Tourism Merchandise in Kenya and Their Economic Contribution

RESEARCH TOPIC

TOURISM MERCHANDISE IN KENYA AND THEIR ECONOMIC CONTRIBUTION

SUBMITTED BY:

NAME: CHARLES ODHIAMBO OTIENO

REG: C78/38249/2011

COLLEGE: HUMANITY AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

FACULTY: ARTS

SUBMITTED TO

LECTURER MAGAYU

BEING A RESEARCH PROJECT IN PATIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF BACHELOR’S DEGREE IN TRAVEL AND TOURISM MANAGEMENT OF UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI IN COLLABORATION WITH THE KENYA UTALII COLLEGE.

DECLARATION

I Otieno Charles Odhiambo, do hereby declare that this research project is my own composition and where the works of other persons have been used or referred to, such sources have been duly acknowledged.

DEDICATION

This work is dedicated to the almighty God for his mercy, guidance and protection, for seeing me through this programme, most successfully and Kayli Stollak and the R.E.A.D Organization for fully sponsoring my course.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

My special thanks go to the almighty God, who in his infinite mercy gave me the grace, strength, health, endurance and foresight to undertake this project and complete it to the satisfaction of the University of Nairobi in collaboration with the Kenya Utalii College.

I wish to acknowledge most especially, the contribution of Ms.Magayu,my research project supervisor at the University of Nairobi for her guidance and critique, which added substance to the work.

My hearty appreciation goes to KayliStollak and the R.E.A.D. Organization for fully sponsoring my undergraduate studies.

I highly appreciate the unwavering support and the belief that Susan OwuorNjuguna and Elroi Hope Centre had in me.

Also, I extend my appreciation to the University of Nairobi and Kenya Utalii College’s Library staff, for assisting me with the relevant materials to aid me in my research project.

Finally, I thank all those who in one way or the other, have contributed to the successful completion of this work, I say may God bless, Amen.

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ABSTRACT

This project is primarily concerned with the poor economic growth of most of the tourists merchandise sellers.

I noted there was a consensus variation among the authors on the matter as mentioned above.

The study employed drafted interview questions and the use of secondary data as the major instrument for gathering information.

The data gathered wasanalysed based on frequency distribution of respondent answers and shown in contingency tables.

Based on the major findings from the analysis of data, conclusions were drawn and recommendations made.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Contents Page

DECLARATION…………………………………………………………………………i

DEDICATION……………………………………………………………………………ii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT………………………………………………………………..iii

ABSTRACT………………………………………………………………………………iv

CHAPTER 1 : INTRODUCTION…………………………………………..…………...1

1.1BACKGROUNG INFORMATION………………………………………………..1

1.2PROBLEM STATEMENT………………………………………………………….2

1.3RESEARCH QUESTIONS………………………………………………………...3

1.4RESEARCH OBJECTIVES………………………………………………………..4

1.5SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY………………………………………………...4

1.6JUSTIFICATION OF THE STUDY………………………………………………..4

1.7SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY…………………………………..5

1.8DEFINITION OF TERMS………………………………………………………….5

CHAPTER 2 : LITERATURE REVIEW…………………………………………………7

2.1 INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………….7

2.2 LITERATURE REVIEW…………………………………………………….…….7

CHAPTER 3 : RESEARCH METHODOLOGY…………………………...………...…18

3.1 INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………….18

3.2 RESEARCH DESIGN………………………………………………………….…..18

3.3 STUDY AREA……………………………………………………………………..18

3.4 TARGET POPULATION………………………………………………………….19

3.5 SAMPLING TECHNIQUES AND SAMPLING SIZE………………….…..…..19

3.6 DATA TYPE AND SOURCE………………………………………………..…..19

3.7 RESEARCH INSTRUMENTS…………………………………………………..20

3.8 DATA COLLECTION…………………………………………………………..20

3.9 DATA ANALYSIS AND PRESENTATION…………………………………...20

3.10 ETHICAL ISSUES IN THE STUDY…………………………………..………20

CHAPTER 4 : DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS………………………...21

