Source: Global Network
(AUTHOR: WEST AFRICAN RESEARCH CENTER TEAM, UNIVERSITY OF ELECTRONIC SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY OF CHINA, WRITTEN BY ABRIGAIL AKPO
(Team member of the West African Research Center, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China) 【West Africa Talk】Issue 17, 66th issue in 2022. Translator: Zhao Yunhan (Foreign Chinese College); Proofreader: Chen Siyu (Foreign Chinese College); Finishing: Huang Rui (School of Public Administration), Meng Yaqi (School of Public Administration); Contribution: West African Research Center Team, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China)Ghana's tourism industry and its contribution to the economy
I. Introduction
Around the 80s of the 20th century, Ghana's tourism industry was already a source of income for the country's society. The Rollins government saw an opportunity and set itself the goal of promoting Ghanaian culture and turning cultural benefits into economic gain. As a result, Ghana Air Force Capt. and former President Rollinsjere John Rawlings began to list heritage tourism as one of the ways to boost Ghana's economic development. At its Rollins initiative, Ghana's forts and castles were turned into tourist heritage sites. In the 80s of the 20th century, Ghana's main exports were cocoa, gold and timber. Therefore, the idea of developing tourism was unexpected at the time, but former President Rawlings, in cooperation with several ministers, supported the promotion of cultural heritage, such as fortresses and castles, natural heritage, performances and the arts, including the Pan-African Cultural Festival. The Ghana Tourism Board independently manages the tourism industry and is therefore responsible for hosting local tourism-related events. Ghana aspires to become a highly internationally competitive and high-quality tourist destination by working together, attracting investment, actively marketing and protecting the country's extensive cultural, historical and environmental heritage. Ghana's rapid tourism industry has contributed to the country's development.
Tourism is the third largest contributor to Ghana's GDP. Tourism has been driving the growth of Ghana's economy since its development in the 80s of the 20th century, and the tourism industry has benefited from increasing foreign direct investment every year. With growing interest in Ghana as one of the world's tourist destinations, the government seized the opportunity to launch the Year of Return in 2019 targeting the African diaspora, which is becoming a blueprint for future tourism promotion activities. In addition, in order to promote the development of domestic tourism, Ghana also plans to expand popular tourism categories, such as surfing and other water sports, opening historical sites, and establishing national parks and animal sanctuaries, as a way to help the country's West African countries attract different tourists in the future.
Ghana is one of the most popular tourist destinations in West Africa. As an English-speaking country, Ghana has most visitors from the United States, Nigeria, and the United Kingdom. In 2020, for example, more than 39,000 Americans traveled to Ghana. Ghana has also seen a large number of tourists arrive this year, most of them to visit family, trade or on holiday.
2. Different tourist attractions/tourism resources in Ghana
1. Heritage tourism
The Pan-African Cultural Festival is a major event for heritage tourism in Ghana. The festival is a cultural gathering aimed at promoting the development of Africa. Pan-African cultural festivals are held mainly in the central Ghanaian cities of Ermina and Cape Coast, which were once home to the country's largest slave trade fortresses. The whole celebration will last eight to nine days, and the festival's activities include carnival days, overseas trips home, speeches about women and youth, naming ceremonies for diasporas, etc. The festival received financial support from the Rollins government as a result of its capital investment. In fact, Rollins has worked hard to promote tourism in Ghana, bringing wealth to Ghana through the development of international cultural festivals such as the Pan-African Cultural Festival.
2. Historical tourism
Ghana's historical tourist attractions include Elmina Castle, Cape Coast Castle, and the Mahi Palace Museum, which exhibits historical artifacts and sites about the kings of the Ashanti Kingdom. In addition, the Larabanga Mosque in Ghana is one of the oldest mosques in West Africa.
Ghana has unique natural landmarks or eco-friendly landmarks. Its wildlife is rich in species: 222 species of mammals, 128 species of reptiles, 38 species of amphibians and 721 species of birds. Ghana also has 20 national parks and reserves, representing about 5% of the total land area. There are sandy beaches along Route 540; waterfalls such as Kintambo Falls, Wall-E Falls and Bodi Falls; Lakes such as Lake Bosumvi and Lake Vota and animal sanctuaries such as the Vecchio Hippo Sanctuary, Paga Crocodile Pond, Mohr National Park and Monkey Sanctuary. In addition, Ghana also has the Akosombo Dam, conference facilities, casinos, art galleries, colorful nightlife, hotels and other man-made leisure attractions, paragliding, water sports, football, boxing, golf and other sports and leisure tourism activities.
3. The contribution of tourism to employment in Ghana
Ghana's tourism sector is expected to provide more than 272,000 jobs as of 2020, largely due to the fast-growing tourism industry. In terms of direct employment contribution, the sector contributed 4.2 per cent. Although this percentage is lower than in previous years, the continued focus on tourism is still the driving force behind the industry. To boost the country's tourism industry, the Ghanaian government also launched the 2019 Year of Return to mark the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first enslaved Africans in Jamestown. The event is open to visitors from all over the world, and Ghana's economy has been further developed. In 2019, Ghana's GDP increased tourism revenue by $3.7 billion.
In recent years, Ghana has seen a significant increase in the number of hotels and other accommodation facilities available to tourists. However, due to the pandemic, the number of accommodation decreased significantly in 2020. In the same year, more than 3,500 Ghanaian businesses had permits to provide accommodation services, and tourists stayed for an average of 8 to 14 days, most of them in three- to five-star hotels. In 2022, Ambassador Hotel Swissen and Golden Tulip Hotel had the largest number of hotel rooms in the Greater Accra region, including the country's capital, with an average of more than 230 rooms per hotel. In 2020, food and beverage accommodation contributed a total of almost 3.9 billion Ghanaian shidi, or approximately US$520 million, to Ghana's GDP.
4. Tourism initiatives and actions after the new crown epidemic
Ghana's tourism industry is slowly overcoming the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and will continue to attract foreign investment and make a significant contribution to Ghana's GDP. With its famous historical sites, 334 miles of Atlantic coastline, some of West Africa's most beautiful beaches, national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, Ghana is further strengthening its tourism infrastructure and services. In addition, Ghana has more potential to be tapped in specialized industries such as ecotourism, water parks and other recreational centres, as well as water sports such as surfing.
According to Ghana's Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, 1 million foreign tourists are expected to arrive in Ghana in 2022. International tourism is particularly important for the recovery of Ghana's local hotel industry. There are about 800,000 domestic tourists visiting Ghana each year (this figure is relatively stable). The Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture estimates that the hotel industry will generate $2.3 billion in turnover this year, up from $2.1 billion in 2021, the year of the tightest travel difficulties and restrictions caused by the coronavirus.
In order to attract European and foreign tourists to Ghana, Ghanaian President Akufo Addo launched a new tourism promotion program in London called "Travel to Ghana". Local hotels and people involved in Ghana's tourism industry are also re-examining and evaluating their marketing plans. "Journey to Ghana" is a follow-up to the year-long "Year of Return 2019" campaign program to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first documented enslaved Africans in the British colony of Virginia. The second phase of the Beyond Return campaign, originally scheduled to start in 2020, was postponed due to the pandemic. It is worth mentioning that the historical sites along the coast of Cape Town in Ghana have always been favored by Americans and other global diaspora.
The Ghanaian government said it has lifted some coronavirus-related travel requirements, as has the $150 antigen test required upon arrival in Ghana. Today, the requirement to travel to Ghana is to obtain a complete COVID vaccination document authorized by the Ghana Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
A list of images of popular tourist attractions in Ghana