According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, in the last five years, 1 out of 5 jobs were created in Tourism. Globally, the tourism business accounts for 10% GDP, but in African Continents, it accounts only for 3.6% GDP.
The African Government is working tirelessly to increase tourism to their nation. And amongst all of them, Ghana is thriving at a much higher rate. Ghana’s ‘Year of Return’ is becoming a massive change in the tourism business.
In January 2019, Ghana tourism authorities predicted that the Year of Return would bring 500,000 diasporans to visit the country. These numbers have been exceeded, and according to Ghana tourism authority, about 750,000 foreign visitors have visited Ghana so far.
Ghanaian influencers like Koshie Mills played a considerable role in this movement. In 2016 she embarked on a trip to Ghana with her Ghanain-American born children, as she thought “it was time for them to see where they came from.” The 30-day trip turned out to be a life-changing experience for her and her sons.
Not only was this a wonderful trip where long-lasting memories were created, but it also helped spark a huge movement for Ghana. How?! you may ask, well all her children are Hollywood Actors and the trip was featured in the cover of Essence Magazine. Bringing Ghana into the Media Spotlight, while inspiring others to visit the “motherland”.
She believes that the success of Ghana’s ‘Year of Return’ can help many other African governments to come up with similar initiatives. Currently, she is on a trip to Uganda at the invitation of their Ministry of Tourism.
Throughout this year, thousands of people of African descent have visited Ghana to reconnect with their roots. The Africa Tourism Association is a leading global trade association that is promoting tourism to Africa. They are serving the public and private sectors of the Tourism industry. The African Tourism Association has partnered with the African Union Commission to promote tourism across Africa.
What is the ‘Year of Return’? https://www.theghanahit.com/what-is-the-year-of-return/.
You don’t want to miss Afrochella!Afrochella is a one-day festival that will take place in Accra, Ghana on 28th December 2019 at the E1 Wak Stadium. With Ghana’s Year of Return, the 2019 event is expected to be epic. When the event kicked off in 2017, more than 4,000 people attended Afrochella. In 2018, attendance almost tripled with 10,000 attendees. The Afrochella festival celebrates African excellence in music, culture, and fashion.
