Ghana pushes strong trade and destination message at WTM Africa
Ghana has recorded a confident and coordinated presence at WTM Africa in Cape Town, using the global travel trade platform to deepen commercial partnerships, promote its tourism offering, and strengthen its positioning as a leading West African destination for leisure, culture and business events.
The Ghana Tourism Authority led the national showcase, bringing together public and private sector stakeholders to present Ghana as a complete tourism ecosystem — from luxury hospitality to curated cultural experiences and specialist tour operations.
At the Ghana stand, key exhibitors included Labadi Beach Hotel, Landtours Ghana, and Ashanti African Tours, each highlighting different strengths of the destination — hospitality excellence, destination management capability, and heritage-led travel experiences.
Together, they reinforced Ghana’s value proposition as a destination that offers both strong infrastructure and authentic, immersive African experiences.
“Africa Must Trade More Within Itself” — Sampson
Speaking during engagements at the trade show, Ekow Sampson, Deputy CEO in charge of Operations at the Ghana Tourism Authority, said Ghana’s participation at WTM Africa reflects a deliberate shift towards strengthening intra-African tourism trade.
“Africa remains our most natural market. Platforms like WTM Africa allow us to strengthen relationships across the continent and build tourism from within,” he said. He emphasised that Ghana’s focus is not only on attracting international arrivals but also on deepening regional travel flows and positioning the country as a key connector in African tourism circuits.
Building a Year-Round Destination Strategy
Sampson noted that Ghana is deliberately working to eliminate seasonality by expanding its tourism calendar beyond peak periods. “We are building a destination where, throughout the year, there is always an experience, a festival, or a product that attracts visitors,” he said.
This approach, he explained, supports both leisure tourism growth and improved business sustainability across the tourism value chain.
The Black Star Experience as a Unifying Brand
He further highlighted the importance of the Black Star Experience, which provides the strategic framework for integrating Ghana’s cultural, creative and tourism assets into a single national narrative. “The Black Star Experience is about coherence. It brings together culture, heritage, creative arts and tourism into one strong identity that the world can engage with,” Sampson said.
He added that the framework is central to Ghana’s efforts to strengthen diaspora engagement while also enhancing the country’s competitiveness in global tourism markets.
Strengthening Ghana’s MICE Ambitions
On the business tourism front, Sampson reiterated Ghana’s ambition to expand its Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) capacity, including the development of larger convention infrastructure.
“We are positioning Ghana to host larger conferences and conventions, including events that can attract thousands of delegates,” he noted.
He added that Ghana’s competitive advantage lies in combining business tourism with rich cultural and experiential offerings. “When delegates come for meetings, they also experience Ghana — our culture, our hospitality and our heritage. That combination is very powerful,” he said.
A Unified Industry Message
Ghana’s presence at WTM Africa ultimately reflected a unified national strategy — blending government leadership with private sector participation to drive visibility, trade engagement and long-term tourism growth.
With exhibitors such as Labadi Beach Hotel, Landtours Ghana and Ashanti African Tours playing active roles in the showcase, Ghana positioned itself not just as a destination, but as a collaborative and experience-rich tourism market ready for deeper engagement across Africa and beyond.
