Kenya Coastal and Marine Tourism Resilience: A Victim of Resource Curse Dynamics?

Despite abundant coastal and marine tourism resources in Kenya, the country’s coastal tourism sector has experienced stagnation and vulnerability – a paradox of plenty reminiscent of a “resource curse.” This study investigates whether Kenya’s coastal tourism has fallen victim to resource curse dynamics and identifies pathways to enhance the sector’s resilience. A qualitative case study approach is employed, drawing on analysis of secondary data (policy documents, tourism statistics, and scholarly literature) to examine how factors such as governance quality, rent-seeking and elite capture, Dutch Disease effects, and institutional fragility mediate the relationship between resource abundance and tourism performance. The findings reveal that weak governance, concentrated benefits among elites, neglect of complementary sectors, and fragmented institutions have impeded inclusive and sustainable growth, echoing patterns observed in classic natural resource curse scenarios. These dynamics undermine the region’s competitiveness and resilience to shocks. To counter this “tourism resource curse,” the study recommends strengthening multi-level governance and accountability, diversifying tourism products and linkages, investing in local human capital, and safeguarding environmental assets. Implementing these transformative strategies is critical for converting coastal Kenya’s rich marine and cultural endowments into broad-based prosperity and sustainable development within the Blue Economy framework.