Abstract:
Seasonality presents a number of issues that require special attention and strategies. In
particular, seasonality affects the number of tourists to a region and therefore may threaten the
viability of tourism enterprises and regions whether severely or mildly. Seasonality causes the
fluctuation in tourists and visitor numbers to a destination. Consequently, some destinations at
certain times have more tourists and visitors than they are able to accommodate, while other
have few tourists and visitors to the region. Kenyan tourism industry has in recent years
suffered low tourist receipts especially at the coast. The main objective is to establish the
visitor’s perceptions towards the causes of seasonality in the Kenyan tourism industry,
specifically, the causes of seasonality at the Nairobi National Park (NNP). The target visitor
population at the NNP was 448 visitors for August, 2017, (KWS, 2018). The formula by Miller
and Brewer (2003) was used to get the sample size of 205 respondents. Data was collected
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using questionnaires and interviews, then cleaned, edited and analyzed. Statistical Package for
Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyse quantitative data, while qualitative data was
analysed by use of content analysis. Descriptive analysis test used means, percentages and
frequency distributions and charts. Inferential analysis used correlation and regression analysis
including ANOVA and X2-square test to establish the level of relationships between the
research variables. The findings indicate that the NNP experiences seasonality. Out of 64
respondent’s majority strongly agreed both natural and institutional seasonality that weather
season both natural and institutionalized seasonality account for 80%; Calendar influence,
natural and institutionalized seasonality 51%; Timing decision, natural and institutionalized
seasonality 77% finally, Social pressures, natural and institutionally seasonality 50%. All the
predictors were statistically significant at α=0.05 since p-values are less than 0.05. The study
recommends that the government to give incentives to domestic tourists to visit the park
regularly, in order to reduce the negativity of institutionalized seasonality. Further studies be
done on the strategies to mitigate the causes of seasonality at the NNP.
Keywords: Tourism, Tourists, Seasonality, Nairobi National Park
