Abstract:
Tourism and climate change have been widely related. Climate change induced flooding is of
serious concern because it causes financial and economic losses for investors in hotel and
tourism industry. Flooding and drought are frequent environmental event in arid and semi arid ASALs) lands of Northern Kenya. It is rich in biodiversity hence considered important for
wildlife conservation and a major tourist destination. It is important in the Kenyan economy
as it supports valuable economic activities including tourism and nomadic pastoralism. The
region witnessed several climate change induced flooding which caused damage to tourism
infrastructure and local livelihoods. The study therefore sorts to assess the economic effect of
the climate-linked events on tourism activities. The study used questionnaires and face to face
interviews to estimate the impacts of flooding on investments, revenue generation, household
income and employment opportunities. The total economic value of the climate induced
flooding in the Samburu ecosystem as a tourist destination was about USD 11 billion. Loss in
investments, revenue, employment was positively correlated to the increased flooding events.
The significant losses from a tourism destination calls for immediate action for climate change
adaptation and mitigation policy interventions in the region.
