STTA and University of Brighton partnered to support sustainability and resilience of tourism MSMEs in Kenya in the wake of the significant impacts of covid-19 pandemic on travel and tourism. The partnership builds capacity of tourism MSMEs in Kenya, under the membership of Tour Operators Society of Kenya (TOSK), to adapt to changing situations while supporting creation of sustainable tourism value chains that favor progressive MSMEs growth. Together, STTA and the University of Brighton have been holding sustainable tourism webinars, carrying out research and sourcing for funding for the benefit of tourism MSMEs in Kenya.
Focusing on the future of tourism, Sustainable Tourism Dialogues in Africa is inclusive of experienced and emerging researchers, as well as incorporating local stakeholders in the tourism industry: architects, tourism operators, sustainable tourism lobbyists, policy makers, archaeologists, and geographers. The editors are frontline sustainable tourism advocates in Africa, and the book’s thematic content is derived from 30 inter-university seminars on sustainable tourism hosted by Sustainable Travel & Tourism Agenda Kenya from 2017 to November 2019. These seminars involved the participation of 17 universities in Kenya, tourism operators, conservationists, developmentalists, investors, policy makers, and students.
Every chapter is a voice projecting aspirations for the responsible management of tourism in Africa and promoting the ideals of sustainable tourism that young people in Africa advocate for the industry’s future. In so doing, the authors pinpoint the necessary actions for bringing about transformations in sustainable development of tourism. The book thus seeks to encourage debate, while facilitating the development of both theoretical and practical foundations for managing tourism sustainably in Africa.
Judy Kepher Gona, STTA, Kenya; Lucy Atieno, STTA, Kenya