The significance of launching ‘December in GH’

‘December in GH’ is a significant package of programs and events to convince tourists from all over the world to choose Ghana as their Christmas and New Year tourism destination. ‘December in GH’ is an important program to promote Ghana as a December holiday destination for all Ghanaian citizens living in other nations and other global diaspora families. The Ghana Tourism Authority started this annual program some years ago, and it is among the most successful methods that have attracted most international tourists and lots of tourist revenue. ‘December in GH’ way of inviting the diaspora people to visit Ghana has boosted the general Ghanaian Economy and its overall GDP.

Dr. Ibrahim Mohammed Awal, the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, launched the 2022 ‘December in GH’ on August 4, 2022, at the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel. NAACP President Derick Johnson, Diplomats, Event Organizers, Queen mothers, and industry players were among the special guests who attended this year’s launch. The tourism sector hopes they will receive many tourists from the diaspora, and therefore they are well-prepared to accommodate all of them. Concerts, fashion shows, and traditional cultural festivals are the leading events that will be featured during this year’s ‘December in GH’. The events will be held across most regions of Ghana. Event organizers are invited to start submitting the details of all the events they are ready to endorse. Event endorsements are done by the Beyond the Return secretariat of the Ghana Tourism Authority.

Ghanaians Celebrate Christmas beginning from the 20th of December to the first week of January. Most people travel from various parts of the nation to meet and celebrate with their people. Ghana has more than 66 tribes, and each tribe has its traditions and customs; therefore, all the tribes celebrate uniquely. Celebrations start with Christmas Eve night at church with dancing and drumming. Services and dancing go for the whole night. Children are given the opportunity to present plays and drama based on the Bible. Besides, other people celebrate Christmas Eve with fireworks and parties.

People dress up in beautiful traditional clothes on Christmas to attend church service. Immediately after church, people go back to their homes to start preparing their favorite dishes to celebrate. Additionally, they give gifts and also receive gifts from friends and family. Many parties are held during this period, including employees’ end-of-year parties, friends’ get-together parties, and children’s parties. These parties are celebrated along the beaches, school parks, hotels, community centers, or at home. The New year celebrations start on the 31st, whereby most Ghanaian go to church to pray for a good year ahead of them. Besides, other people dedicate this time of the year to remember all the people who died during that year.

Traditionally, Ghanaian citizens based in other nations return home each year to visit their families and friends. ‘December in Ghana’ was established as a tourism campaign program to encourage people to go to Ghana over the festive season. The program has been gaining fame and working successfully over the past years, and therefore, Ghana is increasingly becoming the destination for Christmas and New Year celebrations. For instance, in 2018, several Hollywood celebrities, together with their friends and families spend their December vacation in Ghana. They were approximately one hundred and fifty, and they were all led by Boris Kodjoe. Besides, in 2019 more than five hundred stars celebrated their Christmas and New year in Ghana. ‘December in GH’ offers outstanding experiences to all tourists as a way of advertising Ghana as an international Christmas and New Year celebration destination. All the events indicate Ghana as a unique destination for entertainment and culture.