Chinese travelers offer hope for beleaguered Kenyan tourism industry

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Chinese travelers offer hope for beleaguered Kenyan tourism industry

(Global Times) 08:29, August 20, 2013

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Tourism numbers may be gloomy in Kenya, but if not for Chinese tourists, the situation could be worse.

Chinese consisted the largest group of visitors to this summer's annual wildebeest migration at the Maasai Mara, which is arguably Kenya's largest tourist attraction, which has made local authorities happy as the affluent tourists are coming to fill a much needed financial void.

In the absence of tourists from the traditional European and US markets, it is Chinese spenders who are contributing to the local government's coffers.

The recession in the US and the eurozone crisis mean that leisure travel is no longer a priority as US and European families find it harder to make ends meet. But a growing affluent class in China and other East Asian countries has made up for lost clients.

The Narok County government says that there were 20,303 Chinese visitors to the Maasai Mara in the last two months, a 10 percent increase, and that the numbers of arrivals outstripped those from other markets.

Both Chinese and Kenyan television also got in on the action by running a series of stories focusing on the annual great wildebeest migration and tourism as a whole.

This is when it dawned on me that the Maasai Mara National Reserve's potential to earn a bigger and more lucrative share of the Chinese market has barely been scratched.

On a trip to China two years ago, the first response I got whenever I mentioned that I was from Kenya was a mention of Maasai Mara, both from curious students and working Chinese. And the second thing they thought of was US President Barack Obama and his Kenyan father.

Entrepreneurial Kenyans are capitalizing on the Obama connection with plans of putting a museum in Nyangoma Kogalo, hometown of Obama's father, to attract US tourists.

But given the palpable interest in Obama's roots from the Chinese I met, there is no reason that the area cannot also be marketed to Chinese locals.

On another note, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta is visiting China this week. In addition to increased tourist arrivals and more trade deals between the two countries, locals are pushing for the issue of poaching to be addressed.

A good sign that some headway is being made is China's pledge to give a grant to the government which will go into anti-poaching activities and a commitment from Beijing to punish culprits. The two governments' cooperation could ensure sustainable tourism for many years to come.