An Evaluation of Rural Tourism Potential for Rural Development in Kenya

All over the world, tourism continues to be an integral part of economic development by contributing to countries’ gross domestic product (GDP), earning foreign exchange, creating job opportunities among other significant contributions. There is a need for increased diversification of tourism market away from the traditional ones like coastal and wildlife tourism. Over-reliance on mass tourism especially coastal based tourism also has negative degradation impacts on the environment, destruction and exhaustion of tourism products due to overexploitation. The need to improve tourists’ experiences in the destinations has led to increased calls for diversification of tourism products, thus shifting focus to the rural areas. Many potential tourism products like cultural heritage, archaeological sites and the good natural sceneries in rural areas remain unexploited or underexploited. This proposed study aims to deliberate on whether the sustainable development is possible for rural tourism in Kenya. This study examines the existing strategies employed by the Kenya government and other stakeholders in the tourism sectors, to determine areas of weakness that would require interventions. By conducting a SWOT analysis of the tourism potential in Kenya, this paper seeks to identify the untapped tourism potentials in rural Kenya and make necessary proposals for exploitation, to increase the competitiveness of Kenya tourism sector globally. Finally, the research establishes the general challenges facing the tourism sector in Kenya that have or have the potential to limit optimum operation and development in the sector. The research relies on secondary sources of data including research articles, government reports, academic documents and non-governmental organizations research works for a better understanding of the tourism sector in Kenya. Keywords: Cultural heritage, Tourism destination, Rural development, Rural Tourism, Tourism products. DOI: 10.7176/JAAS/63-05 Publication date: April 30th 202

The Role of Changing Housing Policies in Housing Affordability and Accessibility in Developing Countries: The Case of Kenya.

Rapid urbanization has led to the influx of people into urban areas as people seek better life opportunities. This migration has however largely not been planned, resulting in population explosions in the cities. Relying on existing research on the topic and government reports, this study finds that many middle and low-income families in Kenya have ended up living in informal settlements in urban areas due to housing unaffordability. The study further determines that the problem of housing is more pronounced in developing countries. Studies related to this issue establish that the housing crisis cannot only be attributed to rural-urban migration but also other factors like failed housing policies, poor housing financial systems, too much interference in the running of housing by the government and complex land tenure systems among others. This research, therefore, identifies the critical housing crisis issues, housing policy gaps in Kenya and proposes policy actions and the potential role of governments in a housing market to address affordability challenges. The study establishes the role of government and other institutions in the housing sector and proposes land and housing reforms that can add knowledge to future research in similar areas