Cluster-based market segmentation of tourists in Kenya's north RIFT highlands

Kenya remains a nature-based tourism destination with wildlife concentrated in southern part of the country and beaches along the Indian Ocean. To spread tourism to other regions, the country has been divided into eight tourist circuits with diverse attractions. It is expected that each circuit appeals to unique markets. Perhaps it would be futile for the country to target a common market for these circuits. The objective of this study was to segment the tourist market for the North Rift Highlands, part of the Western Kenya Tourist Circuit, basing on the purpose of visit. Clusterbased analysis utilized information from 206 tourist respondents randomly selected through multi-stage sampling technique. The major segment in North Rift Highlands was found to be Sports, followed by the Holiday segment. Tourists to the region were also found to mostly originate from Germany, and were independent. These findings are not congruent with those of other regions, signifying that destinations within Kenya match certain unique demands that require target marketing.