THE INFLUENCE OF THE YEAR OF RETURN ON TOURISM IN GHANA

This essay introduces the definition and importance of tourism in Ghana. It also describes The

Year of Return event organized in Ghana in the year 2019 and its influence on Ghana’s tourism

industry and concludes on its prospects in the next upcoming ‘’Year of Return Event’’.

Tourism can be defined as traveling from one’s living (home) area to another destination for

relaxation, socialization, research, health, and education within a period (Franklin, 2003). For

example, a group of African diasporas in the states travelling to Ghana for a month to visit the

following destinations such as Elmina castle, Kakum National park, Nzulezu etc. can be termed

as tourism. The importance of tourism in Ghana has been enormous and affected the country

economically, socially and culturally (Mensah & Amissah, 2009). In the year 2019, with the

support of the President of Ghana and the Ministry of tourism launched the tourism event dubbed

‘’the year of return’ which the country recorded the highest visit of tourists from outside Africa

(BBC online news, 2020). This led to an increase in revenue that no tourist event ever organized

in the country has recorded, making the country the most attractive tourist destination in West

Africa during this period. The Year of Return event was also recognized by the international

community as the most attractive tourism event organized in Africa that year (BBC online news,

2020).” The Year of Return” event can be explained as an event that brings African diasporas

from America, Europe, Asia, Middle East, Australia to visit Africa specifically Ghana where

they will learn more about their roots and trace which African origins their ancestors came from

(Clarke, 2006). The concept of “African diasporas’’ can be look as Africans from outside the

continent either white all black who have African roots (Bruner,1996). But with all the positive

benefits, it celebration was affected after the outbreak of the COVID-19 disease. This pandemic

hit the global economy, but was most devastating felt by the stakeholders in the tourism industry

in Ghana. This pandemic, therefore, affected the organizing of the 2020/2021 “year of return”
which was put on hold that affected the planned tourism sector revenue estimated in 2020/2021.

But there was great hope of the ‘’year of return’’ event in 2022 because the effect of the COVID-

19 outbreak disease had been controlled to manageable levels and most restriction such as lock

down were removed by tourist nations. The question now is with the coming back of the year of

return event will that ecstasy of celebration in 2019 still be maintained or pushed to greater

heights to make Ghana tourism sector one of the most attractive tourist destination in the world.

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