Tourism

For the last 10-15 years, ecotourism in Laikipia has played a significant supporting role in efforts to conserve wildlife, contribute to the economy, and preserve landscape. Private and community ranches increasingly view tourism as a business tool to increase the value of their land and to generate additional economic and livelihood benefits.

For 10+ years, the LWF provided ecotourism marketing, promotion, and guided community tourism investments using donor funds. With the departure of donor funds, and given the dramatic increase in domestic tourism, Meetings/Incentives/ Conference/Exhibition (MICE) tourism and the growing demand for adventure tourism associated with the landscape, the Laikipia tourism model needed to rethink itself in the context of devolution, employment, business development and growth. In 2015, LWF sponsored the first legislation and public hearings in support of a sustainable tourism in the County.

During the same period, a Task Force of public officials and private sector business contributed to the development of a Sustainable Tourism Master Plan for the County. The Plan calls for passage of supportive tourism legislation, appointment of an inter-departmental body to coordinate tourism issues within the County sectors, formation of a Public-Private Board to steer tourism development in the County, and appointment of the LTA. To date, only the LTA has been adopted and appointed.

Goals

1.) To be recognized as the most diversified, sustainable tourism destination in East Africa.

2.) Adopt global tourism standards that support environment, culture, economic and social benefits.

3.) Establish an association of tourism providers and destination managers that can interface effectively with County and National government and counterpart associations.

4.) Realize the goals and objectives of the Laikipia Tourism Master Plan.

5 Year Objectives

Advocate/lobby on issues impacting sustainable tourism in Laikipia
Represent the industry at national and county government

The Role of the FORUM

The FORUM has been asked to play a secretariat role to the operations of the LTA for the foreseeable future. These services include the normal suite of support services provided by the FORUM when it acts as a secretariat to Laikipia landscape-based partnerships and associations.

Partnerships

The LTA is already a partnership of private sector tourism operators, service providers, destinations, and individuals. We expect this partnership to grow based on the performance of the LTA. The greater Laikipia landscape hosts more than 140 potential subscribers. Key to the success of this public-private partnership will be the engagement of County Government, and regional/national authorities that set the stage for investment and create enabling environments for sustainable tourism business development.

Newsletter Articles

MATCH-MAKING: LTA Linking Job Seekers with Members

Laikipia
August 31, 2022

The Laikipia Tourism Association’s membership has grown significantly over the last two years. We attribute this to our ability to provide our members with concrete benefits in return for their subscriptions. One of the benefits the Laikipia Tourism Association offers to its members is helping members access a skilled labor pool. The Laikipia Tourism Association…

Let’s Go Travel Uniglobe Release Their 2021 Sustainability Report

Laikipia
July 22, 2022

Laikipia Tourism Association members, Lets Go Travel Uniglobe (LGTU), are the leading sustainable travel management company in Kenya and East Africa. Their commitment to sustainable tourism has seen them win multiple awards. These include winning the best tour operator five times for the Eco-Warrior Award, an award that recognizes responsible tourism practices; and Travelife Certified,…

New Membership Geared Towards Increasing Our Tourism Community’s Voice

Laikipia
July 22, 2022

Comfort Gardens Sweetwaters are our newest members. The stunning property is located right at the entrance of the Ol Pejeta conservancy. The resort boasts a serene environment with magnificent views of nature and wildlife, considering its proximity to fellow LTA member Ol Pejeta. In the above pictured castle, you can enjoy games such as…

Drawing Dreams Initiative and the Dreams Youth Expo Second Edition

Laikipia
July 22, 2022

In the sixth issue of Kwetu Laikipia, we featured Drawing Dreams Initiative (DDI). This youth-led community-based organization focuses on menstrual health, hygiene management, sexual reproductive health and rights, and life skills empowerment. Earlier this month, the DDI team held the second edition of the Dreams Youth Expo at the Cedar Mall rooftop. The expo brought together diverse…

Grasses of East Africa; New book That Aims to Help Us Learn about Grass

Laikipia
June 9, 2022

Dr. Dino J Martins is an internationally renowned biologist with vast experience in biodiversity and natural history spanning 25 years. Many in our landscape have become familiar with Dino due to his work at Mpala. He has served as the Director of the Mpala Research Center for seven years, where he has shown leadership in…

Golfing for Conservation; Mugie Conservancy hosts yet another succesful Golf Open

Laikipia
June 9, 2022

Mugie Conservancy combines sustainable conservation, productive rangeland management, community cooperation, responsible tourism, and so much more. The conservancy is home to two of our Laikipia Tourism Association members Governor’s Mugie House and Ekorian’s Mugie Camp. Mugie Conservancy in partnership with Old Africa Magazine recently held its annual Mugie golf open. The tournament drew participants from…

More than nightlife; Moran creating a lasting impact on Laikipians

Laikipia
June 9, 2022

Laikipia Tourism Association (LTA) members Moran Lounge and Grill, offer a unique form of tourism in Laikipia- nightlife tourism. Moran has remained at the top of its game in offering this tourism to residents of our landscape and beyond. The Lounge has, without a doubt, played a part in developing Laikipia’s local economy. They have…

LTA is registered, what next for the growing association?

