Login

Lost your password?

Sign Up

Register

Login

Login

Lost your password?

Register

Wednesday, July 6, 2022
  • Home
  • Banking
  • Industry & Trade
  • Investing
  • Money Deals
  • Regional Markets
  • Tech & Biz
  • Countries
  • Opinion

Africa's
Investment
Gateway

The Exchange
  • Login
  • Register
Subscribe
This Month's Edition
Previous Editions
  • Home
  • Banking
  • Industry & Trade
  • Investing
  • Money Deals
  • Regional Markets
  • Tech & Biz
  • Countries
  • Opinion
No Result
View All Result
The Exchange
  • Home
  • Banking
  • Industry & Trade
  • Investing
  • Money Deals
  • Regional Markets
  • Tech & Biz
  • Countries
  • Opinion
No Result
View All Result
The Exchange
LOGIN
alternatetext
Kenya Tourism Ministry to cap visitors in parks, game reserves www.theexchange.africa

Kenya Tourism Ministry to cap visitors in parks, game reserves [Photo/Business Daily]

Ministry’s plan that may kill Kenya’s tourism sector

In an effort to reduce high season overcrowding and encourage travel throughout the year, Kenya's Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife plans to implement a measure that will see rates increased by more than six times.

by Maingi Gichuku
May 26, 2022
in Industry and Trade
0
Share on FacebookShare on LinkedIn
  • Kenya’s Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife plans to implement a  visitor capping measure that will see rates increase by more than six times.
  • Measures will involve capping the daily number of visitors allowed in certain national parks and game reserves.
  • KWS to use a digital payment system and online ticketing, the number of tourists, both local and non-resident,    will be restricted to an acceptable level.

In an effort to reduce high season overcrowding and encourage travel throughout the year, Kenya’s Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife plans to implement a measure that will see rates increased by more than six times.

This measure will involve capping the daily number of visitors allowed in certain national parks and game reserves.

According to a new policy paper published by the ministry, the limit would be set for the carrying capacity of the priority parks.

Because of this, high-traffic parks and reserves, including Masai Mara, Amboseli, and Nairobi National Park, won’t be able to accommodate more people than their current volumes of 32,000, 13,000, and 10,000 per month, respectively.

 Online ticketing and Digital payment to implement the policy

Through the use of a digital payment system and online ticketing, which the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) intends to implement in all of the country’s national parks and reserves, the number of tourists, both local and non-resident, will be restricted to an acceptable level.

The digital system will generate tickets that contain information about the traveller, such as the validity date of the ticket, as well as a cost breakdown that details all of the prices, including the portions of those fees that are designated for park development and conservation.

According to the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife, “capping the size of tourists in priority parks could limit the overall number of tourists but shouldn’t severely affect overall earnings if accompanied by a seasonal increase in costs.”

alternatetext

“The primary hypothesis is that costs will rise between June and October for residents and non-residents, including nationals of the African Union, by a factor of two to six times in the Masai Mara and by a factor of thirty to one hundred and fifty per cent in Amboseli and Nairobi Park,” precisely assuming there is no decrease in the number of tourists as a result of the price increases.”

This decision was made in response to growing concerns about the impact that overcrowding of safari vehicles and tourists in game parks and reserves like Masai Mara, particularly during the time of year when the great wildebeest migration occurs, could have on the area’s wildlife as well as its ability to meet international tourism standards and appeal to tourists.

However, in order to meet the increased demand during the busy season, the capping has been adjusted to charge more for access. In addition, guests will be required to pre-book their entry tickets to the park in order to cut down on lines and prevent any instances of fraud at the entrance. The ticket will be nonsaleable and linked to a person’s personal identification number (ID) or passport number to prevent tour operators from reselling tickets.
The plan is an element of a strategy for the tourism industry that will run from now through 2025 and covers the next five years.

It comes at a time when theme parks are pulling back on higher ticket sales fueled by locals tourist during the COVID-19 pandemic period, amid disruption in worldwide travel.

Kenya’s tourism industry anticipates a sustained rebound as well as a significant increase in the number of tourists from other countries. In 2021, the overall number of visitors to national parks and wildlife reserves increased by 40.8%, reaching 1.28 million, up from 913,052 in the previous year.
Additionally, the amount of revenue reached Sh1.48 billion.

Both the number of people who visit the parks and the amount of money it brings in have not yet reached their 2019 levels of 2.27 million and Sh4.37 billion, respectively.

 Masai Mara, Amboseli, and Nairobi National Parks visitors to be   capped

Kenya Tourism Ministry to cap visitors in parks, game reserves www.theexchange.africa
Masai Mara, Amboseli, and Nairobi National Parks visitors to be capped. [Photo/The Star]
The large concentrations of wildlife in Masai Mara, Amboseli, and Nairobi National Parks have earned them a prominent position among the most popular tourist destinations in the world.

