Kenya plans to limit tourist numbers during ‘high season’

The Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife in Kenya plans to cap the number of visitors to their national parks, in order to curb ‘high season’ overcrowding.

Overcrowding ‘can impact wildlife’ in Kenya

The Kenyan Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife wants to implement a number of interventions in a bid to control high season overcrowding in their national parks. Some of these interventions will include reducing the number of visitors as well as increasing park fees.

According to Tourism Update, the Ministry faces growing concerns about how the overcrowding of safari vehicles and tourists in game parks and reserves may impact the country’s wildlife, especially during the great migration.

A new policy paper published by the ministry highlights that a monthly limit will be set for the carrying capacity of priority parks during peak season. According to Business Daily, high-traffic parks and reserves, including Masai Mara, Amboseli, and Nairobi National Park, will not be able to accommodate more than 32 000, 13 000, and 10 000 visitors per month, respectively. 

A spokesperson for the Ministry said that the cap will work well towards limiting numbers, while at the same time, not affect revenue.

“Capping volumes of visitors in priority parks could reduce the overall number of visitors but shouldn’t negatively impact overall revenues if combined with a seasonal increase in prices,’’ the spokesperson claimed.

Increasing park fees

The Ministry also plans on increasing park entry fees for the high season. According to Africa News Agency, during the high season (running from June to October), costs to enter the parks will rise for both residents and non-residents by between two to six times the normal rate in the Masai Mara, and by 30% to 150% in Amboseli and Nairobi Park respectively. 

Another intervention that Kenya plans to implement, is the use of a digital payment and online ticketing system to help restrict the number of tourists to an acceptable level. The system will create tickets that contain info such as ticket date validity and a cost breakdown that details all of the prices, including the portions of those fees that are designated for park development and conservation.

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