Hustlers, Equity Bank and why we must disrupt tourism

The tourism industry is yet to be disrupted the way Equity Bank disrupted the banking industry in Kenya.

The sector still targets high-end tourists, the jet-set group; it excludes hustlers.

It is at the Coast where this neglect largely plays out. Beach hotels, by their design and pricing, keep out hustlers who are likely to be seen walking along the beach or selling their wares. A few entrepreneurs make money by offering camel rides.

There are very few hotels for the average hustler by the beach. Why can’t someone just build dormitories for those who want to keep costs at a minimum but still enjoy the hospitality of the coastal region?  

As things stand now, visiting beaches is a rarity for hustlers. Outside of school trips, many hustlers might never see the sea waves breaking, or experience the sea breeze and the high humidity.  

It is not just along the Coast where hustlers are left behind. National parks also keep hustlers out, despite their low charges.

The biggest problem is that you need a big car, a four-wheel drive if possible, to drive around national parks where tarmacked roads are rare. The Kenya Wildlife Service once tried to get around this problem by offering bus rides. Those didn’t do very well.

To bring tourism to hustlers, you must change their mindset. They must view tourism, the admiration of nature, as a worthy cause – one better than staying in the house or sipping alcohol with friends.

Pressing issues

But to be fair to hustlers, they have more pressing issues than seeing an elephant or a warthog – affording food and shelter might be their priority. We can be realistic and argue that as long as most hustlers are at Maslow’s lowest level in the hierarchy of needs, tourism will not be their priority. 

But beyond improving hustlers’ economic status, we should get them interested in their environment early, and one way to do this is by including more on tourism in the curriculum.

We were told in primary school that tourism brings in lots foreign exchange – we were never told we could be tourists ourselves!

We could disrupt tourism by not equating it to beaches and national parks.

Every county and hamlet can have tourism attractions. They could be monuments, forests, rivers or even historical houses left behind by wazungu. Identifying and developing such sites should be the work of counties hungry for new revenue streams. 

Once we develop tourism at the grassroots, similar to the way Equity Bank targeted hustlers, more Kenyans will enjoy the country’s beauty; a good distraction from vices and drudgery. Tourism isn’t just for foreigners and rich Kenyans – the same way Equity Bank demystified the bank account. Tourism is one of our economic low-hanging fruits. 
[XN Iraki; [email protected]]