ECOTOURISM AND THE ECONOMY: CASE STUDY OF MARA & AMBOSELI IN KENYA

Abstract

The Kenyan government sees ecotourism as having the potential of becoming a moderately useful tool for locally directed and participatory rural development based on a rational utilization of environmental and cultural resources on which tourism relays on. We therefore need a better understanding of ecotourism’s impacts, and how those impacts are affected by various development and management strategies. Furthermore, ecotourism not only provides revenue and employment, but also causes undesirable environmental and social change. Unfortunately, these costs of ecotourism development are rarely evaluated in detail. If ecotourism is indeed promoting a region’s welfare, it is vital that apart from the economic potential, environmental and social costs that also need to be identified, these costs enter into any decisions about ecotourism development. This paper contributes to a greater understanding of the linkages between ecotourism and the economy from the Kenyan perspective. Research was undertaken in communities adjacent to Masai Mara and Amboseli area in Kenya. The study examined the relationships between ecotourism and economy with a view to understanding how the benefits, if any, are utilized within the communities.