Kenya Community Based Tourism Network
The Kenya Community Based Tourism Network (KECOBAT) was launched in August 2003 as a membership umbrella organization representing the interest of Community Based Tourism (CBT) Organizations in Kenya. It aims to facilitate information sharing; delivering appropriate technical support and advisory services; mediating and lobbying their interests to government and other relevant institutions and thereby integrating community concerns into national tourism.
KECOBAT Network can be regarded as a “trade association” representing the poorest sections of the tourism sector. By being the central point of contact, KECOBAT links between these, often-inaccessible, communities with the government, the private sector, NGO’s, donors and training institutions thereby making it easier and less time consuming to work with.
KECOBAT’s aim is to create a forum that afford communities grappling with tourism challenges work with one voice and purpose by empowering them to mobilize their own capacities, learn from each other, effectively manage their resources and thereby make informed decisions to control activities that affect their lives and their environment in order to make them actors rather than passive subjects in the tourism industry.
