With East African countries now surpassing pre-COVID tourism activity, the spotlight has again turned on the need to carefully weigh economic benefits against the ongoing risks that overtourism and major infrastructure development could pose to the crucial Serengeti-Maasai Mara ecosystem.
Tanzania and Kenya, home to the Serengeti National Park and Maasai Mara National Reserve respectively, have both rapidly reached 2019 international arrival levels. Tanzania hit 1.8 million tourists in 2023, a 17% leap from the 1.5 million 2019 arrivals making the country Africas second best-performing destination in terms of recovery. Kenyas 1.95 million arrivals were at 97% of 2019.
With the July to September high season approaching when thousands of tourists flock to the Serengeti and Maasai Mara to witness the Great Migration concerns have resurfaced over the impact that an unprecedented number of visitors could have on the famed wilderness areas natural environment.
Tourism has long been viewed as a way to protect the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem. But now many conservation experts place it among a growing list of threats, said David Blanton , Founder and Director of Serengeti Watch, an Earth Island Institute project that, together with the Serengeti Preservation Foundation and communities, assists in protecting the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem.
A prime example is Maasai Mara, Kenyas northern section of the Serengeti ecosystem. Without thought to guardrails or limits, the Mara has become overgrown with lodges and camps, some without legal permits.
