Domestic Tourism Spending Reaches GHS 6.59bn in 2023
Ghana’s domestic tourism sector generated a total expenditure of GHS 6.59 billion in 2023, driven by strong same-day and overnight travel, according to the Domestic and Outbound Tourism Survey (DOTS) fact sheet released by the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS).
The survey recorded 15,388,978 domestic tourist visits during the year, underscoring domestic travel as a key pillar of Ghana’s tourism economy and an increasingly important source of income for households, transport operators, accommodation providers and local businesses nationwide.
The DOTS forms a core component of Ghana’s tourism data architecture and provides the foundation for the Tourism Satellite Account (TSA), which measures tourism’s contribution to the broader economy. Government Statistician, Dr. Alhassan Iddrisu, said the survey delivers credible evidence to support policy formulation and investment decisions in the sector.
“The Domestic and Outbound Tourism Survey provides the statistical backbone for understanding how Ghanaians travel, spend, and engage in tourism,” Dr. Iddrisu said. “These insights are essential for effective planning and for strengthening the Tourism Satellite Account.”
According to the GSS, Ghana recorded 6.6 million domestic same-day visitors and 8.8 million domestic overnight visitors in 2023. Same-day visitors accounted for an estimated GHS 1.83 billion in expenditure, while overnight visitors spent approximately GHS 4.76 billion, highlighting the higher economic value associated with longer stays.
The survey showed that social travel continues to dominate domestic tourism patterns. Nearly 70% of same-day trips across all quarters were for visiting friends and relatives, with at least 29% linked to funerals. For overnight travel, more than 80% of trips were for visiting friends and relatives, while funerals accounted for at least 39.7% of such visits.
Travel activity remained heavily concentrated in southern Ghana. The Ashanti and Greater Accra regions emerged as the leading destinations, each recording over 300,000 same-day visitors per quarter. Both regions also received more than 250,000 overnight visitors per quarter, reflecting population density, transport connectivity and relatively better infrastructure.
Dr. Iddrisu said the findings highlight the importance of deliberately integrating domestic tourism data into national and regional development planning.
“By aligning DOTS with global statistical frameworks, Ghana is positioning tourism as a measurable and accountable contributor to economic growth,” he noted.
While domestic tourism performance remains strong, the GSS said the priority going forward is to better organise the sector and ensure that local communities capture greater value. Recommended policy actions include improving road quality and transport services along major travel corridors, supporting festivals and heritage attractions, integrating tourism data into regional planning and SME support programmes, and developing affordable travel products tailored to self-arranged domestic travellers.
The Service added that strengthening community-based tourism and building local capacity will be critical to spreading tourism benefits more evenly across the country and sustaining growth in domestic travel.
