Sustainable Tourism in Kenya: Hotels Leading the Way

Kenya is well known for its diverse wildlife, culture, and landscapes. As a result, it’s one of the top safari destination points in Africa, attracting tourists from across the globe. Now, most hotels are promoting sustainable tourism in Kenya to promote and preserve the environment.

When attracting more people, more concerns emerge about how tourism affects the environment and local communities.

In this blog, we’ll explore how hotels in Kenya are working to promote sustainability for long-term benefits to both people and wildlife. We shall talk about how they are building eco-friendly structures and helping local communities. 

Join us as we discover how hotels are leading the way in sustainable tourism in Kenya. Let’s learn together how tourism can help protect Kenya’s beauty and culture for the next generation.

5 Hotels Leading Sustainable Tourism in Kenya

We have a list of the top five hotels in Kenya promoting eco-friendliness in their operations. They are participating in building the community and preserving the environment and wildlife.

1. Sarova Hotels

The Sarova hotels are among the leading hotels promoting sustainable tourism in Kenya. All their branches in Kenya have practices that help conserve the environment, culture, and wildlife around them.

All Sarova Hotels have eliminated plastics, including single-use straws, cups, and plates. In addition, they have started a water bottling plant in Sarova Lions Hill Lodge, which uses glass bottles to pack water.

In addition, Sarova Hotels have cool rooms and refrigerators in place to avoid food wastage. Sarova understands that millions of people suffer from hunger deficiency diseases and they aim to avoid wastage in all their branches.

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The Sarova Whitesands Beach Resort participates in monthly beach clean-up activities with KWS officers. As a result, they leave a clean and safe habitat for the sea life.

In addition, all Sarova Hotel branches have a vegetable garden, which is highly maintained by trained staff. As a result, they cook fresh meals for their guests. Furthermore, guests can also pick their favorite vegetables from the gardens and cook their meals.

Sarova Hotels has employed staff from the local communities, hence, giving back to the community is a great way. In addition, they also participate in community drives that affect the societies around them. Furthermore, the hotels buy their supplies from the local business, enabling sustainable tourism in Kenya by promoting Kenya.

Sarova Hotels participates in environmental conservancy awareness in the local areas. They also plant trees in the parks and in their hotel premises.

The Sarova Mara Game Camp in Masai Mara has helped build the Sekanani School and assist less privileged students in the area.

2. Fairmont Hotels

Fairmont Hotels is also promoting sustainable tourism in Kenya. The hotels have solar panels, which are a good renewable energy source. As a result, the hotels do not experience blackouts in cases of electricity power loss. Solar energy doesn’t produce pollutants in the air, making it a good source of energy that preserves the environment.

The beds in Fairmont Mara Safari Club are made with canopy wood. In addition, the furniture in the rooms is also made of pure wood, creating a good environment with a natural touch.

The Fairmont Hotels participate in sustainable tourism in Kenya by providing the nearby residents with clean drinking water. The hotels purify their water with the sachet purification method, which involves using porous sachets with water purifiers.

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The hotels have invested in biogas digesters that produce cooking gas. As a result, they reduce the use of fossil fuels on their premises, hence promoting sustainable tourism around them.

The Fairmont Mara Safari Club gives 10% of the guest room revenue to a charity to support the Masai community. This helps to uplift and educate the children from poor backgrounds in the community.

In addition, Fairmont Mara Safari Club also cleans1qwwwwq` up the Mara River every week, making a good and safe environment for the hippos and the wildlife in this famous game park.

3. Serena Hotels

Serena Hotels in Kenya is promoting sustainable tourism in the country through community development and environmental preservation. For instance, the Mara Serena Camp in Masai Mara provided clean drinking water to the nearby residents.

In addition, the Mara Serena Safari Camp practices energy conservation means, waste recycling, and prevents the emission of toxic gases into the air by using non-fossil fuels.

Hotels have employee wellness programs that help sort employees’ health needs. In addition, they participate in disease awareness rallies such as HIV/AIDs in the nearby regions to promote healthy living.

The Amboseli Serena Safari Camp participates in community projects by helping the nearby orphanages with food staff and motivation from their staff members.

In addition, they have partnered with KWS since the 1990s to promote tree planting in Amboseli National Park. Additionally, Serena Hotels offers jobs to the nearby residents. They also buy their farm produce for making meals where applicable.

