This article first appeared in Travel Africa Magazine
It has been said that Kenya is the Mzee, or respected old man, of ecotourism. However, too often local communities face the costs associated with preserving Kenya’s majestic wildlife without seeing any of the benefits from the so called ecotourism on which it largely depends.
Living with mega-fauna is dangerous. Crops are damaged and lives are put at risk. Local communities have been excluded from land that they historically used for grazing, firewood and watering cattle so that it can be set-aside for tourists and wildlife.
Local people have been marginalized from the decision-making and economic benefits associated with tourism development - with severe impacts for both poverty alleviation and conservation. They are essentially subsidising wealthy Western tourists enjoyment of wildlife.
Community based tourism has been loosely used to describe a variety of activities that give local people a fair share of the benefits/profits and a say in deciding how tourism is managed. When successful it can provide funds for vital development work that benefits the entire community ; provide a powerful incentive for conservation ; and help engender a sense of pride resulting from increased self-determination.
Community based tourism is rapidly gaining popularity in Kenya, East Africa and globally. So what has changed, has the notoriously competitive tourism industry suddenly developed a conscience ?
Well mostly not. Firstly, while some progressive tourism businesses have always willingly supported conservation and local economic development, land rights in Kenya are increasingly being devolved to local communities. As a result when tourism businesses wish to build lodges outside Parks or Reserves they now have to negotiate terms with local communities who are looking to partner with responsible businesses, and to maximise local economic benefits.
Secondly, tourists are looking for something a little bit different. Kenyan tourism has been stuck in a time warp focussed on luxury lodges in the Parks and relatively cheap beach holidays. While value for money, comfortable accommodation, outstanding wildlife and beaches remain the priorities tourists are increasingly interested in meeting local people and learning about local cultures on equitable terms.
Tour operator’s report that tourists often travel to Kenya for the wildlife or beaches, but come back raving about the people. Culture, the sleeping giant of Kenyan tourism, is slowly waking. This is good news for development as culture is one of the few assets of the poor.
Rather than being trapped in a Safari vehicle in overcrowded Parks and Reserves tourists are opting to go on walking safaris on communal lands with Maasai or Samburu tribesmen. Rather than watching drummers perform in the hotels they are visiting local communities to meet local people on their terms.
So is community-based tourism a panacea for conservation and development ? Developing and managing community-based tourism is fraught with difficulties. Defining the local community boundaries, to determine who shares the economic benefits, can be problematic. Few communities share a common view on how tourism should be developed and as a result the local politics can be intense. Sadly corruption remains an issue.
Finally, without strong marketing partnerships with progressive tourism businesses many community based tourism programmes are not economically sustainable unless supported by wealthy benefactors or charities. Community-based tourism can play an important role in diversifying Kenya’s tourism product and providing real benefits for local people and conservation. But if it is to become anything more than a tiny niche it must be widely replicable. To do this it must first and foremost attract sufficient numbers of paying guests to become economically self-sufficient.