4.1 INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………….21

4.2 DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS………………………………...…21

4.3 DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS…………………………………………………..27

CHAPTER 5 : SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS…...…30

5.1 INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………30

5.2 SUMMARY……………………………………………………………………..31

5.3 RECOMMENDATIOS………………………………………………………….31

BIBLIOGRAPHY……………………………………………………………………..33

APPENDICES…………………………………………………………………………35

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Kenya prides herself as being one of the most attractive destinations in the world, more so in Africa. Not only is she the home of the big five, the great annual wild beast migration and rich cultured communities especially the conservative Maasai,white sandy beaches, but also the gateway to authentic experience in Africa.Moreso,being strategically located on the east coast of Africa connecting the east and the west.

Though culture cannot be touched-only experienced, tourists have found a way to touch our culture and take it home with them inform of merchandise. The merchandise (curio and crafts) packages culture making it touchable-a real pleasure to the tourists.

The merchandise (curio and crafts) being sold by tourists were produced long before the coming of Europeans in Kenya. Curio business began even before mass international tourism set roots in Kenya in the late 1960s.During this time, curio and crafts were ornaments and props that were associated with traditional rulers especially kings and warriors. Over the years each design in art work had an intrinsic value and its own meaning. Kings swathed themselves in vast accumulation of status and symbol; feather hats, mesh of cowry shells,ardonment on feet,head,arms and neck made indomitable and inscrutable power.

However, with the coming of whites, the Kenyan traditional taste began to fade. Rituals were dying out, kings lost their powers and carvers and curio makers were dying out. African tradition was on its deathbed. “We are in the death of all that is best for African art.”(William Fagg).The traditional arts and crafts were considered outdated.

Today, however, we accept the forms that were once considered outlandish. The shifting and changing of curio and craft making is a characteristic of more isolated and protected society as it is our own. However, accumulation speed does vary.

Curio makers and sellers may not be the off springs of tradition. New curio makers have emerged who incorporate tradition into contemporary imagery that engenders as much vitality, emotion and power as traditional forms did. These curio and crafts stand out due to their lack of detail and design-quite indigenous.

Kenya`s curio industry is responding to these new influence as new clients are created, new functions and need emerge and new forms are born. Many Kenyans involving themselves in this business have little to show to their economic growth.

PROBLEM STATEMENT

Tourism has been labelled the economic driver of the 21st century due to its multiplier effect of tourist spending and the linkage of this industry to other industries.(Saayan and Saayan,2008a).Residents can benefit from tourism either through direct involvement in the industry, such as restaurant and guide services or indirect involvement such as manufacture and sales of craft products, the staging of cultural performances an food production for tourists needs(Mason,2003).

This had made many Kenyans to engage in the curio business so as to earn a living and be self employed as a remedy of the low level of formal employment in the country. Most of them enter the business with the hope of accumulating enough wealth from their sales and

Socio-economic interaction with tourists. However, this is not the case. Many of the curio

sellers still leave beyond the poverty line or have little to show on their sales` profits.

Numerous researches conducted in the past as to why this is so having vaguely or totally failed to answer the problem.

Unless the reasons for the poor economic growth of curio sellers are established and addressed, the sellers will continue to make poor sales and less profit. However, if the reasons are established and addressed, the economic status of the curio sellers will improve, tourism earnings will increase and the economy of Kenya will grow further.

Therefore, the aim of this research is to establish the reason behind the poor economic status of most of the curio sellers by opposing past notions through valid reasoning, proposing own findings and submitting evidence to that effect.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

What types of merchandise do tourists buy?

Why do tourists buy this merchandise?

Why are people involving themselves in the tourists’ merchandise business?

How does tourists merchandise contribute to the economic growth of their sellers?

How does the merchandise contribute to tourism in Kenya?

Is there other merchandise that can be sold to tourists?

