Tourism: Ghana rakes in $3.8bn from international arrivals in 2023
Total receipts from international arrivals into Ghana grew to $3.8bn in 2023.
This is up from the $2.5bn total receipts recorded in the previous year – 2022.
According to the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, international arrivals to Ghana rose from 914,892 in 2022 to 1,148,002 in 2023.
Making the disclosure at the GIPC’s Q2 2024 CEO’s Breakfast Meeting themed, “Regulatory Framework for Tourism Infrastructure and its Growth” on Thursday, May 16, 2024, the President’s representative at the Ministry of Tourism, Andrew Egyaper Mercer, highlighted the need for a regulatory framework to develop the country’s tourism infrastructure.
According to him, in an era where travel has become more open and integral to economies around the world, particularly the Ghanaian economy, the demand for effective governance and regulation in shaping the country’s tourism infrastructure cannot be over-emphasized.
“The Ministry exists to create a conducive environment for sustainable growth and development of tourism, arts, and culture to contribute to GDP through effective and efficient use of appropriate policies, plans, programmes, and projects.
“Hence, without a strong regulatory framework, the very essence of sustainable tourism can be compromised as a well-defined regulatory framework will provide the necessary structure to manage the sensitive balance between economic development and environmental preservation.
“The regulatory framework can also facilitate innovation and investment in tourism infrastructure,” quipped the Chief Director of the Tourism Ministry, John Agbeko who spoke on behalf of Mr Egyaper Mercer.
Also speaking at the Breakfast Meeting was the CEO of the GIPC, Yofi Grant, who called on investors to invest more into the country’s tourism infrastructure given the sector’s myriad and untapped profit-making potential.
The Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry, Stephen Amoah on his part, noted that the reduced corporate income tax of 22% for tourism-related businesses in the country, forms part of the many measures the Government has put in place to support the growth of the sector.
Adding that stakeholders in the tourism industry should do more to attract tourists within the sub-region.
In 2022, the global tourism industry witnessed a remarkable resurgence as international tourism receipts surged to a historic $1 trillion.
This impressive figure marked a substantial growth of 50% in real terms compared to the preceding year – 2021.
International visitor spending made a robust comeback reaching 64% of pre-pandemic levels.
The African Continent recorded receipts of $550bn which was 87% of pre-pandemic levels.
