The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) says that a total of 901,448 international visitors spent about GH¢15.42 billion between October 2022 and September 2023.
According to the figures released by the GSS in the first-ever Ghana International Travellers’ Survey (GITS), the exercise provided a baseline to measure the economic impact of tourism on Ghana’s national economy.
The survey, which distinguished between same-day and overnight visitors, found that the vast majority, 888,584, were overnight guests.
It observed that these longer-stay visitors were the primary drivers of tourism expenditure, contributing GH¢15.18 billion. The remaining 12,864 same-day visitors spent approximately GH¢24 million, highlighting a previously unmeasured segment of the tourism market.
Dr. Alhassan Iddrisu, the Government Statistician, said in the report’s preface that the findings were crucial for evidence-based policymaking.
“Tourism is one of Ghana’s most dynamic sectors, with the power to create jobs, drive regional integration, and showcase our rich cultural heritage,” he wrote, emphasizing that the role of same-day visitors has been historically overlooked, noting,
“Their economic footprint is striking,” he said.
According to the report, the profile of visitors showed distinct patterns with males consistently outnumbered females across all age groups,
It noted that adults aged 36-64 were the largest cohort, while overnight visitors, “Visiting friends and relatives was the main purpose of travel… in all quarters, except for Q4 2022, where Business and Professional travel dominated, accounting for 46.9 per cent.” In contrast, a higher proportion of same-day visitors were in transit, particularly in the latter part of the survey period.
The report Daily Graphic stated that the survey also pinpointed the most popular tourist attractions. For same-day visitors, key sites included the Bisa Abrewa Museum, Cape Coast Castle, the National Museum, and the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, while overnight visitors frequented Independence Square & Arts Center, the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, and Cape Coast Castle.
Regionally, visitors from West Africa dominated, with Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, and Liberia being the top source countries for same-day trips.
The report concludes with targeted policy recommendations, including a proposed “Visit Ghana in a Day” campaign to attract short-haul regional visitors and investments in border facilities to enhance the visitor experience. The GITS is a cornerstone for developing Ghana’s first Tourism Satellite Account (TSA), which will formally quantify the sector’s contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
GIK/APA.