(Posted 19th July 2023)
Dear ATCNews Readers, Dear Serengeti Supporters,
Humans are threatening the Serengeti ecosystem. Settlements, infrastructure, and livestock squeeze inward. And from within, the travel industry and tourists add their own pressures. It will be a challenge to hold onto the model of low impact nature tourism that has served the Serengeti so well.
Our response: We founded Friends of Serengeti, a travel industry association that encourages travelers and tour companies to give back.
If you’re planning a safari, we invite you to contact one of our Friends of Serengeti member companies.
If you’re with a tour company, please contact us about membership. Your voice is needed now.
Read more below about the changing nature of Serengeti tourism.
Thank you for your support!
David Blanton
Director
The tourism industry and travelers use and benefit from the Serengeti, and they need to give back. We’re helping accomplish this through Friends of Serengeti, a nonprofit association of tour operators. Member companies ask their travelers to contribute to a traveler conservation fund. In addition, FOS serves as an advocate for sustainable, low-impact nature tourism. You can learn more here.
The growth and changing nature of Serengeti tourism
Maasai Mara, the northernmost section of the Serengeti ecosystem, is a case study in overtourism.
A recent article in the New York Times describes a large number of vehicles at a wildebeest crossing which one safari expert described as a “crazy, chaotic rush as hundreds of tons of steel lunged forward with screaming engines.” Another account describes a safari vehicle getting so close to a family of cheetahs, the vehicle nearly ran over one of the cubs.
Lodges, hotels, and tourist numbers in the Mara have exceeded its capacity, and wildlife has declined drastically. Since 1977, the number of wildebeest seasonally migrating into the reserve has dropped by 73%. Giraffes numbers fell by 75%, impala by 67%. (See, “Mara wildebeest migration is dying: Here’s the evidence.”)
Human population and livestock growth is a major cause, but poor tourism management is responsible as well. Even now, authorities are allowing investors to pile on more and more infrastructure, like this new Marriot lodge. (See, “The elephant in the room: Overtourism in Africa“)
Hotel and lodge density in Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park is much lower than Maasai Mara. But tourism may follow a similar path. The Tanzania government’s goal is five million tourists a year by 2025, up from a million and a half at its recent peak. While the goal may not be reached, the mindset is clear – bigger is better. Two new lodges have just recently been announced, another Marriot lodge and a Wellworth Luxury Hotel.
Right now, tourists come mostly from Western countries: the US, UK, and Germany. But new travel markets are being explored, especially China and India, where the number of inbound tourists could be staggering.
Tennis anyone? Or a round of Serengeti golf?
It’s not just about the sheer number of tourists. The quintessential safari is evolving away from a wilderness experience. We recently reported on a golf course built next to the Serengeti in a wildlife migration area.
And now tennis celebrities, John and Patrick McEnroe, are leading a 120-person tour that features a match on a specially constructed Serengeti tennis court, ostensibly a way to introduce tennis to Africans. A report says, “Guests will join the McEnroes on a visit to a traditional Masai village meant to introduce the youth to the game of tennis as part of a special court dedication.”
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