Is Kenya really as good as it sounds?

With almost one million tourists travelling from Germany, USA and the UK, Kenya is turning into one of the hotspots for a once in a lifetime trip.

Kenya enjoys a tropical climate sitting almost directly on the equator which promises excellent weather all year round. With 52 game parks and 42 main tribes to visit, ultimately it sounds like the perfect holiday. However, what effect is this having on the local villagers and the animals.

Small communities can have up to three visits a day from minibuses full of tourists who are almost treating the tribes as animals in a zoo as they wish to take photos of them and stare. These communities must put on a show for the local tourists by dressing up in traditional costumes and re-enacting traditional ceremonies such as weddings and birthdays. To us this would be simply just a day out, however, is it worth compromising the tribes whole culture for a couple of photos?

Kenya being one of the best places to go on a safari, no wonder thousands flock to experience being in a short range of elephants and lions. With army’s of mini buses approaching the animals far too closely, there has been a decline in lions and cheetahs mating, causing worries to experts. One tourist even quoted: “It’s a zoo on a larger scale.”

This poses questions to the experts. Is tourism in Kenya a bad thing?

Without tourism, Kenya would struggle to fund schools and even basic water supplies. With foreign currency being spend by tourists means it can be invested into improving the education system, health and other essential services. Sadly many companies such as tour operators and hotel chains are actually owned by foreign business men, therefore, much of the profit is leaving Kenya.

Essentially, because of tourism Kenya can fund schools and healthcare. Additionally, 11% of paid employment comes from the tourism trade. But is the tourism trade corrupting Kenya and destroying the culture and the national parks?

What do you think?