The Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya

1.    Introduction

This is an individual portfolio of the Maasai Mara National Reserve (the Mara hereafter) located in Kenya. I visited the Mara in August 2019 and enjoyed the complete and stunning experience offered by this top tourist destination in Africa. In this portfolio, I will provide a critical and evaluative account of the design and experience management of the Mara by drawing upon the four realms of experience (entertainment, educational, escapist, and aesthetic) as proposed by Pine and Gilmore (1998).

The Mara is located in Narok, south-west Kenya and is among Africa’s largest wild reserves. Contiguous with the Serengeti National Park locate in Tanzania, the Mara forms one of Africa’s most spectacular, diverse, and incredible ecosystems and perhaps the world’s leading safari big game sight-seeing ecosystems. It is famous for its diverse populations of wildlife, including lions, cheetahs, African leopards, and African bush elephants, as well as the Great Migration that is one of the seven wonders of the world. This individual portfolio will provide a detailed analysis of the breath-taking experience offered by the Mara with respect to the tourism industry.