UniMAC-GIJ students lead excursion to promote domestic tourism

As part of their efforts to help boost domestic tourism in the country, students from the Institute of Journalism Campus of the University of Media, Arts and Communications (UniMAC-GIJ) will embark on an excursion to the Volta Region on Saturday, August 10, 2024.

The excursion is part of a project for level 300 students studying Public Relations with Marketing, who have also opted to offer Tourism Marketing as an elective.

Dubbed “2024 Tourism Marketing Class Initiative”, the project aims to equip students with practical experience in tourism management and marketing, fostering essential skills in real-world scenarios.

Competitive edge

To add a competitive edge to the initiative, the class has been divided into two groups, each tasked with the responsibility of organising successful tours for students and other interested patrons.

Consequently, the two groups have established, NEVANEA Adventures and ECHO TRAVELS, both domestic travel companies, with the aim to promote domestic tourism packages to more than 200 excursionists.

They will lead the excursion to notable tourist sites in the Volta Region, including Mount Afadja, Wli Waterfalls, Amedzofe Canopy Walk, Wote Falls and Mount Gemi.

It is being organised with support from the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) and other corporate entities.

UniMAC commended

The Deputy Director in charge of Domestic Marketing at GTA, Kofi Atta Kakra Kusi, in an interview, commended UniMAC for the promotion of domestic tourism through the project.

He explained that an academic project of such nature that promoted hands-on training for practical experience would help encourage more visits to the country’s historic and attraction sites.

“The domestic marketing of our tourism destinations is crucial to enhance capacity and development of the industry in general,” he added.

Array of nature reserves

The deputy director said the country boasted a diverse array of nature reserves, parks and gardens, with the significance of domestic tourism highlighted during the pandemic when international borders were closed.

He said in a strategic move towards recovering from the impact of COVID-19, the GTA and the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, and Culture (MoTAC) rolled out initiatives such as "Experience Ghana, Share Ghana," and previously from the year 2017 had the See Ghana, EAT Ghana, Wear Ghana and Feel Ghana" initiatives.

“Supported by the Ghana Tourism Development Project (GTDP) funded by the World Bank, projects were launched to enhance capacity, develop products and upgrade sites and facilities.

“One notable success story is the transformation of the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, resulting in a remarkable surge in visitor numbers in 2023,” he said.

Semester project goal

The Lecturer of  Tourism Marketing at UniMAC, Bright Senanu, stated that the goal of the semester project was to help students put into practice the concepts and theories studied in class.

He said the project would provide an opportunity for students to apply what they had learnt in the classroom to address actual issues in the tourism and hospitality industry.

“Students in class or work groups are expected to identify a tourist site in the Greater Accra, Volta or the Eastern regions (closest proximity to Accra is important), visit the site and conduct marketing research and analysis of it.

“In light of the findings, they will discuss the facility's future possibilities or outlook and offer actionable recommendations hinged on marketing theory and practice while developing entrepreneurial skills and knowledge in tourism management,” he said.

Positive trend

In 2019, Ghana registered 669,311 domestic visitors. However, this number plummeted by 69 per cent in 2020 due to the pandemic's disruptive effects on travel and tourism.

The tide turned in 2022, with a total of 945,405 visits to attraction sites, marking a 49 per cent year-on-year growth and signalling a recovery from the previous year's reduction.

By 2023, domestic visitor arrivals surpassed pre-COVID figures by a striking 110 per cent, underscoring a robust rebound in domestic tourism. Residents accounted for the majority at 1.16 million, making up 83 per cent of the total, while non-residents contributed 17 per cent.