The Mara National Reserve has experienced major
increases in visitor numbers over recent years, primarily as a
result of the growing numbers of tourists visiting Kenya, coupled
with growing international recognition of the Reserve as one of the
world’s finest wildlife destinations, and the rapid
development of tourist accommodation facilities in the wider
ecosystem. On the positive side, these visitors generate
significant revenue through their entrance and bednight fees that
support MMNR management operations, county council development
projects, and benefit sharing with communities living around the
area. However, at the same time, the rapidly escalating visitor use
and tourism accommodation development both in and around the MMNR
is now impacting on the quality of the area’s tourism
product, in particular by undermining the wilderness qualities and
exceptional wildlife that attract visitors to the Reserve in the
first place.
One of the greatest challenges facing the MMNR is
the management of these high numbers of visitors in order to
develop and maintain a world-beating tourism product in the MMNR
and secure the sustained flow of benefits accruing from the area,
while also ensuring that visitor use does not place excessive
pressure on the MMNR’s sensitive ecology and wildlife.
Current trends in increased demand for the Mara tourism product
appear set to continue over the years ahead, and strategic,
proactive, and prioritised management actions are now needed more
than ever to ensure that the benefits of tourism to the
area’s financial sustainability and conservation are
maximised, and that the Mara tourism brand is not undermined by
overuse. In response to these, and other emerging tourism
management issues, this programme sets out a comprehensive set of
objectives to be achieved and actions to be implemented, which when
taken together and coupled with the Zonation and Visitor Use
Scheme, will achieve the overall programme's
purpose.
There have been major increases in visitor numbers
to the MMNR over recent years, primarily as a result of the growing
international recognition of the area as one of the world’s
finest wildlife destinations. One of the greatest challenges now
facing the Reserve is the management of these high numbers of
visitors in order to maintain the area’s world-class tourism
product and secure the economic benefits the area provides, while
also ensuring that visitor use does not undermine the area’s
exceptional biodiversity. Current trends in high visitor demand for
the MMNR appear set to continue, and concerted management action is
now needed to ensure that the benefits of tourism to the
area’s financial sustainability and conservation are
optimised, and that the Mara tourism brand is not undermined by
overuse; this is the primary function of the Tourism Management
Programme
This aim aligns with that of the Zonation and
Visitor Use Scheme, and the programme includes a number of
management actions to implement important aspects of this scheme.
For example, through improvements to the
area’s visitor attractions, amenities and
infrastructure, the programme’s first objective aims to
enhance the tourism product on offer in the High Use and Mara River
Zones, while also reducing the environmental impacts of intense
visitor use in these areas. The objective includes actions for the
development of specific visitor attractions and an MMNR Visitor
Interpretation Centre, as well as improving the area’s game
viewing track and road network, with the overall aim of improving
visitor use patterns and minimising overcrowding and congestion
throughout the area.
In contrast, but also closely associated with the
zonation scheme, the next objective aims to improve
the regulation of visitor activities across the
entire MMNR, with the aim of improving the quality of the visitor
experience while reducing the environmental impacts from visitor
use. This will be achieved by clarifying and disseminating visitor
regulations, establishing dedicated tourism staff in the CCN
section of the Reserve, and measures to improve management of
migration river crossings, which come under intense visitor
pressure at key times of year. Of particular relevance to the
implementation of the zonation scheme are actions to implement the
off-road driving scheme in the Low Use Zone, and to raise awareness
of the scheme’s prescriptions on the operations of
sightseeing balloons in or over the MMNR.
The programme’s third objective shifts the
focus of management attention to issues relating to the standards
of visitor accommodation facilities. This objective
includes actions to support the rationalisation of the number and
management of special campsites in the area (as set out in the
Visitor Use & Zonation Scheme) through the establishment of a
centralised booking system for all special campsites, to initiate
tendering procedures for new accommodation facilities, and to
ensure all facilities are complying with national environmental
legislation and best practice, and are thereby having the minimal
impact on the area’s environment.
The final tourism objective addresses the
improvements in tourism management systems needed
to address escalating tourism management challenges over the years
ahead, and to support the successful implementation of the Visitor
Use & Zonation Scheme, and in particular the new complexities
to area management that this scheme implies. Actions are included
to improve ticketing and revenue collection systems throughout the
area, which will be particularly important for the implementation
of the dual tourism model, and to improve communication and
collaboration with tourism industry stakeholders, whose support and
collaboration on a variety of issues set out in this programme and
the zonation scheme remain vital for plan
success.