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

GENERAL OBJECTIVE

To identify the types of merchandise that tourists buy and their economic contribution to Kenya.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

To identify the types of merchandise that tourists buy

To establish the reasons why tourists buy this merchandise

To establish the reasons why people involve themselves in the tourists’ merchandise business

To establish the economic contribution of tourists merchandise to the merchandise sellers

To analyse the contribution of these merchandise towards tourism in Kenya

To identify other merchandise that can be sold to tourists

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

Merchandise bought by tourists can be seen as a means of improving social welfare like improvement in infrastructure, living standards, reducing unemployment rates, boosting tourism in Kenya, growing Kenya’s economy and many more hence it should be a key investment point.

JUSTIFICATION OF THE STUDY

This study is important because it will help curio and craft sellers, county governments, national government, the tourism industry and learning institutions in Kenya approach the

curio and craft business with accurate information based on the findings and proposal of this research.The research seeks to boost the economic performance of the curio and craft sellers and increase and bring new information on the curio and craft industry.

SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

Due to the busy schedule kept by most tourists, limited resources, and remoteness where some of the merchandise is sold administering questionnaires somehow was next to impossible.
Due limited publication on the research topic, literature review was a challenge. Internet was used for literature reference.
Those involved in the curio and craft business are very many. To overcome this limitation, the research selected a sample to represent the whole population.
Due to the limited time given to the researcher, the research was done under a strict time to finish the study in time.

DEFINATION OF TERMS

Carving:an object or a pattern made by cutting away material from wood or stone.

Craft:an activity involving a special skill at making things with your hand.

Curio: a rare or an unusual object.

Marketing: the activity of presenting, advertising and selling a company’s products in the best possible way.

Merchandise: goods that are bought or sold.

Note: in this study, the researcher will use merchandise to refer to curios.

Tourism:the business activity connected with providing accommodation, services and entertainment to people who are visiting a place for pleasure.

Tourist: a person who is travelling or visiting a place for pleasure.

Vendor: a person who sells things, usually outside on the street.

Wrapper (Shuka):a pieces of clothing that is worn as an item of clothing around the waist and legs.

Reference:

Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries

CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

INTRODUCTION

Derivation of this research was further cemented through the literary works of various authors and researchers both locally and internationally. These included professionals in this field, accounts of first-hand participants or past conducted researches.

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

Canyon Road Art Report elaborates that starting with the arrival of the railroad in 1880, Pueblo and Navajo artisans collaborated with non-Indian dealers to invent artifacts that had no purpose but to satisfy the demand for Indian goods. From its inception, the curio trade comprised cottage industries, retail spaces, and a vast mail-order trade, and objects were sold by the thousands. Early in the 20th century businessmen in Denver invented ‘Indian style’ jewelry, made with the aid of machinery. In the 1920s machine-assisted jewelry production spread to Albuquerque and Santa Fe, and hundreds of young Native American men moved to the cities to work in the curio shops. Observing a jeweler at work and obtaining a piece of Indian jewelry became an integral part of the touristic experience in New Mexico.The experience, however, was not without controversy. Production methods in the shops threatened native traditions and economies, affected the teaching of silversmithing in the Indian schools, and eventually led to federal scrutiny of and control over shop-made

jewelry.Nevertheless, many young men who learned silversmithing in curio shops had successful and celebrated careers as jewelers following World War II. Among the artists included in the exhibition are Mark Chee, Ambrose Roanhorse, David Taliman, and Manuel Naranjo.The rich, complex, and controversial story of the curio trade in New Mexico is told here for the first time.” (Canyon Road Arts ).

The article continue to assert; “It is not only a story about artifacts, but also of personalities, innovations, perseverance, and ultimately the survival of traditions.”

“Founded in 1937, the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian offers changing exhibitions of contemporary and historic Native American art with an emphasis on the Southwest. Exhibitions feature works by established and emerging Native American artists and photographers.” (Canyon Road Arts )

According to Web Reef Advisory System, people enjoy collecting shells, coral and other marine souvenirs because of their unique beauty and curiosity. While a fascination with coral reefs should be encouraged, people are often unaware of the large quantity of animals that are removed from reefs for curios and the harm being done to these precious ecosystems.

