Why is Ghana Unwelcoming to Tourists?

I am a well-traveled Canadian, having visiting dozens of countries. As a stable society I have been interested in Ghana for some time. I applauded your peaceful election and transition to a new government.

So I now look at the entry requirements for tourism. Shocking. I honestly think that I could more easily get a visa for North Korea while pictured wearing a Donald Trump mask!

For Ghana I need to have purchased an airline ticket, arranged my accommodation for the entire trip, write a letter to the Minister, submit 4 photographs with my application, get another Yellow Fever vaccination, and then send my passport and $100 to the Consulate and wait an “undetermined” time for the visa to be issued and my documents returned to me at my expense. There is also no assurance that I may obtain a visa, so all my sunk costs in buying travel in advance would be lost.

Of course if I were a heinous international criminal I would fully expect to be rejected.

In contrast, for illustrative purposes, I can visit Morocco with no visa; I obtained my entry visa in Cuba upon arrival for $30; I purchased my visa online for my 3 month visit to Australia for $40.

Tourism is a huge opportunity for any country. Ghana has much to offer, but its gates appear to be barred to me and my family. I do see that many other African citizens have easy entry requirements, but I remain flummoxed as to why Ghana restricts tourism from the rest of the world. The Ghana Investment Promotion Center has named Tourism the most promising sector of the economy. How exactly will that be fulfilled with these barriers?

Ron Hipfner, Sydenham, Ontario, Canada