CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by Bowling Green State University: ScholarWorks@BGSU Visions in Leisure and Business Volume 14 Number 2 Article 3 1995 An Integrated Tourism Development Project: The Central Region of Ghana William C. Gartner University of Minnesota Donald Jackson Charles Hutchinson Vera Hyatt Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/visions Recommended Citation Gartner, William C.; Jackson, Donald; Hutchinson, Charles; and Hyatt, Vera (1995) "An Integrated Tourism Development Project: The Central Region of Ghana," Visions in Leisure and Business: Vol. 14 : No. 2 , Article 3. Available at: https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/visions/vol14/iss2/3 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at ScholarWorks@BGSU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Visions in Leisure and Business by an authorized editor of ScholarWorks@BGSU. AN INTEGRATED TOURISM DEVELOPMENT PROJECT: THE CENTRAL REGION OF GHANA BY DR. WILLIAMC. GARTNER, PROFESSOR AND DIRECTOR TOURISM CENTER 116 COB UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA 55108 DR. DONALD JACKSON, GHANA PROJECT TEAM LEADER MIDWESTERNUNIVERSI TIES CONSORTIUM FOR INTERNATIONALACTIVITIES 66 EAST 15TH A VENUE COLUMBUS, OHIO 43201 MR. CHARLES HUTCHINSON,IN-COUNTRY RESIDENT MANAGER MUCIA GHANA P.O. BOX 1630 E45/3 INDEPENDENCEA VENUE ACCRA, GHANA AND DR. VERA HYATT, PROJECT DIRECTOR INTERNATIONALGALLERY SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION S. DILLONRIPLEY CENTER, SUITE 3123 WASHINGTON,D.C. 20560 ABSTRACT markets for export goods most growth has been short lived. Since 1990 economic The Republic of Ghana is located in West growth has accelerated and the country is Africa approximately 750 kilometers north currently governed by an elected President of the equator. As a country it has gone and Parliament. One of the main economic through a series of economic cycles but due development strategies in the last five years to numerous coups, misguided economic has been tourism. policies, and the vagaries of international 13 This paper describes a tourism development Tourism arrivals average less than 250,000 project that has been in place, in one of per annum. Much of this is made up of Ghana's political regions, since the early business travelers. By some accounts 1990's. What makes it unique is that pleasure travel constitutes less than ten funding was obtained in numerous ways percent of all arrivals. The absence of a including blocked currency transactions (a tourism industry of note in the country is form of debt swap), a multi-disciplinary, due more to historical, political, and integrated approach to project imple­ economic problems ratherthan from lack of mentation, and a focus on tourism as the trying. Due to numerous coups, failed and lead sector. The project involves renovation successful, economic development, includ­ of three fortifications significant as the first ing tourism, has been constantly retarded European settlements in West Africa and (5). However since 1981 when the last coup key to the Africa diaspora to the New occurred there has been relative political World, and the preservation and stability. Currently an elected President and development for touristic purposes of a Parliament govern the country with the last forested area now designated as a National election held in 1992. Park. Two supporting activities include interpretive services that strengthen newly Political stability, and the adoption of created museums at one of the fortifications International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the National Park, and tourism guidelines have had a positive impact on promotion, planning, and marketing services many types of economic development which are intended to increase awareness of including tourism. Accra, the capital city, the tourism products and build the has in the past six years seen the devel­ institutional capacity for long term opment of four and five star hotels, monitoring and development of the region's rehabilitation and modernization of trans­ touristic resources. portation and telecommunication systems (although relatively underdeveloped and unreliable compared to those found in the INTRODUCTION developed world), as well as the construction of an ultra modem 1600 seat The Republic of Ghana is located on the capacity internationalconference center. West Coast of Africa approximately 750 kilometers north of the Equator. Being a Tourism, as an industry, has been declared a tropical country average temperatures range prioritysector for economic development by between 21-32° C with rainfall in the south the government. Under a new medium term averaging 2.030 mm annually. Southern national tourism development plan lands stretch from the Coastal Plains, with institutional and policy measures are being elevations rarely exceeding 200 meters, to put in place to make tourism an international the tropicalforest belt. Northernregions are competitive industry and a major hard drier with Savannah type vegetation currency earner for Ghana. Among the key predominant. Population is estimated at measures are: over 15 million people with the majority concentrated in the southern and central Encouragement of a lead role for the parts of the country. private sector, divestiture of government owned hotels and other 14 properties and, reform of the tourism One of these is the existence of a 360 square administrationsystem. kilometer tract of tropical forest, known as Kakum, which has experienced only slight Against this background most of the abuse fromloggers and professional hunters. country's regions (similar to states or Within its borders live the endangered provinces) are also beginning to take Forest Elephant and Bongo as well as measures and position themselves for several other rare and endangered species of economic development activities led by the both flora and fauna. One of CEDECOM's tourism sector. The CentralRegion, one of first acts was to petition the National Ghana's ten political and administrative Government to set aside Kakum as a regions,with its capital in the historic city of national preserve. The National Parliament CapeCoast, is currentlythe focusof a major agreed to the petition and all logging and tourism development initiative. The rest of most hunting has ceased. In 1992 the status this paper discusses the evolution of that of Kakum changed froma National Preserve initiative. to a National Park. The second attraction consists of a group of BACKGROUND centuries old European fortifications (forts and castles) along the coast. Of the 32 The origins of the initiative go back to remaining European fortifications on the approximately the fall of 1988, when the West Coast of Africa, 26 are in Ghana and government of Ghana was beginning to 22 are in the Central Region. Three of decentralize its bureaucracy, thereby giving these--Elmina Castle, the site of the first more autonomy to the Regional Secretaries European settlement in West Africa (1482), (governors) of the country's various regions. Cape Coast Castle, and Fort St. Jago--are in The Central Region was one of the first relatively good repair and have been regions to respond by establishing the targeted for renovation by the project. All Central Region Development Commission three are on the "World Heritage List" of (CEDECOM) complete with a professional significant historical buildings. staffand Boardof Directors. CEDECOM, with its Board's guidance, The mandate of CEDECOM was to develop designed an all encompassing Central a strategy for the development of the Central Region Integrated Development Project Region and its people. In analyzing the (CERIDEP), which included components strengths of the region, the Board chose for tourism, Kakum National Park, tourism development as the strategywith the renovation and use of the castles and fort, greatest potential of success. The Central improvements in the Regional infra­ Region is not only favored with some of the structure, and support for small business few protected, white sand beaches on the development. A subsidiary of the com­ West Coast of Africa which coupled with rmss10n is the Tourism Development low annual rainfall along the coast could Scheme for the Central Region (TODSCER) attract tourists, but also contains two other which is responsible for planning and tourist attractions with very high potential coordinating all tourism development for initiatingdevelo pment. activities under CERIDEP. Its admin- 15 istrative structure is consistent with Ghana's an appropriate candidate to lead and long history of grassroots initiatives driven coordinate the design and implementationof by village decision-making and local the project due to its reputation in dealing participation (4). With a fixed strategy and with development assistance projects plan of action developed, CEDECOM overseas. approached a number of donor agencies to help fund the various components. The It was agreed that MUCIA would organize a United Nations Development Program project proposal team to visit the Central (UNDP), was the first to respond with a Region. The University of Minnesota's multifaceted, U.S. $ 5.4 million project Tourism Center was asked to provide two supporting parts of the tourism, park, castles experts, one in tourism marketing and and fort, urban infrastructure, and small promotion, and the other in park business components. Their portion of the management. The MUCIA universities had project began in January of 1989 and ended recently formed an ad hoc committee on . in June 1993. A second