The article continues to elaborate that during the 1980s and early 1990s, dried corals sold as curios accounted for more than 90% of the international trade in corals. In 1992, 4.4 million colonies were exported from the Philippines alone (USCRTF 2000). The jewelry trade often targets a relatively small number of coral species, but these corals are often rare, slow-growing and long-lived (USCRTF 2000). The collection of these coral species is considered to be at unsustainable levels in most areas.

In many of the countries that export reef animals for the curio trade, including the

Philippines, Mozambique, Fiji, Taiwan, and New Caledonia, there is a general lack of resources to manage the trade and a lack of information to determine what level of collection may be sustainable without harming the reef. Other species besides corals that are collected for the curio trade include conch, cowries, tritons, other snails, starfish, seahorses, fishes, sea fans, sea whips, sponges, sand dollars, and sea urchins. Little data is available on the volume and extent of the trade in these species (USCRTF 2000). Reefs may be able to withstand a small amount of curio trade, but coral reefs are undergoing a broad array of stresses that are reducing their health and ability to withstand collection pressures. ( Web Reef Advisory System).

The curio and craft industry involves skills which are either acquired at tender age or through training in institutions. Some of the curio and craft trace their skills from childhood tried making some carvings when I was young. I cannot forget the Maasai Moran when I was very young. Said Mogaka Business Daily (Friday 28th march 2014) .Some, however, learn carvings through observations or training however such training institutions are limited. There are a few institutions dedicated to training people in crafting techniques skills. Most skills training occur either formally or informally or through short course or workshops by a range of organization and individuals.(The southern African Industry Report November 1998)

The Southern Africa Craft Industry Report (1998) asserts, the growing of those finding employment in the formal sector is also having a significant effect on the competitiveness of the craft sector. This has resulted to more people looking to the craft sectors for the opportunities to earn a living. Business Daily Friday 28th march 2014 concurs with this,

“today he (David Mwaura) is the owner of curio shops and employees over 100 workers.

The high involvement of several people in their craft and curio sector has created high competition in the sector. The Southern African Craft industry Report (1998) concurs with this, craft sector is characterized by high levels of competitions. Global competition has been intensified substantially since 1995.due to changes in trade and tariff conditions and decreasing ability of the formal sector to provide jobs. It further reports, there has also been increased competitions in the “Gift” market from food processing and cosmetic based business that have started retailing gift packs through outlets which traditionally sold craft products. All these factors have resulted in highly competitive market.

The curio industry promotes the African heritage which is quit unique inauthentic, Business Daily Friday 28th march, 2014 asserts, Mr. Ports Mogaka who is a painter uses his skills to promote the African heritage through paintings and sculptures, “the drawing are mainly inspired by African culture and Kenyan politics although some clients also come to their specific subjects that they would like painted on the carvings.” Curio King concurs with the esthetics of the African culture and its authenticity. It advices watch out for china made, African-looking crafts. They are everywhere and you have to know the difference between African crafts and imitations. One clue would be to look around and if you see predictable item by the dozens, they maybe from China.On state involvement, Mahoney Dilon(2003)argues when state policy is not conductive to theformalization, legislation and development of small scale traders,ICT.can heighten social insecurity and economic precariousness, among these business people. Because of the responsibility to manage risk has been abandoned by the Kenyan state and left to individual

citizens and informal and social networks. The story of digital divides among my research participants became one of ups and downs, repeated connection and disconnections, and intense competition. Business daily Friday March 28th 2014,agress with Mahoney on state un and participations of associations in promoting the sector, it writes earlier this year, the lake Victoria Tourism Association embarked on a program to market the town. Through a series of event organized to promote the regions of cultural diversity and unique natural sites. The South African Craft Industry Report, however seems to slightly disagree with Mahoney business open and close to such an extent that publicity associations claim they are unable to keep current records to promote the industry (curio and craft) to tourist,” he argues it is not the ignorant of the government and publicity association to ineffectively market the industry. However, Mr. Mwaura urged the government to market local artifacts through exhibitions. (Business Daily Friday March 28th 2014)