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Tourism Industry
OVERVIEW
FESTIVALS
Forts and Castles
Beaches AND LAKE Resorts
Water falls
MUSEUMS AND
other attractions
Ghana is fast becoming a leading destination for
tourists in Africa and is rated as one of the highest
foreign exchange earners in the country. Efforts are
under way by the government through the Ministry of
Tourism and the Ghana Tourist Board to develop and
support the effective management of the industry to
become a major source of foreign exchange and rev-
enue for the development of the country. The country
boasts of historical sites, including forts and castles,
cultural monuments, craft villages, beautiful nature
parks and gardens, and sandy beaches that make it
a unique destination for the international tourists to
Africa. Ghana’s greatest asset is its people who are
renowned the world over for their warmth, cheerful-
ness, and hospitality.
Each year, festivals and durbars are held in various
parts of Ghana, to celebrate the heritage and culture
of the people. Several rites and rituals are performed
and most of the celebrations are attended by entire
villages and are strictly observed by the traditional
elders of the respective ethic groups. Some major
festivals include Akwaisidae by the Ashantis, Ho-
mowo by the Gas, Hogbetsotso by the Ewes, Damba
by the Northerners and Aboakyir by the people of
Winneba.
Forts and castles dotted along Ghana’s coastlines
were built and occupied at different times by the trad-
ers from Europe, Portugal, Spain, Denmark, Swe-
den, Holland, Germany and date back to the 15th
Century. Most of the castles and forts have been
restored and open to the public. The major ones in-
clude Cape Coast and Elmina Castles in the Central
Region, Christianborg and Fort Castles in Accra.
Ghana faces the Atlantic Ocean and has hundreds
of kilometres of fascinating beaches in the Greater
Accra, Central, Volta and Western Regions. Most
beaches in the country are open to the general
public and with their tropical climate and beautiful
environmental conditions they are ideal for tourists
to relax. Major beach destinations include Labadi
beach, Coco beach and the Kokrobite beach, in Ac-
cra, Winneba beach, Elmina beach, Anomabo beach
and Gumoa Fetteh beach in the Central region, Bu-
sua Pleasure beach, Princesstown beach and Miami
Beach in the Western region, Keta beach in the Volta
region and Ada Beach in the Greater Accra region.
Some of the popular beach resorts in Ghana are Co-
conut Grove beach resort, Biriwa beach resort, Next
Door beach resort, White Sands beach resort, Tills
No 1 beach resort and Ada Manta Paradise beach
resort.
Ghana has scenic waterfalls in attractive rural and
forest settings along the coastal regions of the
country. These waterfalls are covered by green veg-
etation and provide scenes of the beauty of nature.
Some of the waterfalls have cages forming at their
sides whiles other falls consist of series of falls and
provide ideal ground for picnics. There are also sea-
Ghana is home to various art and craft centres and
museums. Among the attractions are the National
Museum which has a display of exhibits that reflect
the heritage of the country, the National Theatre with
its distinct modern architecture, the Independence
Square, the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum which is
the final resting place of the first president of Ghana,
Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, the Accra International Confer-
ence Centre, Ghana Academy of Arts and Science
and the National Archives of Ghana.
Sample Ghana’s exotic beaches