Information Technology and tourism in Ghana

Abstract

The combination of information technology and tourism in Ghana has become important because the country wants to attract a large number of local and international tourists to travel to the destination. Ghana is aspiring to become a new destination market to tourism in West Africa because of her tourism products. This study focuses on the use of information technology to promote and strategize to entice potential tourists to visit Ghana as a tourism destination market. Ghana has natural beauty, rich historical sites and cultural heritage. Above all the country is stable in terms of peace. People in Ghana are very friendly and tourists can enjoy both natural beauty and cultural sites . The main selling points include the golden beaches, the castles of the coast, the forests, the game reserves, rivers and lakes that includes cultural events. Most international tourists that visit Ghana come from Europe, most especially in the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, the United States of America and Spain. The Use of the information technology to intensify promotions in this environment is of paramount importance to the destination marketing. The local tourists who come from various countries in Africa can also be targeted using a similar strategy. Quantitative research method is used to examine the understanding of tourists’ behaviour and expectations related to online travel websites as destination marketing. Ghana may not be a popular destination among tourists as Kenya and South Africa but the destination is growing gradually in reputation. Ghana profile as a country has been enhanced considerably in recent years and it is viewed as a destination that is safe, friendly and varied which makes it an ideal place for first time tourists to the African continent. Based on these attributes of the country information technology can be used to attract more adventurous tourists. The (WTTC, 2016) predicts that by 2024 the tourism sector in Ghana will increase in growth yearly by 4.5% which is in line with the economic growth of the country. It was also predicted by the (WTTC, 2016) that Ghana is likely to increase growth and boost the GDP by 3%. However, with more promotions and the use of information tools as a strategy more tourists can be entice to holiday in Ghana. Local tourism is also known as domestic tourism, internal tourism or national tourism. This type of tourism involves tourists from one location to another within the nation. Many countries encourage local tourism because it strengthens the economy of the country through tourism income multiplier. Ghana encourages the local people to take at least one domestic vacation during the year. There are many beautiful attractions and resorts attract Ghanaians to travel domestically.