Tourism
From The Report: Ghana 2022
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As the third-largest contributor to GDP and a recipient of increasing levels of foreign investment each year, tourism is an important driver of economic growth in Ghana. International arrivals reached 411,000 in the first nine months of 2021, outpacing the 355,000 arrivals seen in 2020 – hinting at a recovery from the pandemic. The country also has the potential to boost its domestic tourism – as well as to develop niche tourism segments such as surfing and other water sports – by leveraging interest in its more well-known historical sites, national parks and wildlife reserves. Taken together, these efforts are expected to help the West African county attract a diverse demographic of visitors in the coming years.

This chapter contains an interview with Akwasi Agyeman, CEO, Ghana Tourism Authority.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Emerging destination: A reopening of borders and concerted outreach programmes support the sector’s post-pandemic recovery
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Tourism is an important driver of economic growth in Ghana, as the third-largest GDP contributor and recipient of increasing levels of foreign investment each year. The Year of Return campaign for 2019, appealing to the diaspora population, was a success and is seen as a blueprint for future tourism marketing campaigns to build upon the growing international awareness of Ghana as a tourist destination. The country also has the potential to boost its domestic tourism – as well as to develop niche…

Analysis

Homeward bound: Focus on domestic tourism and promoting Ghana as a destination
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Tourism in Ghana – as was the case in the rest of the world – was negatively affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, which led to widespread health restrictions and limited the ability of people to move across borders for business or leisure travel. Globally, the number of international tourist arrivals decreased by 74% in 2020 compared to 2019 levels. The decline was as high as 80-90% in developing countries. In this sense, Ghana fared comparatively better, with the number of foreign tourists falling…

Interview

Diversified offerings: Akwasi Agyeman, CEO, Ghana Tourism Authority, on catering to local preferences and adapting to a post-pandemic environment
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Interview:Akwasi Agyeman How has the Covid-19 pandemic impacted Ghana’s tourism sector, and what do you see will be necessary to support recovery? AKWASI AGYEMAN: Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic Ghana was focused on developing heritage and diaspora tourism and attracting tourists from the US in particular, while also taking steps to promote domestic tourism. International visitor numbers trended upwards in recent years, peaking at 1.1m in 2019. Meanwhile, the number of domestic tourists…