Is Ghana the next big tourist destination for 2021-2027?
What is the president of Ghana doing to boost the tourism sector? ✔️ set up of 15 projects ✔️marketing though African diaspora celebrities
Ghana is being heralded as the next big tourist destination
A few years back, Ghana launched a long-term tourism plan of about 15 years. The goal of this strategic plan was to boost the annual visits by tourists. By 2027, the country projects that it will have increased the yearly records from 1 million to 8 million. The plan is also estimated to generate $8.3 billion as annual tourism revenue by the year 2027.
In 2020, Ghana’s president, Nana Akufo-Addo, held a meeting with some top African-diaspora celebrities, including Luvvie Ajayi, Mike Hill, Naomi Campbell, and Idris Elba. This was a strategy to market Ghana as a tourist destination in the African region. The guests took part in trips, festivities, and conferences to discover Ghana’s sobering and unique heritage.
This year, the country will be hosting the Inter Tourism Expo in September, themed ‘Experience Ghana, Share Ghana.’ All these events are aimed at strengthening the existing ties between Ghana, other African countries, and the world. Over 400 years ago, the Trans-Atlantic slave trade saw many Africans taken to America as slaves. Of all the slaves from the West African region, 75% were taken from Ghana; therefore, the country has many people with Ghanaian heritage.
President Akufo-Addo also announced the Year of Return which defines the tragic legacy of Ghana. For this reason, the country’s descendants who live in the diaspora were called upon to return home to learn about their history.
Among the events attended by celebrities was a tour around the slave dungeons. Boris Kodjoe, one of the event organizers and a Ghanaian in diaspora, noted that all individuals of color needed to participate in the pilgrimage by visiting the slave dungeons and experiencing the journey that Ghana experienced.
Ghana has a rich history of pursuing ties with Africans abroad. The first president, Kwame Nkrumah was a pan-Africanist who fostered alliances with communities in the diaspora. He enjoyed lasting relations with people like Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali, who are African-American icons. They both traveled to Ghana to meet Nkrumah. Maya Angelou, a renowned poet, who lived part of her life in Ghana. W.E.B Du Bois, who was a civil rights leader, was buried in Accra.
There is a series of activities that the Ghanaian government has put in place as incentives for diaspora returnees. For example, the Right of Abode law of 2000 has allowed individuals with African ties to apply and stay in Ghana indefinitely. The Joseph Project of 2007 was also designed to encourage Africans to travel back to their country. By 2014, almost 3000 African-Americans had traveled back and settled in Ghana, meaning the initiatives were bearing some fruits.
But why visit Ghana? Apart from the many projects that the government is working on to boost tourism, there are still endless destinations and sites to visit when touring Ghana. These include national parks such as the Kakum National Park, Lakeside Marina Park, Kumasi Zoological Gardens, and Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park and Mausoleum.
For tourists who prefer spending some time at leisure and entertainment facilities, Ghana has tons of luxury hotels and land-based casinos. Some of the best casino hotels in Ghana include Casino Gold Hotel, La-Palm Royal Beach Hotel, and Raybow International Hotel. Staying at these hotels gives you the privilege to either play at the casinos in the facility or enjoy a relaxing time in your room while playing on online casinos from your laptop or mobile device.
There are numerous online casinos accessible from Ghana. Apart from the convenience of playing from the comfort of your room, these casinos also have impressive online casino bonuses available in September, that gives you additional bankroll to play with. These casino offers include welcome bonuses, deposit bonuses, no deposit bonuses, and VIP bonuses. Be sure to check the terms and conditions of the bonus offered at your preferred online casino.
The coastal region is another magnificent destination for visitors who prefer the cool, humid weather and the breezy offshore. Some of the gorgeous beaches in Ghana include; Ankobra beach, Cape Three Points, Labadi Beach, and Cape Coast and Elmina. Along these stunning eco-beaches, you will discover the unique indigenous culture and traditional lifestyles of Ghanaians.