Influence of Cultural Festivals and Custom Artifacts on Tourism Development in Baringo County, Kenya
Abstract
Culture and tourism have a mutually beneficial relationship which can strengthen the attractiveness and competitiveness of regions and countries. In Kenya, Baringo is a melting pot of cultures and the many communities including the Pokot, Ilchamus, Tugen and a host of other Kenyan communities makes them ideal definition of social and cultural diversity. Although Baringo is known for cultural diversity, there is generally a danger of cultural tourism studies being product-based rather than market-based in the perspective of assessing tourism development. The study sought to establish the influence of cultural festivals and customs & artefacts on tourism development in Baringo County. Exploratory research design utilizing mixed method that is both qualitative and quantitative methods was used. The target unit of analysis was the 7 resort managers, 3 county government officials, 399 Community members and 395 tourists. The sample size used was 804 respondents. Data was collected by administration of questionnaires and interview guide. Data was analyzed using content analysis, descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings indicated that cultural festival was positively and significant related to tourism development (r=0.228, p=0.00). Result also indicated that customs & artefacts was positively and significant related to tourism development (r=0.223, p=0.00). The study recommended that cultural festivals should be prioritized in the tourism sector, so that it can boost tourism as well as conserving the culture. Customs & artefacts should be profiled and documented for easy access by the tourists.
Keywords: Cultural festivals, Customs &artefacts, Tourism development, Culture and Baringo County
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