Traveling is one of the numerous ways one can broaden his or her perspective and knowledge. Moreover, traveling sharpens ones survival skills such as map reading and life skills. One of the places I would recommend anyone to visit is Nairobi, Kenya due to its wealth of tourist attractions and cultural diversification. Nairobi is Kenya's capital city and has various attractions such as the Nairobi National Park - the solitary game reserve or national park in a major city -, and the Bomas of Kenya. The city was founded in 1899, and its name derived from a phrase in Maasai that means cool water. Over time, people have nicknamed the city the Green City in the Sun and the Silicon Savannah. People in the region speak Swahili and English as the two main national languages, and their cultural beliefs are diverse due to the amalgamation of various cultures. The region has a subtropical highland climate and is 1,795 meters above the sea level.
Fig. 1 (Google, 2017)
Nairobi National Park
Being the only game reserve in a major city globally, visiting the Nairobi National Park is one of the activities in the To-Do list one should not miss when visiting Nairobi. It is approximately 28,963 acres in size. The establishment of the park was in the mid-1940s after the intervention of conservationist Mervyn Cowie hence can be termed as man-made and was Kenyas first national park. It is approximately 7 kilometers from the central business district (CBD) and is fenced with an electric fence to prevent human-animal conflicts. The park boasts of being home to some of the endangered rhinoceros species in the world (Okello, Kenana, & Kieti, 2012).
The national park boosts the economy of the country through tourism, jobs, and recreation; tourists from various parts of the globe visit the park especially during the migration period of the herbivores. To the community, the park is a source of livelihood; some depend on it for their daily upkeep and work as tour guides. The Kenyan Government works in unison with the local people to promote the National Park and ensure the animals are not endangered or go beyond the electric fence hence it is safe to conduct the routine city businesses without the fear of wild animals attacking people.
Bomas of Kenya
As the name depicts, bomas is an African name for villages or homesteads. The location of Bomas of Kenya is on the outskirts of the city at Langata, approximately 10 kilometers from the CBD and 1 kilometer from the Nairobi National Park main entrance. It was established in the early 1970s as a tourist attraction to enhance, promote, preserve, and maintain the diverse and rich cultural values of the different tribes in Kenya ("Bomas of Kenya - Company History," 2017). Bomas of Kenya is a subsidiary company of the KTDC (Kenya Tourist Development Corporation) hence is man-made.
It has various cultural significances to the residents of Kenya since tourists get to learn about the various cultures without visiting the main regions where the people live. Additionally, its amalgamation of various cultures reduces ones expenses and saves on time; one can learn a lot about Kenyan tribes in a short time compared to the individual visits to different parts of the country. Bomas of Kenya influences the local community positively by enhancing tourism and offering employment opportunities.
References
Bomas of Kenya - Company History. (2017). Bomas of Kenya. Retrieved 4 January 2017, from http://www.bomasofkenya.co.ke/Google,. (2017). Nairobi, Kenya. Retrieved from https://goo.gl/WLxvbMOkello, M., Kenana, L., & Kieti, D. (2012). Factors Influencing Domestic Tourism for Urban and Semiurban Populations Around Nairobi National Park, Kenya. Tourism Analysis, 17(1), 79-89. http://dx.doi.org/10.3727/108354212x13330406124214
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