Marketing Adventure Tourism in the Mt. Kenya Region by the Kenya Tourist Board: An Analysis of the Changing Roles of Destination Marketing Organizations
Abstract
The purpose of the study was to investigate methods used by the Kenya Tourist Board (KTB) in marketing adventure tourism in the Mount Kenya area. Random sampling was used to select campsites and campers for interviewing. Purposive sampling was used to select tour operators operating in the study area. The Resource-based theory was used as the theoretical framework and the Communications Life Cycle Model (CLC) as the conceptual framework. The study is significant because it contributes to the marketing of adventure tourism through a case study of adventure camping in one region in Kenya. Few such studies exist in tourism and recreation literature. The results indicate that KTB plays a limited role in marketing adventure tourism. It was observed that the tourist’s journey begins by using social media platforms for tour firms operating in the study area. The implications of the research findings and recommendations for improvement are also discussed.