, tourism contributed to the creation of 500,000 jobs and had a share of 11% and 4% of the total GDP indirectly and directly, respectively in 2014 (Njoya & Seetaram, 2017). Additionally, in the same year, the income from the sector rose by 126% compared to the 2014 statistics amounting to United States dollar (US$) 2.1 billion while export earnings from international tourists amounted to 18% of the total exports (Njoya & Seetaram, 2017). Despite these achievements, the model of this sector in Kenya is, however, colonial-based, anachronistic and based on coastal and safari products, challenges that hinder its optimised potential as a tool for economic growth and poverty eradication. Coastal products involve the consumption of local goods produced at the coast while safari involves taking trips to see natural and man-made tourist attraction sites. For example, among the Maasai community and Kenyan coastal dwellers, the poverty level is very high despite the fact that these areas are endowed with numerous tourism attractions, according to Ondicho (2016). This contrast depicted in these two communities will be discussed as well as approaches to enforce affirmative action and ensure tourism benefits them towards their economic growth. In recognition of the economic importance of sustainable tourism, this book chapter explores how Kenya and other developing countries of Africa can leverage the sector for poverty eradication in line with the first sustainable development goal on zero poverty. The chapter also explores the opportunities Kenya has to better tourism for economic empowerment of marginalised communities, aspects that can be replicated by other developing countries endowed with tourism attractions.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Dutch Disease: The term describes obvious causal relationships in economics. For example, the rise of economic development at a particular sector results to a decline in another. For instance, the development of the tourism sector leads to low agricultural practices and subsequent rise in prices of agricultural produce.
Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) Model: A model that uses economic data to assess the effects of an economy following changes in technology, policy and/ or other external factors.
Neo-Colonialism: The use of cultural, economic, and political pressure to influence and control decisions in independent countries that were former colonies. The phenomenon is predominant among developed nations to developing countries.
Intergenerational Equity: The concept that encourages justice and fairness from one generation to another especially during the use and sharing of environmental assets and natural resources.
Sustainable Tourism: The concept of travelling places with a motive of influencing their economic, social and environmental sectors positively for the current and future generations.
Co-Integration Analysis: A statistical procedure that evaluates processes that have non-stationary time series to quantify changes over time.