Tourism in Kenya: A Basic Need for Whom?

This study deals with the problems of mass tourism in Third World countries, focussing mainly on the poor section of the population. After careful evaluation of the existing specialized literature, the author examines the issue taking as an example the development of tourism in Kenya in general and in the town of Malindi in particular. It is found that a very small portion of the population is affected by the package-tour industry and largely in a negative way. The author shows that by encouraging different kinds of tourism, the existing infrastructure could be used advantageously, and the effects on the socio-cultural fabric of the local population would be less negative than with the foreign-controlled tourist industry at present.