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Assessment of the Potential of Adventure Tourism in the Mt. Kenya Region

Received: 18 April 2023     Accepted: 12 May 2023     Published: 24 May 2023
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Abstract

Today, adventure tourism is one of the fastest growing sectors of the global tourism. It has experienced phenomenal growth in the last twenty or so years. However, despite this phenomenal growth, there is still conceptual ambiguity in literature on this niche market. Research on adventure tourism is limited but this is gradually changing. The purpose of the study was to discuss the prospects of developing adventure tourism in the Mt. Kenya region and challenges likely to be faced. The area has been a major tourist destination since colonial times, especially for mountaineers and campers. However, little effort if any has been made by various stakeholders to develop adventure tourism in the area. Available literature on adventure tourism in the Mt. Kenya region is scanty. This study aims to fill this research gap. A descriptive research design was used to collect both qualitative and quantitative data. Qualitative data provided information on opinions of tourists and industry officials interviewed concerning prospects and challenges for developing adventure tourism in the study area. Quantitative data provided information on major tourist attractions for adventure tourism in the study area. Data collection techniques such as questionnaire survey and interview schedules were used to assess the possibility of developing a viable adventure tourism industry in the area. SWOT analysis was used in the study to explain the current constraints and potential for adventure tourism in the Mt. Kenya region. In-depth literature review and SWOT analysis revealed that many prospects exist for adventure tourism in the study area. Mountaineering, rock climbing, camping and bungee jumping were identified as possible activities that can be developed and expanded for adventure tourism. Therefore, all the stakeholders in the tourism industry in the region should market the area more aggressively locally and internationally.

Published in International Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Management (Volume 7, Issue 1)
DOI 10.11648/j.ijhtm.20230701.15
Page(s) 37-43
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Adventure Tourism, Camping, Mountaineering, SWOT Analysis, Mt. Kenya Region

References
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[2] Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA). (2020). Adventure tourism development index: The 2020 report. Adventure travel trade association.
[3] Liew, Jan-Fui, Zuraidah Sulaiman, Norhayati Zakwan, Siti Rahmah Awang. (2020). Memorable Adventure Tourism Experience: Constructs and Consequences. Asian Journal of Arts, Culture and Tourism e-ISSN: 2710-5830 | Vol. 2, No. 3, 14-22.
[4] Pop, Nicolae Al., Felicia A. Stăncioiu, Lucian-Florin Onișor, Cristina Andrada Baba, Raluca Năstase Anysz(2021). Motivational Factors Enticing Young Travelers to Engage in Adventure Tourism Activities. Journal of Emerging Trends in Marketing and Management – Vol I, No. 1, 222-232.
[5] IJspeert, R. & Hernandez-Maskivker, G. (2020). Active sport tourists: Millennials vs baby boomers. Journal of Tourism, Heritage & Services Marketing, ISSN 2529-1947, Vol. 6, No. 2, pp. 12-20. http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3835813.
[6] Ruhet Genç. (2021). Adventure Tourism in Nepal Himalayas: Environmental Effects. Journal of Tourism & Adventure 4: 1, 47-5.
[7] Rosenberg, Axel., Pip M. Lynch and Aage Radmann. (2021). Sustainability Comes to Life. Nature-Based Adventure Tourism in Norway. Front. Sports Act. Living. 3: 686459. doi: 10.3389/fspor.2021.686459.
[8] Katoch, Ajay Singh. (2021). Adventure Tourism- A Case Study of Himachal Pradesh. International Journal of Creative Research Thoughts (IJCRT). Vol. 9. (6). 494-501.
[9] Sindiga, I. (1999): Tourism and African Development: Change and Challenge of Tourism in Kenya, African Studies Centre, Leiden, Netherlands.
[10] Shephard, G & Evans, S. (2005). Adventure Tourism: Hard Decisions, Soft Options and Home for Tea: Adventure on the Hoof’, in M Novelli (ed.), Niche Tourism: Contemporary Issues, Trends and Cases, Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, UK, pp. 201-09.
[11] Lindberg, F., & Jensen, Ø. (2020). Adventure regime of tourism experiences. Current Issues in Tourism, 24 (20), 2905–2920. [Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®], [Google Scholar].
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[13] Sung, H. H. Morrison, M. A. and. O’Leary J. T. (1996): Definition of Adventure Travel, Conceptual Framework for Empirical Application from the Providers Perspective, Ottawa, Canada.
[14] United Nations World Tourism Organisation (2014). AM reports, volume ten global benchmarking for city tourism measurement. World Tourism Organisation Madrid.
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[16] Wang, C. & Yang, Z. (2021). Suitability evaluation for mountain-based adventure tourism: A case study of Xinjiang Tianshan, China. Plos One, 16, e0247035.
[17] Makunyi, E. W. (2009). A survey of methods used by the Kenya Tourist Board in marketing adventure tourism in the Mount Kenya region. MSc. Thesis. The School of Environmental Studies and Human Sciences. Unpubl. Kenyatta University.
[18] Irandu, E. M. (2015): Global Change and Sustainable Mountain Tourism: The Case of Mount Kenya. In Impact of Global Changes on Mountains: Responses and Adaptation. Aw Publication, 187-207.
[19] Jumbe Sagaya Jonah. (2021). Motivation orientation of participants in extreme sports in Kenya: a case of the Mount Kenya extreme adventure challenge. M.Sc. Thesis, Unpubl., Kenyatta University, Kenya.
[20] Lötter, Melissa J. and Welthagen, Lisa. (2020). Adventure tourism activities as a tool for improving adventure tourists’ wellness. African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure, Volume 9 (1): 1-10.
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[22] Buckley, R. (2021). Is adventure tourism therapeutic? Tourism Recreation Research. DO1: https://doi.org/10.1080/02508281.2021.1931775.
[23] Christiansen, D. R. (1990). Adventure tourism. In. J. C. Miles & S. Priest (eds). Adventure Education. State College PA: Venture Publishing, 433-441.
[24] Newsome, D., Moore, S. A. & Dowling, R. K. (2013). Natural Area Tourism: Ecology, Impacts and Management (2nd edition). New South Wales: Channel View Publications.
[25] Lala, M. F. & Bhat, M. (2008). The prospect of developing Kashmir as an adventure tourism destination. South Asian Journal of Tourism and Heritage, 1 (1), 75-80.
[26] Bichler Bernhard Fabian and Mike Peters (2021). Soft adventure motivation: an exploratory study of hiking tourism. Tourism Review. Vol. 76. No. 2. 473-488. Emerald Publishing Limited.
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  • APA Style

