Kenya Tourism Industry - Essay Example

Kenya accounts for an estimated 6% of the total number of tourists arriving in Africa (Muzaffer, Richard & Joseph, 2012, p. 230). However, in the 1980s, the tourist statistics computed by the Tourism board of Kenya reduced drastically. This threatened to cripple the economy of the steadily advancing country. This was as a result of the increased reports regarding poaching activities where thousands of animals died under the poachers’ hands. The game trade was steadily on the rise and this demand for game products such as rhino horns, elephant tusks, and leopard skins led to this increased instance of poaching.

It was a shocking experience for the government of Kenya as well as the world all over and this led to a negative attitude towards tourists that preferred visiting Kenya. This was a rude awakening as there was a steadfast decrease in the funds accrued from tourism-related activities and this strained the economic progress of the country. The government had to seriously consider alleviating the issue of poaching and improving security in the tourist destinations that were so many and this was a challenge as the government had no capability to watch over all areas whereas poaching was so prevalent (Muzaffer, 2012, p. 589).In conclusion, the government in collaboration with the Wildlife Service carefully revised the country’s security forces and successfully went on ahead to completely eliminate the threats and conquer the tourist's destinations.

The country was once again a tourist destination that pulled crowds from all over the continent and thereby reinstating tourism as a major source of foreign exchange.