Launching the reports, Government Statistician Dr. Alhassan Iddrisu said tourism is “a driver of jobs, investment, and growth,” adding that the evidence will help shape policy, attract private partnerships and strengthen Ghana’s position as a leading destination.
Arrivals and spend. GSS recorded 901,448 inbound visitors over the reference period, comprising 12,864 same-day and 888,584 overnight travellers; overnight arrivals accounted for 98.6% of the total. Estimated spending reached GHS 24 million for same-day visitors and GHS 15.18 billion for overnight travellers, providing the first official benchmark of inbound tourism’s value to the economy.
Where visitors went. The survey tracked site visitation patterns, with international travellers most frequently visiting the Bisa Abrewa Museum, Cape Coast Castle, Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, Independence Square and the Arts Centre, and the National Museum, destinations that featured consistently across the quarters.
Who came and why. Same-day visitors were largely transit passengers, with Côte d’Ivoire and Liberia emerging as leading sources. Overnight travellers were predominantly adults aged 36–64, and men outnumbered women across all quarters. The most common reason for overnight travel was visiting friends and relatives, with business and leisure also significant.
Policy signals. Beyond headline figures, the reports recommend targeted steps to stimulate short-stay tourism, expand and diversify accommodation to meet rising demand, and improve the visitor experience through modern facilities and digital platforms. They also highlight scope to deepen cross-border tourism by leveraging Ghana’s location and regional integration frameworks.
GSS said the GITS outputs fill a longstanding gap in tourism statistics and align with both the Sustainable Development Goals and Ghana’s long-term Tourism Development Plans, offering a firmer basis for sectoral planning, investment decisions and future measurement of tourism’s direct contribution to national development.
Full reports on Inbound Same-Day and Inbound Overnight Visitors, along with supporting documents, are available from the Ghana Statistical Service.
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