Hinweis zum Urheberrecht
Monographie zugänglich unter
URL: https://epub.sub.uni-hamburg.de/epub/volltexte/campus/2015/39162/
Analysis of and recommendations for Kenya's tourism sector
Shambi, Juliet Shali
| pdf-Format:
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| Dokument 1.pdf (18.763 KB)
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| Zugriffsbeschränkung: |
| nur innerhalb des Universitäts-Campus |
| SWD-Schlagwörter: |
| Kenia , Tourismus |
| DDC-Sachgruppe: |
| Handel, Kommunikation, Verkehr |
| Dokumentart: |
| Monographie |
| ISBN: |
| 978-3-8428-2000-5 |
| Sprache: |
| Englisch |
| Erstellungsjahr: |
| 2011 |
| Publikationsdatum: |
| 23.03.2015 |
| Kurzfassung auf Englisch: |
| Introduction: This paper analyzes the performance of Kenya’s tourism sector with a view to assessing tourism cluster cooperation, competitiveness and its sustainability impacts on the overall economy. The theoretical foundation is based on Porter’s Diamond Model and builds on the cluster concept and typology. This integrates competitiveness and performance improvements within the economic, social, cultural, environmental and political dimensions. The results of the analysis provide possible strategic guidance for the public sector in regard to tourism policies. Similarly, it provides strategies for competitiveness, interaction, and sustainability between the public sector and the private sector. In order for Kenya to achieve its goal of improving and sustaining tourism earnings (where do we want to go?), I examined the nation’s current position (where are we now?) and provided an analytical foundation for cluster development dialogue and design (how do we get there?). Chapter 1-5 examines the sector’s external and internal environment with the help of the STEEP (Social, Technological, Economical, Environmental, and Political factors) analysis that builds in turn, on SWOT (Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) as an analytical tool. In addition, Porter’s model examines the cluster’s performances, identifies factors that trigger development and sustainability, and the role of the governments and related institutions in the sector. After the agricultural sector, the tourism sector is the second largest contributor in foreign earnings. In 2008, the sector witnessed a major decline in revenues in as a result of post-election violence. Given that the tourism sector touches all sectors of the economy, the decline in tourism earnings was a huge blow to the nation as the sector employs more than 407,000 people directly and indirectly (World Travel and Tourism Council 2009). Furthermore, the sector has been susceptible to market price fluctuations, increasing competition, political instability, and the recent global recession. Kenya offers several natural, geographical, historical and cultural assets namely; wildlife, coastal beaches, alternative tourism, which include sports, hiking mountain-climbing, golf, sports, cruise tourism, safari rallies, among others. However, some of these areas are underdeveloped and offer opportunities for diversification of the tourism product and market. The national government’s strategy targets high-end and mass tourism, sustainable tourism development as well as niche markets. Despite the efforts undertaken by the public and the private sector to improve the situation, the sector still faces a number of challenges. These include: poor infrastructure, corruption and bribery, poor cluster linkages, outdated policies, lack of information, political instability, and inadequate financial structures. Chapter 6 concentrates on how the country can achieve competitive advantage and improve tourism revenues. With the aid of reviews of the past and current data, policy initiatives, and literature on the cluster, the analysis concludes with recommendations to both the private and public sector stakeholders in order to improve the sector’s performance. Handling the aforesaid resources, a road map for the entire sector is required so as to promote these assets and increase productivity. However, this requires appropriate measures for improving infrastructure, curbing corruption, increasing investments, maintaining stability, implementing environmental policies, and investing on human resources and capability. To ensure a favourable tourism development scenario, it is of vast significance that grounds should be established for harmonious and effectively coordinating mechanisms within the tourism cluster. As tourism plays an important role in Kenya’s economy, the aim of the country is to improve and stabilize the sector and ensure a permanent source of revenue largely independent from market volatility. Moreover, increased competitiveness and performance of the tourism sector regionally and globally will contribute to the country’s poverty alleviation.Inhaltsverzeichnis:Table of Contents: LIST OF FIGURES4 LIST OF TABLES5 LIST OF ACRONYMS6 LOCATION MAP7 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY8 1.INTRODUCING KENYA11 2.ANALYSIS OF KENYA’S TOURISM SECTOR13 2.1STEEP ANALYSIS17 2.1.1Social Factors17 2.1.2Technological Factors18 2.1.3Economic Factors19 2.1.4Environmental Factors21 2.1.5Political Factors22 2.2SWOT ANALYSIS24 2.3TOURISM CLUSTER MAP25 2.4COMPARATIVE REGIONAL POSITIONING26 3.PORTER’S DIAMOND MODEL29 3.1INTRODUCING THE DIAMOND29 3.1.1Factor Conditions30 3.1.2Demand Conditions31 3.1.3Related and Supporting Industries31 3.1.4Firm Strategy, Structure and Rivalry32 3.1.5The Role of Chance and the Government32 3.2CRITIQUES AND REASONS FOR USING THE DIAMOND MODEL33 4.APPLICATIONS OF PORTER’S DIAMOND IN THE KENYAN CASE STUDY36 4.1FACTOR CONDITIONS36 4.1.1Tourist Attractions36 4.1.2Human Resources38 4.1.3Infrastructure39 4.2DEMAND CONDITIONS40 4.3RELATED AND SUPPORTING INDUSTRIES42 4.4CONTEXT FOR FIRM STRATEGY AND RIVALRY44 4.5THE ROLE OF THE GOVERNMENT45 4.6COLLABORATION OF INSTITUTIONS48 5.STRATEGIC CHALLENGES AND RECOMMENDATIONS51 5.1CHALLENGES51 5.2RECOMMENDATIONS52 5.2.1Infrastructure and Utilities52 5.2.2Political Stability and Security53 5.2.3Curbing Corruption and Bribery54 5.2.4Marketing and Promotion55 5.2.5Strengthening of Cluster Linkages57 5.2.6Capacity Building57 5.2.7Investment and Finance59 5.2.8Policy and Legal Framework60 5.2.9Conservation of Resources60 6.CONCLUSION62 BIBLIOGRAPHY65Textprobe:Text Sample: Kapitel 4, APPLICATIONS OF PORTER’S DIAMOND IN THE KENYAN CASE STUDY: In an effort to understand the loss of competitive success of the tourism industry in Kenya, the Diamond Model provides insights in its primary strengths and weaknesses. 