Kakum National Park records over 8,000 visitors in three-weeks
The Kakum National Park has recorded a total of 8,092 tourists’ from Wednesday, December 1, to Monday, December 20, 2021.
This represents a 51 per cent increase over the 5,735 recorded over the same period in 2020.
Mr Isadore Armah, Executive Director of the Ghana Heritage Conservation Trust (GHCT), co-managers of the facility, revealed this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency on Thursday.
Though the facility accrued GH¢3.2 million revenue in 2019 as against a sharp decline to GH¢1.76 million in 2020, due to the COVID-19 outbreak, and was hopeful of increasing the revenue generation this year.
IHe said the facility has revised its 10,000 targeted local and international tourists’ visits in December to 15,000.
‘This year had seen an increase in visits from 3,818 in January to 69,304 as of December 20, 2021, as compared to 53,706 and 141,190 it recorded in 2020 and 2019 respectively.
Mr Armah attributed the feat to the on-going Christmas celebration, rehabilitation of the Childrens’ Park and the facility’s commitment to provide excellent customer flexible payment modules as well as the upgraded reservation facilities which had attracted tourists.
There is also strict adherence to COVID-19 safety protocols, coupled with various pre-booking platforms outlined by the Ghana Tourism Authority to attract local and international visitors during festivals.
He recounted the ravaging impact of COVID-19 on their activities on the onset of the outbreak of the pandemic, which led to the cancellation of all scheduled visits largely by foreigners and the subsequent closure of the facility.
Indirectly, the closure also affected other interdependent activities, including hotels, restaurants, traders and communities and persons who derived their livelihoods from the operations of the facility.
Except for the labourers and security guards manning the forest reserve and the facility, all other employees were at home for some months during the onset of the outbreak.
Mr Armah was optimistic that the travel and tourism enterprise will bounce back in the coming years as the GHCT had prepared to promote the preservation and conservation of Ghana’s historic, cultural and natural heritage sites.
Located 30km north of Cape Coast, the Kakum National Park, an ecotourism paradise which offers visitors a unique walk on its magnificent Canopy Walkway, the park’s best-known feature among the many delights.
The unique canopy walkway allows hikers to experience a portion of the jungle usually reserved for climbers and fliers with eight bridges suspended in the sky, 333-metre-long, 40 metres above the forest floor with over 300 year old tree species.
Source: GNA