In order to increase the number of international arrivals to Ghana to one million visitors and cement Ghana’s Pan African legacy, the President, Nana Akufo-Addo, in August 2018, officially launched the Year of Return, Ghana 2019.
According to the Minister of Tourism, Barbara Oteng Gyasi, the Minister under whose watch the project was executed, the ministry accrued revenue of $3,312 billion for the year 2019 due to the project.
Breaking down the figures, the Minister said that international arrivals reached 1.13 million, from 956,372 in 2018, a 27% growth, which was above the global average of 5%, while average expenditure per tourist increased from $2,708 in 2018 to $2,931 in 2019, thereby bringing the total receipts attributed to tourism to $3,312 billion.
“Rt. Hon. Speaker, by the end of the year, international arrivals reached 1.13 million, from 956,372 in 2018, a 27% growth which was above the global average of 5%. The average expenditure per tourist increased from $2,708 in 2018 to $2,931 in 2019. The receipt attributed to tourism is, therefore, $3,312 billion.”
The Minister revealed this in Parliament while responding to a question by Mr Okudzeto Ablakwa on the volumes of visitors associated with the initiative and the estimated economic gains to Ghana for the 2019 fiscal year.
Throwing more light on the economic gains, the Minister said the initiative increased the number of travelers to Ghana and positively impacted on private sector industries such as airlines, hotels, tour operators, restaurants, and art and crafts dealers to name a few, and indicated that several hotels announced a 100 % capacity for the month of December. Art Centre merchants also reported doubling their sales in 2019, compared to 2018.
With regards to expenditure, the Minister observed that accommodation expenditures stood at 41%, followed by food and beverages (21%), shopping (14%), local transport (8%), entertainment (5%), and other spending (11%).
In addition to the economic impacts, Madam Gyasi observed that social projects such as schools in Akosombo, Chorkor, Botianor, boreholes in Akropong, and an ICT centre in Nyamebekyre have become legacies of the Year of Return.
Ghana also became the beacon of the “New African Narrative” and was hailed by many as showing leadership. President Nana Akufo-Addo was honoured by the Africa Union (AU) for this initiative, she said.
On the volume of visitors associated with the project, she observed that 126 African diasporans were granted citizenship at a ceremony at Jubilee House, the seat of government, making it the highest ever group of African diasporans to receive citizenship in one instance.
She said the programme benefited from a lot of celebrity endorsements, with leading personalities like the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, and the congressional black caucus, Stave Harvey, Samuel L. Jackson, Derrick Johnson (NAACP), Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, Bozoma St. John, Kofi Kingston, Boris Kudjoe, and AJ Johnson amongst other leading figures visiting the country, she indicated.
On publicity, the Minister noted that the media, both local and international, including CNN, BBC, Aljazeera, SABC, GBC etc.), dedicated editorial space to it.
She said the Advertising Value Equivalency (AVE), which measures the cost of equivalent amount of advertising space if paid for, was estimated at $3.5 million.
Social Media Reach increased substantial global media attention on Ghana and is valued at $1.9 million. The coverage on the Year of Return has changed the narrative about Africa and branded Ghana as the gateway to Africa, and one of the top tourism, investment, and repatriation destinations in the world, she indicated.
The Minister posited that it was unimaginable how much of an impact the project would make on the local and global scale when it commenced, but many heeded the call and made the journey to Ghana to experience the country’s culture, heritage, people, and history.
She also observed that an integral part of the project, which made it a success, was having events that did not only encourage people to visit, but to also provide spaces where the local community connected with the African diasporans who came into the country.
She concluded that the ‘Year of Return’ impacted the economy of Ghana through increasing international arrivals, branding Ghana as the gateway to Africa and a top diasporan repatriation destination, and increasing the amount of tourism dollars spent.
She also said that in order to build further on the success of the Year of Return, a ten-year project, dubbed ‘BEYOND THE RETURN’ a ‘Decade of African Renaissance 2020 – 2030’ has been initiated to grow Ghana’s tourism industry, showcase its investment potential, and consolidate its Diaspora engagement.
The post ‘Year of Return’ boosts tourism revenue to $3.3bn appeared first on The Chronicle Online.
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