Browsing by Author "Kinyua, Beatrice Wairimu"

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    Fostering Market Penetration Strategies for Sustainable Conservation of Heritage Sites in Nyeri County, Kenya
    (stratford Journals, 2023-08) Kinyua, Beatrice Wairimu
    Sustainable conservation has become popular in tourism, accepted by developers and stakeholders as an economically viable, socially acceptable, and environmentally friendly model for heritage tourism development models. However, heritage tourism encounters challenges like cultural commercialization, deterioration, development pressure, marketing gaps, and insufficient maintenance. Consequently, Kenya has prioritized long-term heritage tourism development goals to realize Vision 2030. This paper examines how market penetration strategies can leverage the sustainable conservation of heritage sites in Nyeri County, Kenya. The study adopted a cross-sectional descriptive survey design, targeting the local community members, tourists visiting the heritage sites, key informants from the local government of Nyeri, officials from the National Museums of Kenya, and site supervisors. The sample size was 762 respondents, 11 were interviewed, and 752 were administered questionnaires. The results of correlation analysis revealed that market penetration strategies exhibited a positive and statistically significant relationship with sustainable conservation (r=0.620, P=0.000), explaining 38.4% of heritage sites' sustainable conservation variations. The study concludes that market penetration catalyzes the sustainable preservation of heritage sites. The study recommends integrating heritage sites into the County's economic plans and employing a comprehensive approach that engages the local community at all stages. This approach should encompass these sites' social, cultural, and economic importance for the local population. Furthermore, the findings highlight the need for a collaborative effort involving multiple government levels and diverse agencies to develop, expand, and market heritage products, with due consideration for biodiversity conservation.
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    Influence of Marketing Strategies on Sustainable Conservation of Heritage Sites in Nyeri County, Kenya
    (Kenyatta University, 2024-11) Kinyua, Beatrice Wairimu
    In recent years, sustainable conservation has gained acceptance among tourism stakeholders as an economically viable, socially acceptable, and environmentally friendly heritage tourism development model. Heritage tourism faces numerous challenges, including cultural commercialization, organic dilapidation, development pressure, inadequate marketing and public awareness, and improper use and maintenance. Kenya has begun to embrace long-term heritage tourism development goals that are aligned with Kenya's Vision 2030. This study examined the influence of marketing strategies on the sustainable conservation of selected cultural heritage sites in Nyeri County. The study determined the influence of market development strategies, assessed the influence of market penetration strategies, determined the influence of diversification strategies, and examined the influence of product development strategies on the sustainable conservation of heritage sites in Nyeri County. Ansoff's marketing and sustainable development theories underpinned the study’s theoretical foundation. A cross-sectional descriptive survey design was adopted. The target population included local community members, tourists, and key informants from the County government of Nyeri, the National Museums of Kenya, and site supervisors. The sample size was 762 respondents, consisting of 384 locals, 367 tourists, two museum officials, eight site supervisors, and one Nyeri County tourism official. Stratified and proportionate approaches were used to sample the locals and tourists from the four heritage sites. Simple random sampling was utilized for tourists and locals, while a census was used to sample critical informants. Data were collected using questionnaires and interviews. Study supervisors' guidelines were used to determine the validity of the study instruments. The reliability of the study variables was assessed using the Cronbach alpha criterion, accepting alphas above 0.7. Quantitative data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences through descriptive and inferential analysis, including means, percentages, standard deviations, and correlation and regression analyses. Qualitative data followed a text/content analysis, with responses grouped as themes and integrated into the discussion of quantitative findings. Data were presented as tables, pie charts, and histograms. The response rate for questionnaires was 66.2%, while that of interviews was 100%. The findings revealed that market development strategies (r=0.551, p=0.000), market penetration strategies (r=0.620, p=0.000), diversification strategies (r=0.377, p=0.000), and product development strategies (r=0.393, p=0.000) exhibited a positive and statistically significant relationship with the sustainable conservation of heritage sites in Nyeri County. Although the three variables positively influenced sustainable conservation, market penetration strategies were the most robust predictor (R²=38.4%), with the four variables causing a 44.9% variation in sustainable conservation of heritage sites in Nyeri County. The study concludes that marketing strategies are catalysts for attaining sustainable conservation initiatives in Nyeri County. It recommends incorporating heritage sites into the County's economic plans and policies, involving locals at all stages to incorporate their socio-cultural and economic values. The study also suggests a multi-governmental and agency approach to developing, diversifying, and marketing heritage products while preserving heritage sites and biodiversity. Future studies should investigate this topic using in-depth analysis to understand how marketing-specific aspects, such as technology, can address specific sustainability components, including socio-economics, cultures, and environmental concerns