In a bid to help boost domestic tourism, students from the Institute of Journalism Campus of the University of Media, Arts and Communications (UniMAC) will embark on an excursion to the Volta Region on Saturday, August 10, 2024.
The excursion is part of a term project for Level 300 students studying Public Relations with Marketing who have also selected to offer Tourism Marketing as an elective.
Dubbed ‘2024 Tourism Marketing Class Initiative’, the project aims to equip students with practical experience in Tourism Management and Marketing, fostering essential skills in real-world scenarios.
To add a competitive edge, the class was divided into two groups tasked with the responsibility of organising a successful tour for students and other interested patrons.
Consequently, the two groups established NEVANEA Adventures and ECHO TRAVELS – both domestic travel companies – with the aim to promote domestic tourism packages to more than 200 excursionists.
They will lead the excursion to notable tourist sites in the Volta Region, including Mount Afadja, Wli Waterfalls, Amedzofe Canopy Walk, Ote Falls and Mount Gemi.
It is organised with support from Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) and other corporate entities.
UniMAC commended
The Deputy Director in-charge of Domestic Marketing at the GTA, Kofi Atta Kakra Kusi, in an interview with the media in Accra, commended UniMAC for the promotion of domestic tourism through the project.
He explained that an academic project of such nature that promotes hands-on training or practical experience would help encourage more visits to the country’s historic and attraction sites.
This, he said, would not only help generate revenue for development but also support the local economies of the various destinations within the Volta Region.
“The domestic marketing of our tourism destinations is crucial to enhance capacity and development of the industry in general,” he added.
Array of nature reserves
The deputy director said the country boasts a diverse array of nature reserves, parks and gardens, with the significance of domestic tourism highlighted during the pandemic when international borders were closed.
He said in a strategic move toward recovering from the impacts of COVID-19, the GTA and the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MoTAC) rolled out initiatives – such as ‘Experience Ghana, Share Ghana’ and previously from the year 2017 had the ‘See Ghana, Eat Ghana, Wear Ghana and Feel Ghana’ initiatives.
“Supported by the Ghana Tourism Development Project (GTDP) funded by the World Bank, projects were launched to enhance capacity, develop products and upgrade sites and facilities.
“One notable success story is the transformation of the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, resulting in a remarkable surge in visitor numbers in 2023,” he said.
Positive trend
In 2019, Ghana registered 669,311 domestic visitors. However, this number plummeted by 69 percent in 2020 due to the pandemic’s disruptive effects on travel and tourism.
The tide turned in 2022 with a total of 945,405 visitation at attraction sites, marking a 49 percent year-on-year growth and signaling a recovery from the previous year’s dive.
By 2023, domestic visitor arrivals surpassed pre-COVID figures by a striking 110 percent, underscoring a robust rebound in domestic tourism.
Residents accounted for the majority at 1.16 million, making up 83 percent of the total, while non-residents contributed 17 percent.
Mr. Kusi added that this trend underscores the resilience and relevance of domestic tourism in the post-pandemic era, reflecting the enduring allure of exploring one’s own backyard.
Semester project goal
The ecturer of the Tourism Marketing Course at UniMAC, Bright Senanu, stated that the goal of the semester project was to help students put into practice the concepts and theories studied in class.
He said the project would provide an opportunity for students to apply what they have learned in the classroom to address actual issues in the tourism and hospitality industry.
“Students in class or work groups are expected to identify a tourist site in the Greater Accra, Volta or the Eastern Regions (closest proximity to Accra is important), visit the site and conduct a marketing research and analysis of it.
“In light of the findings, they will discuss the facility’s future possibilities or outlook and offer actionable recommendations hinged on marketing theory and practice while developing entrepreneurial skills and knowledge in tourism management,” he said.
