Tourism
From The Report: Ghana 2020
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Ghana’s tourism sector is playing an increasingly important role in the country’s development, contributing to both economic growth and job creation. The results of the World Economic Forum’s “Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2019” indicate that Ghana has significant opportunity to build competitiveness through its history, culture and abundance of natural sites, raising the country’s international profile as a tourism destination. Tourism provides a significant source of foreign exchange in Ghana, contributing to the government’s tax revenue, economic growth and job opportunities. The Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture estimated that the sector accounted for 4.9% of GDP in 2018, making it the fourth-largest contributor after cocoa, gold and oil. Tourism supported 602,425 direct and indirect jobs that year, up 10% compared to 2017, when the sector employed 550,000 people. This chapter also contains an interview with Akwasi Agyeman, CEO, Ghana Tourism Authority.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Competitive destination: The country seeks to transform its tourism offering to attract investment and increase visitor numbers
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Ghana’s tourism sector is playing an increasingly important role in the country’s development, contributing to both economic growth and job creation. The results of the World Economic Forum’s “Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2019” indicate that Ghana has significant opportunity to build competitiveness through its history, culture and abundance of natural sites, raising the country’s international profile as a tourism destination. Performance Tourism provides a significant…

Interview

Returning to the roots: Akwasi Agyeman, CEO, Ghana Tourism Authority, on tapping into the diaspora and domestic market to fuel growth
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Interview:Akwasi Agyeman How will the Year of Return initiative have an impact on tourism and entertainment in Ghana? AKWASI AGYEMAN: The Year of Return is part of a re-awakening in terms of our engagement with the African diaspora. We have seen an increase in not only the number of arrivals, but also in interest from the media, celebrities and investors. While the project was initially limited to a period of time and focused primarily on visitors from the US, we are now looking to continue…

Analysis

Homeward-bound: Year of Return campaign encourages members of the African diaspora to engage with Ghana’s history and culture
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In September 2018 President Nana Akufo-Addo declared 2019 the Year of Return, in acknowledgement of the 400-year anniversary of the first enslaved Africans arriving in Jamestown, Virginia. The campaign aims to encourage tourism while also reconnecting members of the African diaspora with the continent, creating a tradition of homecoming for both international visitors and returning Ghanaians. President Akufo-Addo’s announcement highlighted Ghana’s legacy as a reason for descendants to…

Analysis

Cross-border connections: Many African governments are taking steps to promote regional integration and intra-continental tourism
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Africa’s tourism sector is booming. With a growth rate of 5.6% in 2018, compared with the global average of 3.9%, the continent is home to the second-fasted expanding tourism industry in the world, after the Asia-Pacific region. Representing 8.5% of the continent’s GDP, tourism contributed a total of $194.2bn to African economies in 2018. Multiple governments have recognised the importance of tourism to their countries’ economic well-being. Many of them – particularly Kenya, Rwanda…