These hotels have solar energy to avoid using diesel generators in cases of power losses. This reduces the emission of toxic gases into the air.

The Serena Beach Resort & Spa runs a sea turtle protection programme, and their guests can also participate in free will. In addition, the hotel has its Butterfly Center, where indigenous butterflies are kept and bred.

Finally, Serena Hotels promotes the cultures of the surrounding communities by organizing events for the guests. For instance, Mara Serena and Amboseli Serena take their guests to the Masai community to witness most cultural events.

4. Maji Moto Eco Camp

Maji Moto Eco Camp is one of the leading hotels promoting sustainable tourism in Kenya. The camp has in place activities and programmes that focus on helping the community around and conserving nature.

For instance, for over 10 years, Maji Moto Eco Camp in partnership with Eyes on Africa Safaris have been donating food stuffs and school essentials to the schools and villages around them in Masai Mara. In addition, the camp has built a classroom in Kikurukur Primary School. They also maintain hundreds of classrooms annually from their profits and guest donations.

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Being built in a semi-desert area, water for livestock, schools and villages is a big issue. As a result, the Maji Moto Eco Camp has put water harvesting gutters and tanks in place in schools to harvest rainwater.

The camp also participates in afforestation campaigns in the park and the surrounding schools. In addition, they clean the parks and reduce waste by recycling their plastics.

The camp has also employed several employees from the nearby communities to help them support their homesteads. In addition, the camp preserves the Masai culture and urges its guests to appreciate and respect it.

5. Distant Relative Eco-Lodge

The Distant Relatives Eco-Lodge is another hotel that promotes sustainable tourism in Kenya. The lodge is located in Kilifi, 58 kilometres north of Mombasa.

The three Rs of waste management—Reduce, Reuse &Recycle—are the top priority in Distant Relatives Eco-Lodge. For example, the organic waste is composited or fed to the poultry in the lodge. In addition, after filtration, the lodge uses water from bathrooms and sinks to water their organic garden.

The plastic waste from the lodge is reused or recycled. In addition, the scrap metal specialists in Kilifi collect waste metal from the lodge to recycle it. This promotes sustainable tourism in Kenya by keeping a clean environment.

The hotel uses waste glasses to cut into small pieces for decorations and light covers for pathways in the lodge. In addition, the camp staff collects unused glasses and old tyres from the neighbourhood and uses them for decorations and bandas.

The lodge has been effectively harvesting rainwater, which they purify and serve for drinking and other purposes. In addition, the lodge uses natural filtration with reed beds to filter bathroom and sink water, which they use for watering their fruit and vegetable gardens.

In addition, the lodge uses organic manure to feed its fruits and vegetable gardens. They avoid using chemicals by spraying chilli and neem oil to prevent pests and diseases in the garden.

The Distant Relatives Eco-Lodge collects human waste in 200-litre barrels that decompose in the sun for 9 months to make manure. This approach helps them avoid polluting the water table and safe water usage in toilets. The good thing is that the lodge has been generous enough to share its technique with schools.

Sustainable Tourism in Kenya: Conclusion

Sustainable tourism in Kenya is the way to go if we need to leave a safe world for the generations behind us. Therefore, everyone, not only hotels, should focus on building a better environment for the next generations.

From managing waste to conserving the environment through afforestation, it’s our duty to ensure that we live in a clean and safe environment.

Check out our guide on the budget-friendly safari holidays in Kenya. Don’t to leave where you get better than you found it.

Sustainable Tourism in Kenya: Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is sustainable tourism?

Sustainable tourism is a form of tourism that aims to minimize its impact on the environment, support local communities, and preserve cultural heritage while providing a positive experience for visitors.

2. Why is sustainable tourism important in Kenya?

Kenya is home to diverse ecosystems, wildlife, and cultures. Sustainable tourism helps to protect these assets for future generations while also providing economic opportunities for local communities.

3. How do hotels in Kenya promote sustainable tourism?

Kenyan hotels promote sustainable tourism through various initiatives such as wildlife conservation programs, community-based tourism projects, eco-lodges, responsible tour operators, and regulations to protect natural areas.

4. How does sustainable tourism benefit local communities in Kenya?

Sustainable tourism creates employment opportunities, supports local businesses, preserves traditional cultures, and helps improve infrastructure and services in rural areas.