Contributions and Challenges of Civil Society Organizations in Tourism in Kenya

The purpose of this chapter is to present survey findings on the important contributions by civil society groups and organizations involved in tourism in Kenya. This seeks to make them more understood and make a case for their involvement in efforts towards revival of tourism post COVID-19. The research objectives are to investigate contributions of these groups to tourism in Kenya as well as investigate challenges they face. The methodology used is largely qualitative whereby a survey of key informants was carried out. This allowed the researcher to be familiarized with the issues at hand. A semi-structured interview guide was developed that was pretested with four key informants. Key informants included a wide variety of stakeholders in tourism including tour guides, small restaurants owners, travel agency owners, farmers, local chiefs, women, and youth groups. Findings show the contributions of these groups including provisions of unique experiences for tourists as well as challenges experienced including poor road network. The conclusion shows that even as government and other stakeholders engage them post COVID-19, they need to pay attention to their challenges and support them so that they can make greater contributions in the sector.