| dc.description.abstract | Kenya's tourism sector has over the years emerged as one the key service sectors of the economy, in terms of its contribution to the national Gross Domestic product (GDP). Similarly, tourism being one of the world's largest service industries has been identified as one of the main engines of growth in a globalised world. Consequently, the rise in multilateral tourism led to the identification of tourism as one of the premier areas of economic activities covered under the
General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS).
GATS intention of liberalising markets through removal of trade barriers, in a bid to attract foreign investment and spur economic growth in service sectors, has led to both positive and negative impacts on these economies. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to investigate the impact of GATS in relation to tourism structures and policies in Kenya and analyse how these relate to the liberalisation of the tourism sector.
The study further aims to understand the role played by tourism in Kenya, in the socio-economic spectrum ofthe country. Using the information gathered through the questionnaire (Appendix I), the study highlights the effects of liberalization of international trade in services in the hotel and tourism sector in Kenya.
Key findings indicate that tourism contributes to the development of infrastructure and environmentally sound technologies, forums have not been created to ensure proper sensitization on GATS resulting to the players in the tourism sector not adequately gaining from the trade liberalization, there has been an increase in foreign investment since the liberalization of tourism.
Several conclusions and recommendations have been drawn in light of the objectives of the study. The study outlines the need to develop the infrastructure to facilitate growth of sustainable tourism which should be linked to the marketing vision and developed from current and future market analysis. | en_US |
