Browsing by Author "Maingi, Shem Wambugu"

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    The efficacy of park branding in influencing choice behavior of tourists to Kenyan parks
    (2014-08) Maingi, Shem Wambugu
    Kenya‟s tourism sector remains relatively underdeveloped, compared to other destinations globally, in terms of number of tourists, yield and diversity of experience. As a result, there was need to assess the efficacy of the Vision 2030 park branding initiative as a means of influencing consumer markets positively in premium & under-utilized in Kenya as a key issue of concern in research, policy and practice. Specifically, the key objectives of the study were to profile choice behaviour of tourists visiting branded parks in Kenya; to examine antecedent factors influencing tourists‟ choice behaviour; to evaluate tourists‟ perceptions of park brands in Kenya and their choice behaviour and to explore the influence of brand personalities on choice behaviour of tourists to Kenyan parks. The study was undertaken by way of a cross-sectional descriptive survey of tourists visiting a clustered sample of branded national parks in Kenya. Two-stage cluster sampling technique was adopted in coming up with a representative sample. Primary data was collected through questionnaire responses from an estimated 385 tourists visiting the parks. Findings based on the first objective indicated that the parks attracted different segments of tourists. These segments were classified as either primary or secondary segments. Hierarchical Cluster analysis showed significant predictors within each cluster segments. Based on the second objective, Choice of Nairobi National Park was significantly influenced by the state of roads and infrastructure, travel agency recommendations, local culture, reference from tour operators, and accommodation quality. As for Lake Nakuru National Park, choice was significantly determined by travel agency recommendations, information on the web, cost of holiday and accommodation quality. Choice of Hell‟s Gate National Park was significantly influenced by the state of roads and infrastructure, references from tour operators and accommodation quality. In terms of the external tourist perceptions to the park brands, Tourists‟ brand perception of Hell‟s Gate National Park significantly influenced brand differentiation as well as revisit intentions positively. As for Lake Nakuru National Park, the tourists‟ park brand perception moderately influenced revisit intentions. There was very strong evidence to suggest that in Nairobi National Park, tourists‟ perception of the park brand significantly influenced brand differentiation, recommendation and revisit intentions of tourists. As for Aberdares, there was strong evidence to suggest that the park brand perception significantly influenced recommendation and revisit intentions though it did not significantly influence brand differentiation. Results on objective four indicated that Lake Nakuru National Park brand personality significantly and negatively influenced brand differentiation. Nairobi National Park brand personality significantly and positively influenced all behavioral intentions of consumers i.e. revisit, recommendation and differentiation. Hell‟s Gate National Park showed a significant degree of brand salience. The park‟s brand personality did not significantly influence brand differentiation, recommendation and revisit decisions of tourists. Aberdares National Park brand personality did not significantly influence brand differentiation, recommendation intentions and revisit intentions. Generally, the findings showed that there were five key aspects of the brand that were critical in determining choice i.e. connection to personal/demographic factors, contextual factors, internal park brand personality, external park brand perception as well as brand awareness. Therefore, there is a need to enhance the nature of their experiences and post-visit intentions by responding with a branding strategy that differentiates the parks and enhances the brand identity as well as association. This study recommends the need for the park brand‟s personality and (or) uniqueness be revealed better through marketing concepts that are linked to historical, ecological, socio-cultural values of the park. This way, the park‟s brand personality could positively influence choice behavior of targeted market segments. There is also need for tourism stakeholders to apply a targeted brand communication policy to key segments. It is also important that tourism policy addresses the need to develop a coherent and sustained information promotion of KWS park brands based on market needs, at the international, regional, national, county and city level.
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    Influence of Strategic Tourism Promotion Practices on the Performance of Tour Operator Firms in Nairobi City County, Kenya
    (AFRICAJOURNALS, 2023-10) Kisilu, Michael Muia; Maingi, Shem Wambugu; Maranga, Vincent Nyamari
    The study sought to establish the influence of strategic promotion practices on the performance of tour operator firms. Mixed methods research design was adopted. The population was Kenya Association of Tour Operators (KATO) Full Members that are located in Nairobi County and from which a sample size was estimated. Questionnaires and structured interviews were used for data collection. Descriptive statistics and simple linear regression analyses were used in the analysis to answer the research objectives. The findings on the influence of strategic tourism promotion practices on the performance of tour operator firms revealed that to a large extent tour operator firms used recommendations e.g. from a friend or colleague as a strategic tourism promotion practice followed by advertising. There was a statistically significant weak and positive relationship between strategic tourism promotion practices and performance. Further findings revealed that strategic tourism promotion practices positively and statistically significantly influenced performance. Tour firms can rely on strategic tourism promotion practices for their revenue and customer base growth
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    Wildlife conservation, visitors’ preferences and habitat conditions for wildlife tourism at Oljogi Conservancy in Laikipia County, Kenya
    (International Academic Journal of Social Sciences and Education, 2020) Nzomo, Cosmas Munyao; Maingi, Shem Wambugu; Kariuki, Albert Chege
    The enormous potentials of wildlife tourism in recreation, community and economic development can be maximized through focusing on visitors’ preference in ensuring sustainability of this increasingly important sector. Wildlife tourism has an important economic value through revenue that can be used to support conservation. This study examined wildlife conservation, visitor preference and habit conditions for wildlife tourism at Oljogi Conservancy in Laikipia County, Kenya. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. A structured questionnaire was used to elicit information from visitors touring the Wildlife rescue centre in Oljogi conservancy in addition to an interview guide which was used to collect data from the tour guides. Data were analyzed through content analysis. Results revealed that seeing wildlife in its natural environment, behaving naturally and viewing rare, unique or unusual wildlife were the three most important features sought in a wildlife tourism experience. For most of the visitors we recruited in this study, it was their first time to see the wild animal. It also revealed that most of the tourists touched, handled or fed the wild animal which were friendly in nature, in addition to being rare and unique. The study also found out that the most preferred animal was the black rhino, followed by the leopard and the lion as the top three. It was also found that the conservation status at the Oljogi was good. This study concludes that visitor’s profile for wildlife preference as well as habitat condition had significant influence on wildlife tourism at Oljogi conservancy. In addition, most of the visitors paying a stopover at Wildlife rescue centre in Oljogi conservancy were highly satisfied with the wildlife experience. The study recommends relevant programs that would ensure protection of the endangered species, increased number of preferred animals and high level of satisfaction among visitors. A similar study is recommended in national reserves and parks to compare and contrast the results.