PERCEIVED EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON TOURISM DEVELOPMENT AROUND LAKE NAKURU NATIONAL PARK, KENYA.
Abstract
Climate change is an environmental challenge facing the world today. This is one
of the most serious threats to the society, economy and environment and has lately
become an international agenda. Climate change has attracted much attention and
participation in the world, especially in Kenya with the emerging effects of climate
change on some of the tourism attractions and destinations. Consequently, African
countries have begun to realize the constant uncertainties of agricultural exports
due to climate change and developmental pressures and have so far shifted their
focus to tourism as a new source of economic growth. Tourism plays a major role
in boosting the economies of most developing countries in Africa including Kenya.
However, climate change is increasingly becoming evident in Kenya, negatively
impacting the tourism industry. This is mainly through incidences of rapid changes
in rainfall patterns, floods, storms, rising temperatures, human activities and
drought. Thus, this affects the tourism industry as well as the communities
depending upon it. In this regard, the study investigated perceived effects of
climate change on tourism development in Kenya. Further, it identified ways such
as promotion of climate friendly and climate proof holiday alternatives so as to
adopt tourism development to climate change effects. The study aimed at
accomplishing three specific objectives namely; to determine the perceived effects
of rapid changes in rainfall patterns on tourism development in Lake Nakuru
National Park; To asses the perceived effects of rising temperatures on tourism
development in Lake Nakuru National Park and; To analyze if human activities
affects tourism development in Lake Nakuru National Park. The study adopted
descriptive research design. The local community members living adjacent to
LNNP and the employees of LNNP were targeted for data collection. The local
community comprised of about 8,000 while the LNNP employees were 200 drawn
from various departments. A total of 257 respondents were involved in the study
using stratified and simple random sampling techniques. Questionnaires were
administered to the local community members living adjacent to LNNP and the
employees of LNNP. Secondary sources of data specifically internet, books and
journals were used. Primary data that was collected tabulated and analyzed using
Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Presentation of research outcome
was done in form of descriptive statistics such as percentages, frequencies, means
and tables while inferential statistics such as chi-square and multiple regression
were utilized. The research findings indicated that rapid changes in rainfall
patterns, incidences of rising temperatures and human activities negatively affects
tourism development as indicated by means of 3.575, 3.605 and 4.22 respectively.
In addition, a high ANOVA value of 53.88 was significant. This is also enhanced
by the model fit which gives 68.0% implying for every percentage increase in
climate change, it explains 68.0% of tourism development in LNNP. The study
recommends promotion of a variety of outdoor and indoor tourism products that
avoid the vulgarities of weather, use of renewable energy resources, promotion of
low-carbon technologies and initiating adoption strategies to curb negative climate
change effects on tourism development.
