Discussion Brief Issue No. 02 of 2004 on Impact of Tourism on the Environment in Kenya

Abstract

Tourism is a leading economic activity in Kenya, being the third largest foreign exchange earner after tea and horticulture. Since 1990, particularly since the second half of the 1990s, Kenya's tourism industry has faced enormous challenges, including decline in per capita spending, average length of stay, hotel occupancy rates, hotel room rates and service quality. Some of the factors that have contributed to this decline in tourism growth include environmental degradation and deterioration in the quality of tourism products due to mass tourism.