ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the basic characteristics of Kenya's tourism, provides a brief historical account of its development including the management of tourism-led conservation and discusses its role in the economy. It also discusses ways by which Kenya's tourism industry can generate increased foreign exchange earnings and their retention within the country and expanded job opportunities. By inquiring into tourism's role in the Kenyan economy it is expected to focus on tourism's contribution to foreign exchange earnings and other government revenues, and employment generation. The chapter suggests that Kenya has a large variety of tourist attractions. Statistics on various tourism indicators in Kenya are notoriously inaccurate. The statistics presented, however, provide relative indicators of the extent and magnitude of tourism. The country's varied tourism resources could be exploited to the full. In terms of spatial considerations, Kenya has great potential for tourism development in various parts of the country.
