Another ride that scares the animals is the hot air balloon rides. If the balloons go too low the animals are scared and may move from their normal terrain to get away from the hot air balloons. I recommend that there are fewer hot air balloons and there are height restrictions as to how low they can go. Sustainability is a major key that I think the tour companies need to think about and remember when creating packages for holiday tourist makers, because if the holidays are not sustainable the tour companies will have to create new ones, more frequently.
The tour companies should employ local people to work for them in Kenya as this will help keep them happy and have a job. It will also make the local community more interested in the running of the tourism business. To keep Kenyan tourism sustainable I recommend that local people are included in the work, so they have jobs that will give them money and able to live more comfortably and be happy. The hotels the tourists stay in would ideally be run be the local people, to keep in with the style of a Kenyan holiday it would be best to employ the people who do live in Kenya.
I think that the food the tour companies provide should mainly be local food, as this pleases the local people as they will be paid to grow food and also the food is grown in Kenya so will be fresh and better than imported food. It might be an idea to share the water supply with the rest of the local community as it may give the tourists a sense of what life in Kenya is really like on the other hand it may be safer to use a separate water line so none of the guests get any diseases which they can then sue the company for. I think it would be wise to try both ideas out. It will be more sustainable in the long run if you do install new pipes, as this will be constant and will not be all used up or dry out like the well may. The energy used to power the hotels and cars would ideally be renewable, the hotels can be powered by solar panels or wind power to ease up on the using non-renewable fuels as they take millions of years to grow and the world uses the fuels much faster than they grow. It will help keep the tourist industry in Kenya sustainable if they invest in one of the new ways to power hotels with renewable energy sources.
The Host Government
The host government sets the rules and regulations and they run all the national parks. The government trains the staff who run the parks and also charge the tour companies and tourists to use their facilities.
“We hope tourism will continue through Kenya, and that many more people get to enjoy the luxury surroundings and see the wonderful wild animals of Kenya. We do not want Kenya to become too overcrowded with tourists though; therefore I think we should set up some rules and regulations.”
I recommend that there is a constant check on how many people are using the facilities at Kenya. Hot air balloon rides and safari trips have been recommend regulations that they should enforce to maintain a safe, sustainable environment for everyone to enjoy. With more checks, they will need to employ more staff; it is best that they employ the local people as staff as this will create jobs and also avoid loosing money via leakage to other countries. To protect the environment, rules need to be set as to where and when tourists are allowed to go if any progress on sustainable tourism in Kenya is to be made. To support local businesses, you need to make sure that you use local food and local people to supply the tourist companies with what they need (food and staff.) Also by tourists buying souvenirs from the local people this then again creates jobs, money and stops leakage, it is sustainable.
Try and talk to the tour operators, and point out the good points and the bad points of certain issues, and how using local people would be to everyone’s advantage. Encourage the local community to express an interest in the tourism, and think positively about tourism.
Tourists
If tourists want to be able to revisit places then they must follow a code of conduct to keep Kenya’s tourism sustainable. They must remember how to behave.
Buying souvenirs from local community workers as this will keep them happy as they have a job, work and money and it also enables the money to stay in Kenya and not leak out to other foreign countries via tourist companies importing souvenirs and then selling them. I recommend that you buy souvenirs from local people as it is helping them and also you will have a souvenir that did actually come from Kenya and not from China, or Japan. It will assist sustainable development and it is important because it involves the local people and keeps the environment safe.
What you wear is also important as you do not want to offend the local community, this means not wearing too revelling clothes and checking before you go on holiday what is allowed to be worn. Simple things like these help the community to respect you and not treat you as a tourist, even though you are!
Do not drop litter as it harms the environment and also it makes a mess that the local people have to clear up. Animals get killed everyday by people dropping litter, as they can cut themselves on so many things for example a coke can has sharp parts. Some small animals climb inside bottles and then can not get out and so they starve. Just because people can not be bothered to put their rubbish into the bin. I recommend that if you want to keep the animals there for you to see then put your rubbish in the bin or if there is not one wait, keep it in your pocket and put it in the bin when you get back to your hotel. In doing this it will keep the environment sustainable for others to enjoy.
Make sure you respect the local community after all this is their home that you are intruding in. Remember to think about how you dress and behave towards yourself, others, and the environment. It is important to behave appropriately so the environment is kept sustainable and the people happy. For example if you see flowers do not pick them, they are not food for other animals, and other people would like to have a chance to see them.
Conclusion
In conclusion I think that it is best for the tourist companies and the host government to try and involve the local people as much as possible. By using local people for staff, food suppliers and souvenir sellers, the country is ensuring that as much money is made and stays in the country instead of being lost through leakage. This would be sustainable tourism as the environment and people are being treated with respect and will be there in the future.