COST OF SERVICES AND PERFORMANCE OF THE TOURISM INDUSTRY IN KENYA

Purpose: Cost of services is a consideration to any shopper and this includes tourists too; very high prices reduce chances of repeat visits diminishing income for the park.. The general objective of the study was to evaluate cost of services and performance of the tourism industry Methodology: The paper used a desk study review methodology where relevant empirical literature was reviewed to identify main themes and to extract knowledge gaps. Findings: The study found out that Majority (78%) of the respondents disagreed that the charges in the park were very high. Majority (59%) also disagreed that the types of services offered were reasonable. Majority (60%) of the visiting tourists indicated that the prices of services at Mount Kenya National Park were reasonable or fair. It was found that a negative correlation between cost of services and performance of the tourism industry. This means that higher prices resulted in a drop in performance. The tourists indicated that the prices were fair suggesting that a reduction in prices would be welcome. This was evident in the finding that tourists were unable to utilize all services offered at the park. The findings therefore show that cost of services was an important determinant of performance of the tourism industry. Recommendations: There is need for future studies to involve more parks to get a deeper understanding of the determinants of their performance. Local tourists were not involved in the current study. Future studies should therefore incorporate this important group of tourists who contribute to the performance of tourism in the country. Observation method which is free of bias should be used to assess the cost and quality of services provided to tourists in future studies