Ghana's Ministry of Tourism Arts and Culture (MoTAC) and Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) have announced a bold target of 1.2 million international tourist arrivals and 1.2 million domestic tourists for the 2023 operational year.
According to the Minister for Tourism, Dr Ibrahim Mohammed Awal, the industry will create 150,000 jobs for young people across all sub-sectors.
He stated that this target if achieved, would represent a significant jump from 2022 figures, where international tourist arrivals grew by 46.7% from 623,523 in 2021 to 914,892 in 2022.
The minister projected that this growth trend will continue, with estimated revenue for 2023 expected to hit US$3.4 billion, up from the US$2 billion realized in 2022.
Dr Awal expressed hope that Ghana will achieve the international arrivals target of two million by 2025 with over US$5.2 billion in revenue adding that "This would surpass key sectors, including mining, cocoa, oil, and gas sectors."
He stressed that although Ghana's arrivals recovery stands at 81%, significantly higher than the African average, and around that of recovery levels for European markets, there is still more that can be done to attract tourists and further deepen the sector's growth and progress.
The Chief Executive Officer, Mr Akwasi Agyeman noted that Tourism data played a very vital role in policy formulation and measuring return on investments.
However, achieving these ambitious targets will require continuous investment in infrastructure, marketing, and training to ensure that Ghana can compete with other destinations in the region.
He announced that GTA's 50th-anniversary celebration, spanning from April to August 2023, will include various activities such as Kwahu Paragliding Festival, May Day celebrations across the country, staff bonding activities, a tourism summit chaired by the president.
Others include health screening, blood donation and launch of retiree association, a tour of key sites and attractions, Panafest and Emancipation Day in July, and an Industry Games to climax the celebrations in August.
