African Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Management

Effect of Technological Innovations on Restaurant Sustainability in Nairobi County, Kenya

2024-02-06T11:28:43+00:00

The hospitality industry, which is defined by social interaction and gathering, was seriously threatened by the coronavirus disease 2019. The pandemic exacerbated risk in several ways, putting sustainability as a critical objective at a crossroads. The management of restaurants needed to reorganise and innovate to survive and thrive during and after the pandemic. Technological innovations created opportunities to lower health hazards for guests and staff while maintaining operations in an unpredictable business environment. A review of the literature revealed a paucity of technological innovations and sustainability in restaurants in Nairobi County. The study sought to evaluate the effects of technological innovations and the sustainability of restaurants in Nairobi County, Kenya. Schumpeter’s theory of innovation served as the study's theoretical foundation. To explain the relationships between technological innovation and sustainability, the study employed a descriptive research design with Likert scale ratings. A census of restaurant managers from the 81 full-service restaurants housed in 54 classified hotels in Nairobi County was the unit of observation. Using self-administered questionnaires, the studies obtained a 70 per cent response rate (57 responses). SPSS version 25 was used to analyse the data and findings presented using descriptive and inferential statistics. Restaurants used innovations in technology to mitigate dangers as well as to improve cleanliness and sanitation. The relationship between technological innovations and sustainability was positive, moderate, and significant at the p = 0.05 level of significance; the Pearson correlation value was r = 0.473. Furthermore, the adjusted correlation coefficient (R2) indicated that technological innovations predict 21% of the variance in sustainability. Restaurant sustainability increased moderately due to technological innovations. As a result, the study recommends that the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife prioritise hospitality technologies to increase restaurant sustainability. Restaurant management should promote technological innovation, acquisition, and training. Finally, academia should lead the discourse about the implementation and spread of technological innovation

Assessment of Socio-Economic Gender Issues Affecting Women’s Participation in Alpine Tourism: A Case Study of Mt. Kenya National Park

2024-02-14T06:29:00+00:00

The study sought to investigate the socio-economic gender issues affecting women's participation in alpine tourism in Mt. Kenya National Park. The study was guided by the following objectives: to assess the social gender issues affecting women's participation in alpine tourism and to analyse the economic gender issues affecting women's participation in alpine tourism. The study used a descriptive research design, and data was collected through structured closed-ended questionnaires distributed to 133 women participating in alpine tourism activities. 107 questionnaires were duly filled and returned. Structured interviews were conducted with the officials of Kenya Wildlife Service and the leaders of Mt. Kenya Guides and Porters Association. Qualitative data was analysed using content analysis, and quantitative data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The study established that the marital status of the female mountain crew was the dominant social gender issue affecting women's participation in alpine tourism as most guides, porters and cooks were unmarried, and for those who were married, the majority of them experienced challenges relating to balancing work and family responsibilities. The study also established that there is a wage disparity between men and women working as guides, porters, and cooks. The study recommends the need for policy makers to implement policies that promote gender equality in the workplace, ensuring equal opportunities for women to engage in alpine tourism activities such as guiding, portering and cooking.In addition, the study recommends the need to develop family-friendly policies which enable married women to fully participate in alpine tourism activities without compromising their family duties. The study also recommends the need for the Nyeri County Department of Tourism, Trade, Culture and Cooperative Development in partnership with Mt. Kenya Guides and Porters Association, to organise short course training on mountaineering and capacity-building programs to enhance the English language proficiency of female porters and cooks, thereby improving their communication skills and enabling them to interact more effectively with tourists. The study further recommends the need for Mt. Kenya Guides and Porters Association to undertake a sensitisation forum for its members about sexual harassment subjected to female mountain crew by men participating in alpine tourism activities

Effects of the Informal Street Food Vendors’ Operations on the Socio-cultural and Economic Wellbeing of Nyeri Town Public

