The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts(MoTCCA) Ghana is the government ministry responsible for the development and promotion of

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

-related activities in the country.

Functions

The ministry functions to develop and promote tourism and improve the capital city,

Accra Accra (; or ''Gaga''; ; Ewe: Gɛ; ) is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , had a population of ...

. These functions are aimed at optimising the socio-economic growth of the country through tourism-related activities and the promotion of environmental impact for the benefit of deprived communities with tourist sites in the country.

Minister of Tourism

The ministry is headed by the Minister of Tourism. The president appoints the sector minister, who is then presented to

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

for approval. The ministry has had a change of name to Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts in 2013.

Tourism statistics

In 2011, 1,087,000 tourists visited Ghana. Tourist arrivals to Ghana include South Americans, Asians, Europeans. Ghana's all year round tropical warm climate along with its many varieties of wildlife; exotic waterfalls such as Kintampo Waterfalls and the largest waterfall in West Africa, Tagbo Falls; Ghana's coastal palm-lined sandy beaches; caves; mountains, rivers;

meteorite A meteorite is a rock (geology), rock that originated in outer space and has fallen to the surface of a planet or Natural satellite, moon. When the original object enters the atmosphere, various factors such as friction, pressure, and chemical ...

impact crater An impact crater is a depression (geology), depression in the surface of a solid astronomical body formed by the hypervelocity impact event, impact of a smaller object. In contrast to volcanic craters, which result from explosion or internal c ...

and reservoirs and lakes such as Lake Bosumtwi or Bosumtwi meteorite crater and the largest lake in the world by surface area, Lake Volta; dozens of castles and forts;

UNESCO World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

s and

national park A national park is a nature park designated for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes because of unparalleled national natural, historic, or cultural significance. It is an area of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that is protecte ...

s are major tourist destinations in Ghana. The

World Economic Forum The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental organization, international advocacy non-governmental organization and think tank, based in Cologny, Canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German ...

statistics in 2010 showed that Ghana was 108th out of 139 countries as the world's favourite tourism destinations. The country had moved two places up from the 2009 rankings. In 2011, ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...

'' magazine, published that Ghana was ranked the eleventh most friendly country in the world. The assertion was based on a survey in 2010 of a cross-section of travelers. Of all the African countries that were included in the survey, Ghana ranked highest. Tourism is the fourth-highest earner of

foreign exchange The foreign exchange market (forex, FX, or currency market) is a global decentralized or over-the-counter (OTC) market for the trading of currencies. This market determines foreign exchange rates for every currency. By trading volume, it i ...

for the country.

Major tourist sites under the ministry

* Kakum National Park – National Park * Mole National Park – National Park * Ankasa National park – National Park * Cape Coast Castle – UNESCO World Heritage Site * Elmina Castle – UNESCO World Heritage Site * Nzulezo – UNESCO World Heritage Site

Gallery

File:Kakum Canopy.jpg,

Kakum National Park Kakum National Park, located in the coastal environs of the Central Region, Ghana, Central Region of Ghana, covers an area of . Established in 1931 as a reserve, it was gazetted as a national park only in 1992 after an initial survey of avifauna ...

– National Park File:Ghanaian wildlife.JPG,

Mole National Park Mole National Park, one of Ghana's seven national parks, is the country's largest wildlife refuge. The park is located in the Savannah region of Ghana on savanna and riparian ecosystems at an elevation of 50 m, with a sharp escarpment formi ...

– National Park File:Barack Obama in Cape Coast Castle.jpg,

Cape Coast Castle Cape Coast Castle () is one of about forty slave fort, "slave castles", or large commercial forts, built on the Gold Coast (region), Gold Coast of West Africa (now Ghana) by European traders. It was originally a Portuguese "feitoria" or Factory ( ...

–

File:St. George Castle, Elmina, Ghana.JPG,

Elmina Castle Elmina Castle was erected by the Portuguese in 1482 as Castelo de São Jorge da Mina (''St. George of the Mine Castle''), also known as ''Castelo da Mina'' or simply ''Mina'' (or '' Feitoria da Mina''), in present-day Elmina, Ghana, formerly t ...

– UNESCO World Heritage Site File:Nzulezo.jpg,

Nzulezo Nzulezo is a village located near the village of Beyin, 90 kilometers west of Takoradi, in the Jomoro District in the Western Region (Ghana), Western Region of Ghana. Nzuleso can also be spelt as "Nzulezu". Over 500 people live in the community. ...

– UNESCO World Heritage Site File:Boti falls, Ghana.jpg, Boti Falls File:Wli Lower Fall-4.jpg, Wli Falls File:Kintampo Waterfalls.JPG, Kintampo Falls File:Tagbo Falls Ghana.jpg,

–

Tagbo Falls Tagbo Falls is a waterfall near Mount Afadjato in Ghana, located at Liati Wote, approximately 27 kilometres east of the township of Hohoe. The water falls down in several stages, with the last stage being about 60 m. high. The area is surrounded ...

File:Umbrella rock, Koforidua, Ghana.jpg,

Umbrella Rock The Umbrella Rock is a mysterious rock located just about seven kilometres close to the Boti Falls in the Yilo Krobo District, Ghana, hence tourists who visit Boti Falls usually take advantage to pass by and experience the mystery of nature of ...

File:Fort Amsterdam Front view.jpg,

Fort Amsterdam Fort Amsterdam, (later, Fort George among other names) was a fortification on the southern tip of Manhattan Island at the confluence of the Hudson River, Hudson and East River, East rivers in what is now New York City. The fort and the island ...

File:Groß Friedrichsburg.JPG, Fort Groot Fredericksburg File:Overzicht bovenop bastion rechts voor met zicht op beide hoger gelegen bouwdelen - Axim - 20374980 - RCE.jpg,

Fort Santo Antonio Fort Saint Anthony (Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''Forte de Santo António''; Dutch language, Dutch: ''Fort Sint Anthony'') was a fort built by the Portuguese people, Portuguese in 1515 near the town of Axim, in what is now Ghana. In 1642, th ...

File:Fort Metal Cross.jpg,

Fort Metal Cross Fort Metal Cross, originally Fort Dixcove, is a military structure located on a promontory at the fishing community of Infuma in Dixcove, in the Western Region of Ghana. Because of its history in the Atlantic slave trade and its testimony to Euro ...

File:Museum Ground floor from 1st floor.jpg,

National Museum A national museum can be a museum maintained and funded by a national government. In many countries it denotes a museum run by the central government, while other museums are run by regional or local governments. In the United States, most nati ...

References

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Tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...