ACCRA, Ghana, 10th August: The Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Hon. Abla Dzifa Gomashie, has outlined significant gains and ongoing initiatives in Ghana’s tourism, culture and creative arts sector as part of the Government Accountability Series.
Giving an account of her stewardship, the Minister revealed that international tourist arrivals increased from 1,288,804 in 2024 to 1,306,962 in 2025, while domestic tourism recorded a 7 per cent growth, rising from 1.68 million visits to 1.79 million visits within the same period.
According to her, the growth in international tourism translated into substantial economic gains, with total revenue generated from international tourist arrivals reaching US$4.34 billion in 2025.
Hon. Gomashie also disclosed that Ghana’s 10 most visited tourist attractions recorded a combined 1,377,588 visitors in 2025, accounting for approximately 77 per cent of all domestic tourism site visits.
The leading attractions include the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, Kakum National Park, Bonsu Arboretum/Eco Park, Cape Coast Castle, Manhyia Palace, Kumasi Zoo, Accra Zoo, Elmina Castle, Shai Hills Resource Reserve and Aburi Botanical Gardens.
The Minister said the figures demonstrate the growing interest in Ghana’s tourism assets and the need for continued investment in the development, preservation and promotion of destinations across the country.
She further highlighted several interventions aimed at preserving and repositioning key national tourism and heritage assets.
These include the reopening of the Nationalism Park following the resolution of long-standing power challenges, the completion of the Tano Boase Sacred Grove Project, and efforts to strengthen governance and management structures at important heritage sites such as the Anomabo Garden of Return and the Tetteh Quarshie Cocoa Farm.
As part of measures to diversify Ghana’s tourism offerings and support the Government’s 24-Hour Economy agenda, the Ministry has also introduced “Accra by Night,” a structured night tourism product designed to encourage tourism and economic activity beyond traditional daytime hours.
The initiative is expected to create new opportunities for restaurants, artists, transport operators, tour guides, hospitality businesses and other small and medium-sized enterprises operating within the tourism and creative economy.
On cultural development, Hon. Gomashie announced plans to launch three additional standardised orthographies for three Ghanaian languages before the end of the year.
She explained that the initiative forms part of efforts to promote Ghana’s indigenous languages and strengthen cultural preservation, in line with the vision outlined by President John Dramani Mahamaand commitments contained in the Government’s manifesto.
The Minister said the interventions reflect the Government’s broader commitment to making tourism, culture and the creative arts stronger contributors to economic growth, job creation, cultural preservation and national development.
Her presentation formed part of the Government Accountability Series, an initiative aimed at promoting transparency and accountability by providing Ghanaians with updates on the policies, programmes and achievements of various sectors of government.
Story by: Emmanuel Romeo Tetteh(#RomeoWrites✍️)/ Presidential Affairs Correspondent | Ghana 🇬🇭