4.1, Factor Conditions: 4.1.1, Tourist Attractions: Kenya’s key comparative advantage lies in its unique natural endowments. The climate is generally warm and humid at the coast, cool in the central highlands, hot and dry in the north. Not to mention, the country has a diverse landform and landscape types ranging from equatorial, savannah, tropical, and volcanic. Kenya has 32 national parks and reserves that cover approximately 8 % of the total area. Wilderness safaris and the beaches along the coast are the backbone of the sector. However, the impact of tourism on the natural resources has left its scars behind. The over-exploitation of the coastal and safari resources as well as the poaching and pollution of the environment are factors contributing to the decline in the quality of Kenya’s natural resources. The coastal province is a popular destination for tourists from Europe as it consists of beaches and well developed resorts, marine parks, coral reefs and warm water suitable for windsurfing and swimming. The Swahili coastal region has quite a number of historical sites dating back from the 9th century and a number of monuments, antiques which reflect Arabic, Asian, and European influences. Kenya is also home to fossil sites for archaeology, palaeontology and research. The remains of Homo erectus were found around Lake Turkana and since then the country is known as the ‘the cradle of mankind”. The Snow-capped Mount Kenya and Mount Kilimanjaro on the Tanzanian border offer climbing routes and diverse flora and fauna. Lakes Nakuru and Baringo are famous for the concentration of pink flamingos and other bird species. Kenya has a history of hosting various sports events due to its altitude and landscape. Examples include: athletics high training camps, international cricket games, international safari motor rallies, and horse racing. The underdeveloped tourist attractions offer an opportunity for the country to variegate its products and increase tourism revenues. Over-reliance on wildlife and beach tourism to the exclusion of other potential tourism products limits the sector from augmenting. 4.1.2, Human Resources: Kenya has a well-educated work force in comparison to its neighbouring countries. The country was ranked in position 95 out of 133 in 2009 by the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report. However, labour productivity has been declining while costs remain high on the other end. Kenya lags behind with respect to job-training. According to the Investment Climate Survey, only 40% of Kenyan firms offer training for their employees. The Kenya Utalii College (KUC) is a public institution formed to offer training and establish hospitality standards. In 2007, the number of graduates from KUC declined by 36.1% from 3.523 to 2.250 in 2008. The decrease in number of graduates is attributed to the students’ preference for degree programmes instead of the other existing courses. For this reason, the college now offers university degree programmes in collaboration with the University of Nairobi. Porter recognizes the significance of language and multicultural skills in the service sectors. Kenya’s national language is Kiswahili and the formal language is English, with a large number of the work force capable of conducting work in English. This is a significant benefit to the sector due to the extensive demand for communication with tourists from all over the world. In addition, the people’s familiarity with multiple cultures and their hospitality attract tourists from all over the world. Firms’ awareness of HIV/AIDS response is disappointingly low. However, Kenya seems to be doing much better in comparison to Tanzania and Uganda. Approximately 44 % of Kenyan firms offer at least one HIV/AIDS programme compared to 31% in Tanzania and 32% in Uganda. Health conditions of workers in the tourism industry are important as these have the potential to disrupt labour productivity in the industry. 4.1.3, Infrastructure: Poor quality transport infrastructure in some parts of the country has affected access to tourist attractions, thus directly and dramatically diminishing the country’s competitiveness and profitability. Air transport in Kenya is operating well and in a liberalized environment. However, the airport facilities are deteriorating due to poor maintenance. The existing electric network is unreliable and volatile. Specifically, the coastal area which attracts the largest number of tourists faces intermittent supply failures. By the same token, the region faces high costs of electrical supply in comparison to other regions. At least 80% of Kenyan firms lose up to 7% of their sales as a result of power disruptions. The country has a fairly developed telecommunication network though quite expensive. Despite the huge potential to attract tourists and increase earnings, rural areas lack communication networks and information, which are vital for their development. Furthermore, information inadequacy, lack of computers, and other resources are major hurdles for small businesses in the tourism sector. |