2024-02-23T14:24:33+00:00

Nyeri town boasts of informal street food vendors found on almost every street, offering products ranging from indigenous to trendy cuisines. During evening hours, the informal street food operators compete for the street space with the town public. The design and the size of the town’s major streets have not been reviewed to accommodate the increasing number of informal street food vendors and the growing urban community. This study investigated the effects of the informal street food vendors’ location, products, operating time and modus operandi on the Socio-cultural and Economic Wellbeing of the urban community in Nyeri town. The researchers combined the integrated model, neo-Marxist and neo-liberal theories to contextualize the development and growth of informal street foods. Neo-Marxist theory posits that the informal sector expands as urbanization increases, and the Neo-liberal theory –argues that entrepreneurs pursue informal sectors in order to operate outside the official business frameworks to explore the subject of the study. Using the cross-sectional survey design, the study adopted the enumeration and convenience sampling techniques to select vendors and consumers respectively that responded to the questionnaire administered face-to-face. The qualitative data was analysed using the thematic content analysis, and the output was transformed into quantitative data to give percentages and frequencies. The informal street ventures inconvenienced street users, especially during rush hours. The food-related waste and a cocktail of food aromas made the street ambience less attractive. The equipment used on the streets and the unsecured fire points posed a great risk to the public. The study concludes that informal street food ventures provide employment that sustains livelihoods. The informal street businesses facilitate the flow of resources, and promote the mainstream economies like agriculture, retail and food manufacturing, thus contributing to wealth creation in the county. The study recommends benchmarking to explore ways to change the perception that informal street foods are unsafe, unhealthy and the ventures make the street look unattractive. In countries like Thailand in the city of Phuket, informal street foods are conducted in an organized manner

Effect of Digital Security Systems on Market Performance in 3-5 Star Rated Hotels in Nakuru County, Kenya

2024-03-18T07:35:26+00:00

The study sought to assess the effect of digital security systems on hotel market performance in 3- 5-star rated hotels in Nakuru, Kenya. The research included a conceptual framework that showed the relationship between digital security systems and market performance. A descriptive research design was used to help evaluate the opinions of the target population, which included the staff and managers of the major departments within the hotels under study. Both closed and open-ended questionnaires were used for data collection. A census was done for all the managers while staff were selected using a cluster sampling technique. A total of 152 out of the 200 questionnaires that were issued were usable for the study. The data was analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings of the study indicated a positive correlation between the utilisation of digital security systems and market performance. The study found that access control systems exert the most significant influence on the market performance of 3- 5 star rated hotels in Nakuru County compared to the other three variables under study. The study concludes that digital security systems are vital components contributing to the improvement of hotel performance. The study recommends stakeholders enforce digital security standards within the hotel sector and emphasise the importance of digital security systems to enhance guest safety. In addition, hotels should prioritise development of user-friendly systems. Further studies, as recommended by the study, can focus on the influence of digital security systems in different tourism sectors beyond hotels and include customers as the target population

Adoption of Digital Technologies as a Driver for Cost Leadership Strategy in Tour Firms within Nairobi City County, Kenya

2024-04-11T07:46:47+00:00

Digital technologies play a major role in reducing the cost of operations in tour firms. The main focus of the study was to find out the adoption of digital technologies as a driver of cost leadership strategy in tour firms within Nairobi City County. The specific objective was to investigate the influence of mobile applications on cost leadership strategy in tour firms in Nairobi City County. Embedded research design was applied in the study. The study adopted the null hypothesis that mobile applications had no statistically significant influence on cost leadership strategy in tour firms within Nairobi City County. The study population was 278 tour firms obtained from the Kenya Association of Tour Operators (KATO) list where a sample of 164 tour firms were selected through the application of Yemane’s (1967) sample size formula. 10 tour firm mangers were selected for interviews. Systematic random sampling was utilized for the determination of the sample size of 164 tour firms. Semi-structured questionnaires and interview schedules were utilized as data instruments. Questionnaires were filled by tour consultants while interviews were conducted with tour firm managers. 133 respondents filled out the questionnaires representing 81% response rate while 7 interviewees were conducted representing 70% response rate. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used during data analysis. The study utilized both ANOVA and multiple regression tests to test the hypotheses, and influence between the adoption of digital technology and cost leadership strategy. The results of the R Square equals 0.919 therefore revealing that 91.9% of cost leadership is attributed to mobile applications. The study confirmed there was a statistical significance (p =.000) between mobile applications and cost leadership. Mobile applications as a digital technology tool accounted for a positive significant increase (B = 637) in cost leadership strategy. The study concluded that there is a positive strong influence between the adoption of mobile applications and cost leadership strategy. The study recommends that tour firms should fully adopt digital technologies to maximize cost control, minimize marketing costs, and promote operational efficiency