Even during its peak season from June to October, when hotels, lodges, and tour operators charge their highest rates, the number of visitors to Masai Mara will be capped at no more than 32,000 of its carrying volume thanks to the new measures.
As of 2019, the park exceeded its capacity with 54,000 and 60,000 tourists in the months of July and August, respectively.
The ministry will operate under the assumption that the volumes that will be lost during this period, such as in July and August, will be somewhat redistributed in the shoulder months of June, September, and October.

In the same year (2019), the number of visitors to Amboseli exceeded the capacity of 13,000 on six separate occasions: February, July, August, September, October, and December.
According to the data collected in 2019, Nairobi National Park has been welcoming more people than its 10,000 annual allotments throughout the year.
It is anticipated that expenditure on tourism will return to the levels seen in 2019 by 2024 when a total of US $1.97 billion (Sh229.4 billion) was recorded as spending on leisure travel from the top 40 source markets throughout the world.

 

Read: Hospitality Group Accor brings its Mantis Brand to Kenya’s Masai Mara

Tags: Amboseli National ParkKenyaKenya Tourism SectorKenya Wildlife Service (KWS)Maasai Mara National ReserveNairobi National Park

STATE OF ECONOMY - GET THE REPORT

ASSESSING EAST AFRICA

Loading...

Maingi Gichuku

Maingi Gichuku is passionate about helping African businesses grow by offering technology solutions. With a BSC in Zoology and biochemistry, Gichuku yearns for an Africa that can find solutions to its challenges. My drive is to see an economically dynamic Africa and embrace its populations by creating opportunities cutting across the social and economic strata.

Related Posts

www.theexchange.africa
Business

Kenya: Economic activity contracts for third consecutive month on inflation

July 6, 2022
www.theexchange.africa
Business

Kenya: Food, oil prices force average inflation to rise to 6.3% in first half of 2022

July 5, 2022
www.theexchange.africa
Business

Bolt opens Africa head office in Kenya following $716m funding

July 4, 2022
Next Post
Nigeria's central bank raised the benchmark interest rate to 13% www.theexchange.africa

Nigeria: Central Bank raises benchmark interest rate to 13%

A greenn energy worker lays down solar panels on a rural house roof. Photo/Greenlight Planet

Tanzania: To power growing economy, generation passes 1,600 megawatts

School girls wash hands using make shift water flowing taps. Photo/UNICEF

Tanzania water budget 2022: Private sector input

Please login to join discussion




This months edition

Features

Countries

Era of the African Passport: A mixed bag of opportunities?

by june njoroge
July 4, 2022
0

The African passport is a common passport document that is set to replace the existing nationally issued AU member states’...

Read more
Sibongile Thobakgale. She is the area sales manager for South Africa at Aggreko Africa. www.theexchange.africa
Investing

Transforming manufacturing in Africa

by Opinion
July 4, 2022
0

From cement to food and beverages to metal production and processing, manufacturing organisations are looking for sustainable energy solutions to...

Read more
Wallace Manyara. He is the Business Development Manager, Region South & East Africa, Wärtsilä Energy. www.theexchange.africa
Investing

Renewables, gas cheapest ways to meet Mozambique’s electricity demand

by Opinion
July 1, 2022
0

To meet its growing energy needs and increase electricity access across the population, Mozambique must build 1.3GW of new power...

Read more
By 2030, tech financing in Africa will hit US$90 billion. African governments have a lot to do to reduce the risk of investing in tech startups. www.theexchange.africa
Tech & Business

Challenges and opportunities across Africa’s tech ecosystems

by Njenga Hakeenah
July 4, 2022
0

In addition, governments have to make things better for businesses. Currently, tech start-ups have to pay a lot to comply...

Read more
Foreign Currency Auction System Fails to Meet Soaring Demand
Industry and Trade

Foreign currency auction fails to meet soaring demand

by Laurence Sithole
July 4, 2022
0

Despite these fundamentals, the Zimbabwe dollar has continued to slide against the United States dollar prompting the government to take...

Read more

News

Banking
Industry & Trade
Investing
Money Deals
Regional Markets
Tech & Biz
Opinion

Countries

Kenya
Tanzania
Uganda
Burundi
Rwanda
Southern Africa
Ethiopia

More

My Account
Contact us
Advertise
About us
Help Center

Subscribers Center

E-paper
Premium Stories
Education Rates
Corporate Subscriptions
Weekely Newsletter

  • My account
  • About us
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Refund Policy – The Exchange
  • Sitemap

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Banking
  • Industry & Trade
  • Investing
  • Money Deals
  • Regional Markets
  • Tech & Biz
  • Countries
  • Opinion
  • Login
  • Sign Up
  • Cart

© 2021 The Exchange - Powered by MediapixManaged by Supported by Digihandler,

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In