This paper is the reaction and response of a hospitality operator to the events which are unfolding globally, as the Coronavirus continues to spread worldwide, and its impacts on travel and tourism. 

Four months into the declaration by the World Health Organisation of a Pandemic, over 213 states and territories have been affected by the virus, with 8 million infections, and over 400,000 deaths worldwide, there can be no doubt in anyone’s mind that there can be no immediate return to normality. Under the current dispensation, factors such as hygiene and health provisions will matter far more to travellers than was previously the case; I do not believe that it will matter whether a destination experienced a high or low case and death toll as a result of Covid-19. The longer-term record of the security of healthcare services, and the ease with which people can fly in and out of a destination, may also be deciding factors in destination choice. 

This paper seeks to alert, provoke and contribute to the discourse on the changes which Covid-19 will engender, and the subsequent steps needed to ensure the industry’s survival, recovery and growth in Ghana. The paper uses data and insights from national and international agencies to present a picture of current and future outlook. 

 The global tourism performance of recent years indicates that Ghana’s tourism performance has failed to match the promise and potential seen long ago in the Rawlings era. The paper recognizes that tourism still remains an attractive and valuable route for Ghana’s continuing development, and highlights the urgent need for attention to improving our roads, attractions and customer service. It also contends that there are serious issues of data collection, regulatory oversight, an overload of taxes and fees, and sector collaboration that is needed to ensure the Ghana tourism industry can match the more competitive environment which we will see, post Covid19. 

INTRODUCTION 

Tourism is a key economic driver in Ghana, generating foreign exchange earnings, creating jobs and wealth as well as stimulating other sectors of the economy, retail, manufacturing, power generation. Tourism is currently the fourth largest source of foreign exchange earnings estimated at over US$3.0bn in 2019. 

It was under the Rawlings administration in the 1990’s, that tourism was first identified as an effective source of income for Ghana, and a route by which the economy might be diversified. It was the result of the efforts made during that period that the castles were restored, and the Ghanaian culture appropriated through initiatives like the biennial Panafest programme, and memorials such as the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum, W.E. Du Bois Centre, enabling the nation to use these as a source of revenue. 

Ghana’s tourism industry in Ghana is regarding as promoting sustainable tourism by combining, cultural tourism, heritage tourism, recreational tourism, adventure tourism and events tourism. Cultural tourism focuses on festivals and events, whereas heritage tourism focuses on the history of the slave routes. Recreational tourism allows tourists to explore beaches and theme parks. Adventure tourism includes our rain forests and game parks, whilst events tourism focuses on resources and conferences. 

The Covid19 Pandemic is an ongoing pandemic of a Coronavirus disease, a respiratory illness, originating in Wuhan, China, which was reported by the World Health Organisation (WHO), in January 2020, as an International Health Emergency, and subsequently as a Global Pandemic in March, 2020. 

The Pandemic has caused, and continues to cause, major economic and social disruption across the world; the effect on the major economies has led observers to comment that we be at the edge of an economic depression more severe than the Great Depression of the 1930’s, when global GDP fell by 26%. International events scheduled across the globe have been cancelled, and almost 90% of the global airline fleet is parked in selected locations, awaiting the revival of the airline industry. 

Millions have been infected by the virus, and hundreds of thousands have died, with a widely available vaccine still not in prospect until 2021/22, therefore numbers of infections and deaths will rise until a vaccine is released. 

Africa was the last continent to be touched by the virus, early in March 2020, with Ghana’s first case recorded on 12th March. The IMF on the 10th June, proposes that, given the lower infection and mortality which African nations overall, appear to be experiencing, there is potential for additional capital inflows into those countries which were “less battered”. In that respect, Ghana is currently well positioned to benefit, provided the right decisions are made. 

The purpose of this paper is to consider the impacts that this Pandemic may have on Ghana’s tourism industry, to highlight the opportunity that arises, even in these unforgiving times, and to propose steps that may be taken, in order to enable the recovery, growth and prosperity of the industry in future years.