According to Akwasi Agyeman, the CEO of the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), the industry has recovered well from the severe effects and losses of the Covid-19 outbreak.
In an interview with TV3’s New Day on July 5, 2024, Akwasi Agyeman highlighted that the tourist industry report from the previous year showed a sharp increase in indices, including local and foreign arrivals, that in some cases surpassed pre-pandemic levels.
Despite the current obstacles, the CEO of the GTA is optimistic that Ghana’s tourist industry will succeed due to its steady rise over the past few years.
“Generally, I would say that we have recovered strongly from COVID. Last year, our report that we put out said strong recovery…all the various indicators show that we have managed to recovered and, in some cases, beating pre-pandemic levels.
Read also:Abochi, The Souly Bird collaborate for ‘Leave the Windows Open’
“If you compare 2019 to 2023, you will clearly see that we have done a good job with that. The sector for me is one that got potential. If you ask me, I will say the glass is half full rather than half empty because every year we see growth, sometimes in excess of 55%,” he stated.
The COVID-19 epidemic severely damaged Ghana’s economy, as it did the whole world economy, by halting all scheduled travel-related operations and the tourism industry.
According to the 2023 tourism sector report, the Covid-19 epidemic caused the sector’s overall income to fall to a record low of $387 million in 2020, an 88% reduction.
Revenue increased to $2.1 billion in 2021, although it was still less than it was in the years prior to the pandemic.
Nonetheless, there were encouraging signs of recovery, as seen by an increase in the sector’s receipts, which are expected to reach $2.7 billion by 2022, and the average tourist expenditure, which is expected to reach $2,743.
According to the 2023 Tourism industry report, average tourist expenditure was expected to reach $3,746.65 in 2023, resulting in $3.8 billion in sector revenue—a notable 51.9% increase from the year before.
