The Influence of Scenic Beauty Investment on Competitive Advantage in Kenya’s Adventure Tourism Sector
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70619/vol6iss4pp13-26-894Keywords:
Adventure tourism, scenic beauty, competitive advantage, hiking trails, KenyaAbstract
Despite Kenya's exceptional natural assets, the strategic role of scenic beauty investment in creating sustained competitive advantage within adventure tourism has not been adequately examined. Consequently, the extent to which scenic resources function as strategic assets capable of driving destination competitiveness has received limited empirical attention. This study examined the impact of scenic beauty investment on competitive advantage within Kenya’s adventure tourism sector, utilizing a theoretical framework that integrated the Resource-Based View (RBV) and Expectation Disconfirmation Theory (EDT). The research sought to determine whether natural aesthetics functioned merely as a baseline requirement or as a strategic resource capable of driving long-term differentiation. Employing a convergent mixed-methods research design, primary data were gathered from 400 active hikers across Kenya’s primary trail regions in Greater Nairobi and the Central Highlands. These quantitative data were complemented by qualitative insights from semi-structured interviews conducted with twelve key stakeholders, including trail operators and tourism officials. Quantitative analysis via Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) indicated that scenic beauty was a statistically significant and substantively strong predictor of competitive advantage (β = 0.522, p < .001), with the final structural model explaining 53.1% of the variance. Qualitative findings further highlighted that while Kenya's scenic resources were a primary competitive asset, fragmented governance and inconsistent service standards hindered the sector's full potential. The study concluded that scenic beauty functioned as a "strategic resource" that necessitated active management. The study recommended institutionalizing structured scenic resource management frameworks, including national trail grading systems and policies aimed at protecting visual capital as a strategic tourism asset.
References
Ahmad, M., & Wilkins, S. (2025). Purposive sampling in qualitative research: A framework for the entire journey. Quality & Quantity, 59(2), 1461–1479. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-024-02022-5
Barney, J. B., & Hesterly, W. S. (2020). Strategic management and competitive advantage: Concepts and cases (6th ed.). Pearson.
Boatbil, E., Yorose, P., & Yiran, A. (2024). Exploring community participation at ecotourism sites in the Upper East Region, Ghana. Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Studies, 15(1), 33–50.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2021). Thematic analysis: A practical guide. Sage Publications.
Chin, C. H., Chan, W. C., Ming, L., & Chin, C. L. (2025). Revealing the competitiveness of rural tourism: Exploring tangible and intangible resources in Sarawak (Malaysia) and Henan Province (China). GeoJournal of Tourism and Geosites, 58(1), 18–31. https://doi.org/10.30892/gtg.58102-1387
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2022). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (6th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Dewu, S., & Nyaupane, G. P. (2023). Tourist signage and visitor experience: A sustainability perspective. Sustainability, 15(23), 16251. https://doi.org/10.3390/su152216251
Durydiwka, M., Zajadacz, A., & Duda-Gromada, K. (2023). Tourist use of Rwanda national parks in the context of sustainable development: Selected aspects. Prace i Studia Geograficzne, 67(3), 105–126. https://doi.org/10.48128/pisg/2022-67.3-06
Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(1), 39–50. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224378101800104
Hair, J. F., Jr., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2022). A primer on partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications.
Huang, Q., Xia, L., Li, Q., & Xia, Y. (2024). Evaluating the attraction of scenic spots based on tourism trajectory entropy. Entropy (Basel), 26(7), 607. https://doi.org/10.3390/e26070607
Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). (2024). Sustainable tourism master plan (STMP) 2024–2034: A framework for regional sustainable tourism development. IGAD Secretariat. https://igad.int/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/IGAD-STMP-2024-2024_v1C.pdf
Kahangirwe, P., Vanclay, F., & Arts, J. (2025). Using environmental and social impact assessment to improve tourism infrastructure projects in protected areas: Green tourism in the Kalinzu Central Forest Reserve in Uganda. Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/09640568.2025.2539347
Kenya Tourism Board. (2024). Annual tourism sector performance report. Kenya Tourism Board.
