EXPLORING THE WAY FORWARD FOR GHANA’S TOURISM INDUSTRY THROUGH DOMESTIC TOURISM

Abstract Tourism is a major sector that is often identified by many developing countries as a priority sector for the rejuvenation of their economies. Ghana is no different and her government has invested in stimulating the industry to promote socioeconomic development. The country is a very attractive tourist destination but there is still no mass tourism. Ghana’s tourism industry development indicators have doubled since the industry’s inception. However when compared to other countries in Africa she is one of the lowest ranking when it comes to tourism development indicators. The question then arises, why is this the case. This study is then undertaken to explore and compare the tourism industry to that of the outside world. Data was collected from both primary and secondary sources and the analysis was done using descriptive analysis and summary statistics. To gather data for this study, questionnaires, interviews and semi-structured discussions were conducted. In an attempt to establish the credibility of this research, literature about the industry was analyzed. It was realized that developing domestic tourism was the key way to developing the tourism industry as a whole. Other issues discovered about the industry were a lack of maintenance culture and a false sense of time poverty. Recommendations on how to improve these problems where made.