AI, virtual experiences must complement physical visits — GMMB

The Central Regional Director of the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board (GMMB), Clifford Ashun, has stated that digital and virtual tourism experiences should complement physical visits rather than replace them.

Mr Eshun indicated that “though AI and virtual experiences are helping tourism reach more people, we also want to encourage people to come down to the facilities for real experiences.”

Mr Ashun who is responsible for coordinating 11 forts and castles in the Central Region, said the heritage sector had also not fully exploited the possibilities offered by technology.

He said although visitors to some of the heritage sites could use QR codes on their smartphones to access information about the facilities and translate it into different languages, the institution had not yet taken full advantage of technology in its day-to-day operations.

“I'm not sure we have, as an institution, taken full advantage of technology,” he said.

Mr Ashun said efforts were, however, being made to introduce more interactive experiences at the heritage facilities.

He said the Maclean Hall at Cape Coast Castle for instance was expected to be converted into an interactive museum to help visitors understand how the court system was introduced and operated in Ghana.

He said the governor's residence would also be turned into an exhibition centre, with photographs and other materials showing the lives of the governors who occupied the facilities.

According to him, the interventions were intended to give visitors more experiences within the same spaces and encourage them to spend longer periods at the facilities.

He said the institution was also working on virtual experiences, including producing videos of festivals and other cultural activities that could be made available online.

Mr Ashun said the technology could extend those efforts by helping to make historical content more engaging and accessible.

He said IT experts had been engaged in that direction, and that AI could help bring the past to life through digital representations.

However, he stressed that historical information had to be carefully researched before being used to create digital content.

Tourism stakeholders in the Central Region are yet to take full advantage of artificial intelligence (AI) and other digital technologies to promote attractions, create new visitor experiences and encourage tourists to stay longer in the region. Visibility

According to the Central Regional Director of the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), Charles Buabin, AI could provide an opportunity for tourism businesses to improve their visibility and reach potential visitors beyond Ghana.

Clifford Ashun, Central Regional Director of the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board

He said hotels, tour operators and other tourism enterprises could use AI to develop promotional materials and programmes to reach potential tourists in different parts of the world.

To this end, he said the authority was planning a seminar for tourism stakeholders, including hotels, tourism students and bloggers, to explore how AI could be used to promote and develop tourism.

The planned engagement, he said, would expose industry players to opportunities available through AI and encourage them to incorporate the technology into their businesses while efforts were being made to improve tourism infrastructure and develop lesser-known attractions. Bright future

The Central Regional Director of the GTA said the future of tourism in the region remained bright, particularly with ongoing road construction from Accra to Cape Coast and other proposed infrastructure, including a possible airstrip for Cape Coast.

He stated that about 75 per cent of tourists who visited Ghana in 2024 and 2025 travelled to the Central Region, attracted by its castles, ecological resources, festivals and other heritage sites.

He said the Kakum National Park recorded about 199,220 visitors, while Cape Coast Castle received about 144,495 and the Elmina Castle receiving 100,539 visitors in 2025.

“We haven't created enough systems of experiences to keep them here for a longer and spend more,” he said.

At Elmina, however, a boat operator, Prince Arthur said although AI was transforming different sectors of the world, the industry in the region was still not taking sufficient advantage of AI to create additional experiences for visitors.

He explained that visitors who came to Elmina often visited the castle but did not always have enough activities to keep them in the town resulting in lost business opportunities for local operators.

He said AI could be used to support recreation and develop other activities that could make destinations more attractive to visitors.

He said there was a need for tourism stakeholders to explore more ways of using AI to improve the visitor experience and increase the economic benefits of tourism to local businesses.

At Assin Manso, a tour guide at the Assin Manso Ancestral Slave River Park, Divine Kwame Azuma, also expressed concern about the limited use of AI and social media to promote tourism attractions.

He said tourism in the area continued to depend heavily on its history and events such as the annual Emancipation celebrations, rather than effective use of digital platforms to attract visitors.

“We need to do a lot with AI, but we are not taking advantage of it,” he said. Social media

Mr Azuma said even social media, which was widely available, was not being used sufficiently to advocate and promote the region's attractions.

He said the route from Cape Coast to Assin Foso also lacked enough tourist attractions to encourage visitors to stop, explore and spend more time along the route.

Among the lesser-known attractions are the Assin Manso Slave River, Assin Praso Heritage Site, the Memorial Garden of Return at Anomabo and a number of forts and heritage sites.

The region also boasts the nation's most popular and well patronised festivals, including the Fetu of Cape Coast, Bakatue of Elmina, Ahobaa Kese of Abeadze Dominase and the Aboakyer of the people of Effutu.

For tourism to get the needed boost to impact the socio-economic lives of the people of the region, managers must explore innovative ways to make tourists stay, explore more destinations and spend more and  AI could become one of the tools to bridge the gap. 

— Graphic Online