TOURISM IN CENTRAL REGION

Available Statistics from the Ghana Tourist Board (GTB) have revealed that revenue generated by the tourism sector in 2009 was 1.6 million dollars, compared to 1.4 million dollars obtained in 2008. The statistics also indicate that 802,779 tourists arrived in the country as at the end of 2009, compared to 698,069 in 2008.  

These statistics point to a steady increase in the number of foreigners who visit Ghana and the growing significance of the tourism industry to the national economy.

The Government of Ghana has identified and designated tourism as a priority sector for economic development. Tourism is one of the fastest growing sectors of the economy. It is third to gold and cocoa in terms of foreign exchanged earnings. According to current statistics, the tourism sector is growing at the rate of about 12.5%, the fastest growing sector of the Ghanaian economy, with investments from local and foreign entrepreneurs. It's important that the people in Ghana be aware of the benefits of tourism and especially of the opportunities  there are to increase them.

The most important benefits are in the fields of job creation, socio-economic and development. Nowadays there are more than 300,000 direct formal employees. Tourists need accommodation, transport and entertainment. From a paltry 730 hotels utilized in 1998, it rose to 1,775 in 2009. This translated to 10,879 rooms occupied and 14,299 beds slept on in 1998 to 26,047 rooms occupied and 31,702 beds slept on in 2009.

Until the early nineties the tourism sector did not observe any degree of priority in the economic development planning of the country. It took 36 years after independence before Ghana got a Ministry of Tourism while other countries did this much quicker. Kenya for instance started a Ministry for Tourism from the second day after their independence in 1963.

In Ghana the Ministry of Tourism was created in 1993. It was given permission to develop, promote and coordinate all tourism activities in Ghana and after 2004 also Diaspora relations. Regarding the people in diaspora, who have their roots in West Africa and especially Ghana there are opportunities for resources mobilization and investment.

Also the Western Europeans are interested in West Africa because this part of the continent played an important role in the history of England, Denmark, The Netherlands, Portugal and France.

Not only the history about the Atlantic Slave Trade The main reasons for tourists to visit Ghana are:

1. Historic forts and castles (15th  19th century); Monuments as the castles of

    Cape Coast and  Elmina  stand as World Heritage sites designated by UNESCO;

2. Unique ecological and landscape systems featuring tropical rainforest and National

    Parks such as Kakum and Mole;

3. Pristine tropical beaches at the 540 km  of coastline. Famous beaches include Elmina and Busua;

4. Unique cultural heritage featuring a calendar of festivals rich in ancient traditions

    and artisan excellence such as goldsmithing, woodcarving, bead making, pottery,

    fabrics (kent weaving)  and fine painting;

5. It is a known fact that tourist assess security situations of destinations before travel

decisions are made. Until now Ghana is known for his warm, friendly and hospitable people and the fact that Ghana is a safe country with democratic institutions.

6. Until now Ghana is attractive because there is still no mass-tourism.

So the opportunities are big, but there is a lot to do before all the possibilities can be utilized. One of the reports claims that 80 percent of the possibilities are unused, so it is clear there is a lot of work to be done

International Tourism Investment Forum would review the institutional structures of tourism, including the private and public sector organizations, and coordinate its mechanisms, tourism legislation and regulations, and tourism manpower planning and development. The sector needed to re-package its side attractions that would help develop and enhance the internal infrastructure to support the tourism industry. The sector should be adequately resourced to run adverts in both the domestic and international media to create awareness and to attract more tourists to invest in the country. 

There is also the need for the provision of good roads to the tourist sites nationwide for easy access.tourists to visit Ghana. One of the most used guidebook by tourists from abroad is the Ghana Bradt guide, which in the introduction of the guidebook edition 2010  the writer Philip Briggs describes Ghana in this way: “Not only can Ghana, like Malawi, be recommended without reservation to even the most nervous of first-time independent travelers for being as amiable, affordable and hassle-free as practically any country on the African continent; just as importantly, Ghana boasts a travel circuit so varied and compact that it might almost be seen as offering a microcosmic first taste of Africa. 

The southern part of Ghana is much as you'd expect of West Africa, all lush jungle, banana plantations, and picture-postcard beaches, albeit with a unique dimension in the form of the string of 500-year-old European forts and castles that line the former Gold Coast. But the real surprises begin as you travel further north to the game-rich savanna of Mole Park, a setting that evokes East Africa more than West Africa, or to the deeply Muslim Burkina Faso border region, where both mood and architecture have unexpected overtones of North Africa”.

-Ap te Winkel (Projects Abroad)