The Socio-Economic Impacts of Slum Tourism

NDUNG’U NJOKI M.

H12/1607/2007

THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF SLUM TOURISM

A CASE STUDY OF KIBERA SLUMS

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the study

In a world of change, one constant in the last quarter of the twentieth century has been the sustained growth of tourism both as an activity and an industry. By mid 1990’s the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC 1996):

Tourism directly and indirectly generates and supports 204 million jobs. This is equivalent to more than 10% of the world’s workforce and is forecast to rise to over 11%global manpower in the next one decade.

Tourism is responsible for over 10% of global gross domestic products GDP a figure that forecast to rise.

Tourism is an increasingly widespread and complex activity which requires sophisticated management to realize its full potential as a positive and sustainable economic environmental, social and cultural force (Wahab 1993). As it demonstrates sustained growth, tourism has been remarkable and its resistance to adverse economic and political conditions. . Inevitably however growth is slowing as the market matures and, as the nature of the tourists and his/her demands changes, the sector needs to be creative in supplying a variety of products to satisfy the consumers.

International organizations support tourism for its contribution to world peace the benefits of the intermingling of peoples and cultures, the economic advantages that can ensure and the fact that tourism is a relatively ‘clean industry ‘. A critical issue for the success for future tourism will be for all involved to demonstrate that the sector is responsible and worthy of acceptance as a global activity. The WTTC has been an influential lobbyist in this regard. As the representative body of the major companies in the tourism sector, it has led to an active campaign to promote the need for the industry to take responsibility for its actions.

There are various...