To restore momentum & reposition sector for inclusive, holistic & rapid growth
LEGISLATION and legal regimes as part and parcel of society are not static and events but work in progress that must be subjected to periodic reviews and amendments to be in tune with the changes and trends of the times.
Overview
The tourism industry since the turn of the millennium, over 20 years ago, has been the biggest, largest and fastest growing industry in vogue globally, until the corona virus (covid-19) pandemic disruption in late 2019.
UNWTO
The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), is a Madrid, Spain based UN specialist agency has an army of technocrats and experts of varying backgrounds and experiences who collect and collate data for research and analysis as well as studies into industry trends as blueprints to guide member countries and destinations for sustainable and responsible tourism development and evolution.
Best Industry Practice
The UNWTO has well researched, tested and proven guidelines, rules and regulations and conventions for best industry practices, including the evergreen 1:10 Convention that says sustainable and meaningful tourism evolution is dependent on a very vibrant domestic tourism industry, hence the best industry practice of for everyone international tourism visitation to destination or facility, there must be ten corresponding ten (10) domestic visitations.
Narrative
Ghana’s political stability, safety and stability are tourism soft and intangible resources that give the country competitive advantage over competing countries and destinations.
Ghana has an infant burgeoning evergreen tourism industry that also sees and records increased growth in both visitor numbers and revenue receipts on year on year basis, in tandem with global industry trends, the positive growth according to industry analysts and researchers, is however , is far below the country’s real tourism potential capacity and expected performance.
Gross Domestic Product
The industry currently ranked as the fourth (4th) largest contributor to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), behind cocoa, gold and remittances abroad.
Ghana’s average growth is a little over three (3%) and about five percent (5%) of the overall gross domestic product (GDP).
Legal regime
There are a number pieces of legislations that are relevant and applicable to the country’s tourism industry.
Key among these are the Ghana Tourism Authority, (GTA), Tourism Development Fund , (TDF) and the Tourism Act , (TA),2011 Act 817 and the National Commission on Culture, (NCC) and the culture Law 1990, PNDCL 238 as well as the Cultural Policy of 2004.
Others include the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board (GMMB) Law 196- National Film Authority (NFA) and the Film Classification Act 2016, Act 935 as well as the Creative Arts Agency (CAA) Law 2020, Act 1048.
Challenges
An in-depth analysis of the country’s tourism industry growth and performance points to inconsistences , errors and omissions such as obsolete tourism legislation and legal regime, duplications among the sector ministry, the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) and its implementing agencies.
fragmentation and mandate over key and strategic national tourism resources by allied ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), poor public funding and low national budgetary allocation to tourism, lack of unique national tourism brand image, inconsistent packaging and promotional (marketing) strategy and high national ignorance and lack of national appreciation on and about tourism and its importance to socio-economic development and the rest are identified challenges that obstruct and impede Ghana’s tourism growth, development.
Challenges
The infant industry has a number of challenges to contend with which impedes its smooth growth and evolution. Notable among the challenges high national ignorance on tourism development and associated benefits with jobs, rural- urban migration, balance of trade and imports , foreign exchange, undeveloped resources, fragmentation of tourism resources among allied ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs).
Others are duplication and overlap of responsibilities between the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture and its implementing agencies, as well as archaic and outdated legislation and legal regime. Sanitation and waste disposal are among challenges that blunt Ghana’s tourism growth and evolution.
Way Forward
- Legal regime
- Restructure MOTAC & Agencies
- Retool & resource MOTAC & Agencies
- Increase Tourism budgetary allocation & funding
- Sustained / National Tourism Awareness Campaign-sanitation
The Writer is Brands, Communication & Tourism Analyst.
