| dc.contributor.author | Njoroge, Joseph M. | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2017-04-05T10:34:52Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2017-04-05T10:34:52Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2015 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/1972 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://onlinesciencejournals.com/index.php/ajthls/article/view/19 | |
| dc.description.abstract | Soapstone mining in Kenya especially in Kisii region is historical and its exploitation has
been conducted from time immemorial. With beautiful carvings that are normally
destined for the export market, the soapstone industry is one of the darlings in the Kenyan
exports. Yet it has not been fully exploited to enhance maximum tourism revenues. This
paper therefore looks at the links between soapstone mining in Kisii and tourism with a
view of enhancing the earning from the mines from tourism. Using questionnaires for
tourists, focused group discussion and interviews for the local soapstone miners, data was
collected from 62 tourists and 102 soapstone’s miners during a period between January
and June 2011 and analyzed descriptively using Statistical package for Social Science
(SPSS). Results indicated that soapstone was mined and products made from it were
mainly sold in the local markets. A major challenge for the soapstone mining area to
attract tourists was lack of centralized museum for all the artefacts. It was also observed
that the earning from soapstone was low because of middlemen who bought arts from the
locals at low cost and sold them to tourists and made much of the profits. Tourist
investors were unable to invest and enhance the revenue from the soapstone. Moreover,
tourists also complained of sometimes low quality art work because many of the carvers
never inquire from the market the nature of products that tourists required as well as poor
infrastructure. Finally the tourists indicated harassments, high prices, lack of
accommodation facilities and poor quality services if they visited areas with soapstone
mining activities and thus they are discouraged. This study therefore demonstrates low
linkages between tourism and soapstone mining, which limits full exploitation of the
soapstone and low revenue from tourism. We recommend enactment of mining policy to
protect the local and enhance maximum participation of the tourists as possible partners
in the soapstone mining industry. | en_US |
| dc.language.iso | en | en_US |
| dc.publisher | African Journal of Tourism, Hospitality and Leisure Studies | en_US |
| dc.subject | Soap stone mining;tourism development | en_US |
| dc.title | Soap stone mining, challenges and opportunities for tourism development: case study of soapstone in Tabaka, Kisii County, Kenya | en_US |
| dc.type | Article | en_US |