Laikipia
June 9, 2022

As a follow-up to a story we did in 2021, Breathing New Life into Our Association, our membership has continued to grow over the year. The membership currently stands at 37, 12 more than we had reported at this stage last year. Our membership accommodates tourism service providers within the greater Laikipia landscape. LTA members…

Adventure in the Wild; Savage Wilderness Outdoor Education Program

Laikipia
June 9, 2022

Savage Wilderness coined the idea of an outdoor education program in September 2021 as a way to take kids out of their comfort zones and away from the many distractions in the modern world. This program aims to teach participants skills such as organizing skills, planning, packing, map reading, navigation among others. Alex, the program…

Drawing Dreams Initiative Promoting Gender Equality, Travel with a Cause and Business in our Landscape

Laikipia
June 6, 2022

Grace Wanene wears many crowns, including a former Miss Tourism Kenya back in 2013 and Miss Earth Kenya in 2016. She has also published a poetry and colouring book called Let’s Go Wild. The book was aimed at promoting literacy while also sensitizing children to conservation. However, her most notable work has been with the…

Bridging a gap; LTA members equipped with basic wine knowledge and serving skills

Laikipia
April 14, 2022

Earlier this month, the Tourism Fund treated some of the LTA members’ staff to training on basic wine knowledge.Tourism Fund facilitated the training as part of their service delivery to tourism stakeholders. Tourism Fund came into operation on 1st September 2012. Their mandate is to mobilize resources to finance the development of the tourism industry…

El Karama; Infusing World Class Tourism with Sustainability

Laikipia
April 13, 2022

El Karama Lodge is one of the founder members of our association, and they have remained LTA members consistently over the years. Last month, we visited the lodge briefly and learned about some of their sustainability initiatives and one of their latest projects. For our visit, we were joined by scholars from PASTRES (Pastoralism, Uncertainty,…

Educating the Il Ngwesi Community through Tourism

Laikipia
April 11, 2022

Earlier this year, we were able to experience, firsthand, the remarkable Il Ngwesi Lodge. You can read more about our experience by clicking here. Apart from experiencing their exciting (and diverse offerings), we also learned about Il Ngwesi’s commitment to positively impacting the surrounding community. Il Ngwesi contributes to developing local communities by supporting education,…

Ol Pejeta, The Best Place to See Black Rhinos in East & Central Africa

Laikipia
April 11, 2022

If you want to see big and beautiful black rhinos in the wild, this is a good time to head to Ol Pejeta. The conservancy is home to the largest population of black rhinos in East and Central Africa and 75% of the black rhino population in Kenya. The black rhino (Diceros bicornis) is listed…

The Incredible Benefits of Community-Based Tourism

Laikipia
March 7, 2022

Have you ever wondered how you can travel in a more sustainable way? At Let’s Go Travel, we understand the importance of sustainable tourism for protecting the local culture and providing tourists with a one-of-a-kind travel experience. What is Community-Based Tourism? In community-based tourism (CBT), local residents earn income as land managers, entrepreneurs, service and…

Adventure Tourism and Empowerment the Story of Savage Wilderness

Laikipia
March 7, 2022

Sammy Muturi has worked with Savage Wilderness for six years. He started as a photographer, then a safety kayaker, and has become a multi-activity guide. During his time with us, Sammy trained hard at Kayaking and became one of the Kenya Kayaking Slalom Team; As Sammy progressed so did the team, he is extremely talented…

What You Need to Know About Lion Tracking at Ol Pejeta Conservancy

Laikipia
March 4, 2022

‘Ajali’ is the biggest lion pride at Ol Pejeta Conservancy, with close to 22 members. Other prides here include the Bima, Amanda, Equator, Christine, and Utali groups. To ensure that this vulnerable species continues to thrive, the Conservancy has fitted some of the female lions with GPS/VHF collars. Lionesses are fitted with the collars because…

Tourism Sector’s Cash Relief Program – Measuring the Impact

Laikipia
March 4, 2022

It has been four months since the Laikipia Tourism Association partnered with GiveDirectly in a cash relief program for tourism staff affected by the Covid pandemic. The Laikipia Tourism Association helped to identify 350 individuals from different tourism facilities in the greater Laikipia landscape to benefit from the program. These beneficiaries, if deemed to…

Surviving the Pandemic: As narrated by John King’ori, Ekorian’s Mugie Camp

Laikipia
February 1, 2022

Born, raised and schooled in Laikipia, John King’ori has always had a passion for tourism. This motivated him to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Tourism Management. Today, John is an enthusiastic hospitality and tourism destination management expert, who has built his credentials working with tourism stakeholders in Laikipia. These include his earlier work with the…

Il Ngwesi Lodge: A Masterclass on Making Community-led Tourism Work

Laikipia
February 1, 2022

This month, I was privileged to enjoy a stay at the stunning, multiple award-winning Il Ngwesi Lodge. What an experience! It took about two and a half hours from Nanyuki to get to our destination. Along the way, we enjoyed incredible views and wildlife, which made the trip worthwhile. The lodge staff happily welcomed us…