Diversification of the Tourist Landscape on Ghana’s Atlantic Coast: Forts, Castles and Beach Hotel/Resort Operations in the Tourism Industry

Abstract

European settlements, trans-Atlantic trade in commodities and slaves, and colonization are indispensable components of Ghana’s political history, heritage, and tourism industry. European forts and castles built as far back as 1482 still characterize the Atlantic coast of Ghana. Since March 6, 1957 when Ghana became the first sub-Sahara African country to gain political independence from European colonial rule, the country has faced many socio-economic and political challenges. Tourism did not receive significant political attention until the late 1990s. In more recent years, the industry has experienced remarkable growth and increasing operations of beach hotels and resorts on the Atlantic coast of the country. The beach hotels/resorts benefit economically from the forts and castles which are European ‘blackspots’ and destination-based cultural capital in the tourism industry. The degree of dependency of the tourism industry, in general, and the beach hotel/resort operations, in particular, on international tourists is overwhelming and highly susceptible to changes in the global tourism industry.