A professor of Tourism, Prof. Kwaku Adutwum Annim Boakye, who is currently the Dean of the Office of International Relations of University of Cape Coast, says tourism is not a prerequisite for national development.
According to him, "the mere presence of tourists does not guarantee developmental outcomes such as reduction of poverty, hunger and economic growth".
Prof. Boakye said this when he delivered his inaugural lecture on the topic, “Tourism as a Vehicle for Ghana’s Development: Mirage, Miracle or Myth?”
He said policymakers were using "miraculous approach to tourism" because they were ignoring the structural issues and putting premium on issues that were not critical to the sustenance of development.
To him, tourism policy had been relegated to the background and efforts had been concentrated on how to attract tourists to tourist sites in the country.
"...it is not how they (tourists) come in but how their presence translates into palpable developmental outcomes" he pointed out.
Prof. Boakye being congratulated by the College of Professors-UCC after being robed
He added that some programmes aimed at boosting local tourism were not adequately evaluated, specifically citing examples like ‘See-Wear-Eat-Feel Ghana’, as well as ‘Experience Ghana and Share Ghana’ introduced in 2018 and 2021 respectively by the Ghana Tourism Authority and the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture.
He continued, "All of these things have made it look like a mirage. Yes, we are getting the people (tourists) in but are we getting development? he quizzed.
In his estimation, Prof. Boakye noted that more than one (1) million tourists had visited Elmina but "the town does not have much to show by way of tourism induced development".
The way forward
Prof. Boakye believes that tourism developmental properties could be realized through a clear policy regime with a real workable strategy.
A section of the audience during the lecture
He further called for the setup of a tourism community fund which channels funds from entry fees and contributions from Destination Management Organizations into procuring development.
About Prof. Kwaku Boakye
Prof. Kwaku Boakye (PhD, M.Phil, B.Sc. Tourism, PgDip Hospitality Operations) is a Professor of Tourism at the University of Cape Coast, Ghana. During his 18-year career as a tourism academic, he has published more than forty-five (45) scholarly and technical papers and played a key advisory role on a number of projects/ committees for the Government of Ghana and other international bodies on tourism development.
Prof. Boakye has worked internationally and also serves as external examiner and supervisor for some universities in Ghana, Africa, and Europe. He is a reviewer for numerous Scopus-indexed academic journals in tourism.
Prof. Boakye being congratulated by his mother after the lecture
Born in Takoradi in the Western Region of Ghana, Prof. Boakye had portions of his basic education in the United Kingdom and University Primary School, Cape Coast. He entered St Augustine’s College in 1987 where he attained his Ordinary Level (1992) and Advanced Level (1994) in the General Arts Programme majoring in Economics, Geography and French. Between 1995 and 1996 he acquired both the Diplome de Langue (DL) and Diplome D’etudes Francaise (DELF 1er degree) at Alliance Francaise in Accra.
In 1996, he gained admission at the University of Cape Coast to read the then newly-introduced B.SC Tourism Programme from which he duly graduated with a First Class in 1999. He received an M.Phil. Tourism in 2003, a Postgraduate Certificate in Hospitality Operations from the Georgia State University, Atlanta in 2004 and a PhD in Tourism Management from University of Cape Coast in 2008. He recently undertook a certificate in Leadership in 2021.
Source: Documentation and Information Section-UCC