Let's put selfie sticks, smartphones to good use and save tourism

In April, Kenya will hold an event to burn ivory netted from poachers and dealers at various entry points.

The event will bring together Government officials, wildlife activists, Hollywood stars and other global celebrities to send the message to the world that poaching is robbing us of our elephants and rhinos. These animals could be extinct by 2050 if the illicit trade is not stopped.

But few Kenyans, whose country hosts some of the world’s most enviable wildlife, will resonate with this message. We ride on the perception that wildlife tourism is not for us, but for those outside our borders.

Amboseli National Park, for instance, is a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Nairobi’s central business district. A charter flight reduces this to 30 minutes. The park is populated by majestic elephants, playful zebras, short-tempered buffaloes, unpredictable baboons and sneaky monkeys. But visit the park and you will hardly come across any African tourists enjoying this display.

Sad reality

The entry fee is Sh1,000 for adults, and Sh200 for children. Going by the spending power of the country’s middle class, this is less than 1 per cent of what the typical individual in this famed asset group would spend on a weekend, or even night, out.

If dinosaurs existed, would you rather not see one with your own eyes than through the imagination of a movie script writer, producer or director? Yet this is the future that awaits Kenyans. The country’s elephant population, for instance, has dropped from 140,000 to just 15,000.

It is a sad reality that 35 years from now, there will be no elephants left in the country because some Kenyans are giving poachers leads on how to kill the few animals left, in exchange for a small amount of money.

The Tourism ministry is working to develop new products that will draw in more tourists, and build capacity to satisfy the needs of today’s adventurers. The intention is to regain, and surpass, the number of tourists last seen in 2011 and the Sh97.8 billion raked in.

It is not going to be an easy task and it will not happen overnight, but Kenya’s second-highest foreign exchange revenue earner will certainly not recover without our collective input.

Wildlife and beach tourism are Kenya’s top attractions, but in the last two years, because of dwindling visitor arrivals, more than 30,000 Kenyans have lost their source of livelihood.

So let us put our selfie sticks and smartphones to national good, save a little and go on safari. Let us use our social media platforms to market our attractions and get the world to see Kenya for the top destination it is. Let’s face it, the industry needs us.