Accra: The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) has said that Ghanaians spent a total of GHS 4.0 billion on outbound tourism in 2023. The figure comprises GHS 59.8 million spent by same-day travelers and GHS 3.4 billion spent by overnight visitors, underscoring the increasing cost and scale of cross-border mobility by residents.
According to Ghana News Agency, the report presented by the Government Statistician, Dr. Alhassan Iddrisu, during the release of the 2023 Domestic and Outbound Tourism Survey Reports, indicated that 470,806 outbound visitors were recorded during the year, including 77,501 same-day and 393,305 overnight travelers. Dr. Iddrisu explained that the survey provided baseline data to measure the volume, value, and expenditure of outbound visitors and supports the creation of Ghana's first Tourism Satellite Account (TSA) to quantify tourism's contribution to the national economy.
Outbound same-day visitors mainly traveled for business and professional purposes, while overnight visitors traveled primarily to visit friends and relatives. Business and professional travel accounted for about 34 percent of same-day trips, followed by funeral-related travel at 23 percent. Among overnight travelers, visiting relatives remained dominant, representing about 40 percent of total outbound trips.
The Ashanti Region recorded the highest number of same-day outbound visitors across all quarters, ranging between 3,000 and 5,000. The Greater Accra Region accounted for the largest share of overnight travelers, averaging between 30,000 and 50,000 per quarter. Most outbound trips were made within West Africa, particularly to Togo, which also recorded the highest on-trip expenditure among same-day visitors, reaching GHS 12.8 million in the first quarter of 2023.
The survey revealed that self-arranged trips dominated outbound tourism spending, accounting for almost 90 percent of total expenditure among overnight travelers. 'Our data show that Ghana's outbound tourism is largely self-managed and informal, with limited engagement of professional tour agencies,' Dr. Iddrisu noted.
Overall, on-trip expenses, including accommodation, food, transport, and shopping constituted the largest share of spending in both same-day and overnight categories. The highest overall expenditure was recorded in the second quarter of 2023, totaling GHS 921.5 million. The GSS recommended policy actions aimed at retaining a greater portion of outbound tourism spending within the domestic economy.
It urged the government to invest in transport, airports, and hospitality infrastructure, and offer tax incentives for local tour operators who design outbound travel packages incorporating Ghanaian services and products. Private tour operators, hotels, and airlines were encouraged to collaborate in designing comprehensive pre- and post-trip experiences, while promoting local crafts, textiles, and souvenirs to increase local content in outbound tourism.
'If well harnessed, Ghana can retain a significant proportion of the four billion cedis currently leaving the economy through outbound tourism,' Dr. Iddrisu added. The report also called on development partners and civil society organizations to support the tourism sector through funding, training, and digital innovation for small tourism enterprises.