Lukoseviciute, G., Nobre Pereira, L., & Panagopoulos, T. (2023). Economic and social impacts of hiking tourism: A systematic literature review. Sustainability, 15(3), 2286. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15032286
Ministry of Tourism & Wildlife. (2022). National tourism blueprint 2030: Adventure tourism development framework. Government of Kenya.
National Park Service. (2024). Visual quality best practices: Tools for managing scenic resources and visitor experience. U.S. Department of the Interior, NPS Visual Resources Program. https://npshistory.com/publications/air-quality/visual-quality-bp.pdf
Ng, S. I. (2024). Strategic trail investment and destination attractiveness: Evidence from Asia-Pacific hiking circuits. Journal of Destination Marketing and Management, 32, 100891.
Noor, N., & Sharma, D. (2024). Sustainable tourism service quality and visitor experience: An empirical investigation. Tourism Management Perspectives, 49, 101198.
Oliver, R. L. (1977). Effect of expectation and disconfirmation on postexposure product evaluation: An alternative interpretation. Journal of Applied Psychology, 62(4), 480–486.
Oliver, R. L. (1980). A cognitive model of the antecedents and consequences of satisfaction decisions. Journal of Marketing Research, 17(4), 460–469. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224378001700405
Orden-Mejia, M., Gomez-Suarez, M., & Crespo-Almodovar, M. (2025). Trail quality and visitor loyalty in nature tourism. Tourism Management, 103, 104915.
Penrose, E. T. (1959). The theory of the growth of the firm. Wiley.
Richard, M. (2024). Sustainable tourism practices and community resilience in coastal Kenya. African Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Management, 3(1), 14–27.
Schiebler, S. A., Lee, H. J., & Brodbeck, J. (2024). Expectation disconfirmation and destination satisfaction: A meta-analysis. Journal of Travel Research, 63(2), 315–334.
The following three citations are also missing, but the manuscript does not provide sufficient information to construct complete APA references:
Tourism Research Institute. (2025). [Insert the exact title of the report]. Tourism Research Institute.
Travel and Trade Association. (2022). [Insert the exact title of the report or publication]. Travel and Trade Association.
Trišić, I., Nechita, F., Milojković, D., & Štetić, S. (2023). Sustainable tourism in protected areas: Application of the prism of sustainability model. Sustainability, 15(6), 5148. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15065148
Wernerfelt, B. (1984). A resource-based view of the firm. Strategic Management Journal, 5(2), 171–180. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.4250050207
World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). (2023). Tourism and rural development: A policy perspective. UNWTO. https://doi.org/10.18111/9789284424306
World Tourism Organization. (2022). [Insert the exact title of the trail management standards or report]. UNWTO.
World Travel & Tourism Council. (2025). Travel and tourism economic impact 2025: Kenya. WTTC Publications.
Woyo, E., & Slabbert, E. (2021). Unpacking the motivation for visiting a destination characterised by instability. Journal of Tourism and Cultural Change, 19(1), 102–121.
Yamane, T. (1967). Statistics: An introductory analysis (2nd ed.). Harper & Row.
Yuwono, A., Santoso, A., Riadi, E., & Kusuma, B. (2024). Expectation disconfirmation, experience quality, and visitor satisfaction in ecotourism. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 21(3), 412.
Zhou, X., Liu, J., Wang, M., Li, X., & Cheng, S. (2023). Trends and motivations in hiking tourism: Global patterns and emerging markets. Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism, 41, 100578.
Zhu, H., Davis, C., & Carr, A. (2021). Natural landscape aesthetics and visitor experience in nature-based tourism: A New Zealand case study. Journal of Ecotourism, 20(3), 218–236.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Jane Muthoni Gatonye, Catherine Njoki Chege, Samuel Macharia
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
