ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the viability of tourism as a development strategy for sub-Saharan Africa. Developing tourism as a tool of African development presumes that there is conscious choice and selection of tourism in order to yield defined optimal results. African countries assiduously cultivate tourists from developed countries so that they can obtain hard currency required for development. Conventional tourism absorbs large investments to develop infrastructure. Tourism is dependent on political stability, perceptions of personal safety, security and health. In Kenya, tourism statistics are based on tourism regions which are not related to any of the planning units of the country. In Africa in general only a few countries have attempted tourism planning including Tunisia and Uganda. Kenya is beginning to formulate a tourism master-plan as is Tanzania. Lack of tourism planning leads to serious environmental and socio-cultural problems and a deterioration of the tourism product.
