Ghana Tourist sites Lack The Necessary Safety Measures

A tourist site is a place of interest where tourists visit, typically for its inherent or exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure, adventure and amusement. Ghana has quite a wide range of tourist attraction centers that are located across the country. Some of the tourist sites are; the paga crocodile pond, mole national park, Nzulezu, Kintampo falls, the bustling kejetia market, Kakum National Park, Busua Beach, Elmina and St. George castle, Wli water falls, Tagbo falls Boti water falls etc.

The tourism industry has contributed significantly to the country’s economy, particularly in recent times, as the sector continues to demonstrate its potential as a key driver of growth. For example, between 2000 and 2005, visitor arrivals and spending increased by 46 percent and 68 percent respectively. The industry is currently the fourth largest foreign exchange earner after merchandise exports and remittance from abroad and has become one of the most important and fastest growing sectors of the Ghanaian economy. Tourism generates jobs creation, contributes to GDP growth, and contributes to the sustainable economic growth, infrastructure development, environmental resource protection, positive inter-sectoral linkages and the ability to open rural communities to development.

Despite these significant role tourism plays in the country, governments have not paid much attention to the industry, the industry faces a lot of challenges, such as poor infrastructure, limited understanding of tourism, inadequate investment, lack of professionalism, high cost of tourism destinations, lack of safety and security, and poor maintenance culture at the tourist sites.

This has led to a number of disasters at our tourist sites and the recent Kintampo waterfalls disaster. A renowned tourist facility at Kintampo in the Brong Ahanfo Region, which claimed the lives of at least 20 revelers on March 19, 2017, a light rainfall, which was accompanied by strong winds, thunder and lightning, uprooted nearby trees which crushed the revelers, mostly students from the Wenchi Methodist Senior High School, to death. The unfortunate incident hit the country hard, forcing the president to call for a minute’s silence when he addressed chief executive officers from various parts of the continent Geneva, Switzerland.

The unfortunate incident has attracted the attention of many potential internationaltourist to the country, while the hopes of Ghanaians who love to explore the countryside have been completely dampened.

It is clear that the authorities whose mandate is to put measures in place to ensure the safety of public facilities, including tourist’s sited have not been able to carry out their duties effectively. The ministry of tourism as a body responsible for the development and promotion of tourism related activities in the country should take up the challenge and ensure safety at our tourist sites and stop the practice of moving in to fight the fire when the harm has been caused.

Daily graphic reports indicates that, places such as the UAE, South Africa, Namibia and Egypt, tourism is among the first three foreign income earner and a major contributor to the GDP. This is because the managers of the various sites, with massive support from their respective governments have helped out the facilities in good shape to attract tourists.

Unfortunately, in Ghana, the sector has been relegated to the background, in spite of its huge potential to rake in foreign exchange after oil, cocoa and gold. The Lack of laws governing our tourist sites has paved way for unqualified personnel to manage our tourist sites with lack of safety measures in place. The minister of tourism, Arts and culture, Catherine Ablema Afeku recently propose a new law at tourist site to avert disasters following the Kintampo waterfalls disaster. This re-enforces the practice of moving in to fight the fire when the harm has been caused.

Moving forward, the government should play its role as a facilitator and ensure that the authorities responsible for ensuring safety at our tourist sites work effectively, ensures that private people partner the state to develop the tourist sites, educate people on the need to safeguard our tourist sites, ensures safety measures are put in place at our tourist sites, and ensures qualified people manage the tourist sites.