    Esther Wambui Makunyi. (2023). Assessment of the Potential of Adventure Tourism in the Mt. Kenya Region. International Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Management, 7(1), 37-43. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijhtm.20230701.15

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    ACS Style

    Esther Wambui Makunyi. Assessment of the Potential of Adventure Tourism in the Mt. Kenya Region. Int. J. Hosp. Tour. Manag. 2023, 7(1), 37-43. doi: 10.11648/j.ijhtm.20230701.15

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    AMA Style

    Esther Wambui Makunyi. Assessment of the Potential of Adventure Tourism in the Mt. Kenya Region. Int J Hosp Tour Manag. 2023;7(1):37-43. doi: 10.11648/j.ijhtm.20230701.15

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ijhtm.20230701.15,
      author = {Esther Wambui Makunyi},
      title = {Assessment of the Potential of Adventure Tourism in the Mt. Kenya Region},
      journal = {International Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Management},
      volume = {7},
      number = {1},
      pages = {37-43},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ijhtm.20230701.15},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijhtm.20230701.15},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijhtm.20230701.15},
      abstract = {Today, adventure tourism is one of the fastest growing sectors of the global tourism. It has experienced phenomenal growth in the last twenty or so years. However, despite this phenomenal growth, there is still conceptual ambiguity in literature on this niche market. Research on adventure tourism is limited but this is gradually changing. The purpose of the study was to discuss the prospects of developing adventure tourism in the Mt. Kenya region and challenges likely to be faced. The area has been a major tourist destination since colonial times, especially for mountaineers and campers. However, little effort if any has been made by various stakeholders to develop adventure tourism in the area. Available literature on adventure tourism in the Mt. Kenya region is scanty. This study aims to fill this research gap. A descriptive research design was used to collect both qualitative and quantitative data. Qualitative data provided information on opinions of tourists and industry officials interviewed concerning prospects and challenges for developing adventure tourism in the study area. Quantitative data provided information on major tourist attractions for adventure tourism in the study area. Data collection techniques such as questionnaire survey and interview schedules were used to assess the possibility of developing a viable adventure tourism industry in the area. SWOT analysis was used in the study to explain the current constraints and potential for adventure tourism in the Mt. Kenya region. In-depth literature review and SWOT analysis revealed that many prospects exist for adventure tourism in the study area. Mountaineering, rock climbing, camping and bungee jumping were identified as possible activities that can be developed and expanded for adventure tourism. Therefore, all the stakeholders in the tourism industry in the region should market the area more aggressively locally and internationally.},
     year = {2023}
    }
    

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    AU  - Esther Wambui Makunyi
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    AB  - Today, adventure tourism is one of the fastest growing sectors of the global tourism. It has experienced phenomenal growth in the last twenty or so years. However, despite this phenomenal growth, there is still conceptual ambiguity in literature on this niche market. Research on adventure tourism is limited but this is gradually changing. The purpose of the study was to discuss the prospects of developing adventure tourism in the Mt. Kenya region and challenges likely to be faced. The area has been a major tourist destination since colonial times, especially for mountaineers and campers. However, little effort if any has been made by various stakeholders to develop adventure tourism in the area. Available literature on adventure tourism in the Mt. Kenya region is scanty. This study aims to fill this research gap. A descriptive research design was used to collect both qualitative and quantitative data. Qualitative data provided information on opinions of tourists and industry officials interviewed concerning prospects and challenges for developing adventure tourism in the study area. Quantitative data provided information on major tourist attractions for adventure tourism in the study area. Data collection techniques such as questionnaire survey and interview schedules were used to assess the possibility of developing a viable adventure tourism industry in the area. SWOT analysis was used in the study to explain the current constraints and potential for adventure tourism in the Mt. Kenya region. In-depth literature review and SWOT analysis revealed that many prospects exist for adventure tourism in the study area. Mountaineering, rock climbing, camping and bungee jumping were identified as possible activities that can be developed and expanded for adventure tourism. Therefore, all the stakeholders in the tourism industry in the region should market the area more aggressively locally and internationally.
    VL  - 7
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Author Information
  • Department of Hospitality and Leisure Studies, Technical University of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya

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