Abstract:
The main purpose of the study was to examine the role of sporting activities in
developing tourism. The study sought to establish the effect of sporting activities on
tourism development in Nairobi. The researcher also sought to determine the factors
influencing the development of sports tourism. The research sought to assess the
opportunities for diversification of sporting activities for the benefit of tourism
development. He also sought to determine the challenges facing the development of
sports tourism in Nairobi. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design that
targeted stakeholders in the sporting arena in the county of Nairobi. The study
targeted sports managers and sports tourists in Nairobi region. Purposive sampling
technique was used to select the sample size of 20 sports managers who were
interviewed while stratified random sampling was used to select the 162 sport tourists.
The data was analysed using descriptive statistics and Chi square. The research
findings are presented using tables and graphs. 65% of the tourists visited the
attraction sites each time they were in Nairobi for sports. It is important to note that
80% of the interviewed sports stakeholders held the opinion that sporting activities in
Nairobi County have an impact on tourism development. 14% of the stakeholders
advised the sports tourists to visit Kenyatta International Convention Centre. 65% of
the sports tourists admitted to have bought accommodation and transport services.
The main factor influencing the development of sports tourism was sports policy
which had χ 2 of 39.594 and a significance of 0.07. 13.65% of the tourists stated that
the current existing sports facilities would cater mostly for football and rugby. The
results revealed that 43% of the sports tourists reiterated that upgrading the existing
sporting facilities would ensure diversification of sporting activities. Most of the
tourists (50%) stated that Nairobi was a very popular sporting destination which
portrays its potential for more sporting activities in future. Insecurity was regarded as
the key impediment to the development of sports tourism (55%). In conclusion,
sporting activities play a pivotal role in the development of tourism in Nairobi
County. Key recommendations from the study were the improvement of security,
marketing of sports tourism destinations, stakeholder cooperation, government
intervention and formulation of proper policies on sports tourism.
