Employing the enhanced Regional Tourism Sustainable Adaptation Framework with a case study of climate change vulnerability in Mombasa, Kenya
Date
2018Author
Njoroge, Joseph M.
Atieno, Lucy.
Ratter, Beate M.W.
Mugabe, Innocent M.
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
This paper attempts to provide an empirical application of the enhanced Regional Tourism Sustainable
Adaptation Framework using a case study of Mombasa Kenya. Climate variability is a challenge to tourism
destinations, especially coastal and Island destinations, categories under which Mombasa, our study site falls
under. Mombasa has limited capacity to adapt to climate change considering its socio economic conditions
and weak institutions, thus making it necessary to explore the possible sustainable pathways for the city
using the enhanced Regional Tourism Sustainable Adaptation Framework. Earlier frameworks for tourism
adaptation to climate change lacked focus on regional dynamics as well as sustainability aspects, and their
implementation pose the risk of mal adaptation to some extent. Using secondary data and data from interviews
with tourism stakeholders in Mombasa, the enhanced Regional Tourism Sustainable Adaptation
Framework guides our assessment of vulnerability and resilience of the destination, as well as identification
of region specific adaptation options for the city within the context of sustainable practice. Based on climate
change perceived impacts, risks and vulnerability various adaptation options are presented and discussed as
provided in literature. The usefulness of the framework in guiding regional tourism destination managers and
policy makers in their pursuit for a regional adaptation options within the tourism sector in order to reduce
destinations vulnerability, increase resilience and take advantage of opportunities presented by climate
change is underscored.