Nii Ayi Solomon is storyteller, tour guide, playwright and poet who has been full of gratitude to the Almighty this week for guiding him through the challenging yet rewarding journey, to successfully defend his PhD thesis on ‘Place Storytelling in Tourism: Exploring User Perspectives, Tourist Destination Experience & Decision Making’.
A consultant in tourism practice, Nii Ayi, who embarked on this journey in August 2020, contends that it’s been “a humbling experience”. With no idea how far this research would take him, Nii Ayi finds his decision to focus his research in place or destination storytelling, a bold one that has opened countless opportunities for him, including international speaking engagements.
Today, he is proud to say that as a result of this research, he and his colleagues have successfully published a book chapter on IGI Global in a book called ‘Global Perspectives on Strategic Storytelling in Destination Marketing’. Additionally, they have 2 manuscripts currently under review:
- Place Storytelling in Heritage Tourism: Exploring the Role of Storytellers in Destination Promotion & Enhancing Tourist Experiences in Ghana.
- Decolonising Place Storytelling in Tourism: Reclaiming Indigenous Narratives & Reframing Heritage Sites in Postcolonial Contexts.
The learning to be gained from these texts will provide great insight into the burgeoning tourism industry in Ghana.
As for an elated Nii Ayi, he is just full of gratitude to all who supported him throughout this journey, including his incredible supervisors whose unwavering support, mentorship and guidance have been instrumental in this achievement, listing – Professor Stephen Mahama Braimah (lead), Professor Raphael Odoom (co-supervisor) and Professor Kobby Mensah (co-supervisor)!
