Integrating Tourism with Rural Development Strategies in Western Kenya

Abstract

Tourism being one of the most intriguing sustainable development themes has become popular economic development tool in many countries today. Tourism related activities are widely regarded as key-tools for rural development, especially in developing countries. Villages are today some of the places, attracting the attention of tourism planners more than ever before. Those villages with specific natural or social-cultural appeal have strong potential for attracting tourists from close or far off areas and this can have significant role in rural development if well planned and integrated. This research sought to find out ways through which tourism can be integrated with rural development strategies in Western Kenya and what the resultant benefits of the integration could be in the long run to the local communities studied. Qualitative method was used to collect and analyze data for the study. In particular, three focus group discussions consisting of 27 key stakeholders (9 individuals in hospitality and tourism enterprises in the region, 9 individuals from community based organizations (CBOs), and 9 participants from Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) concerned with rural development in Western Kenya) were conducted. The study identified several integration approaches that can be adopted in rural development through tourism.