Although we’re officially more than halfway through the Year of Return, the climax of this yearlong celebration is going to be marked by the peak period of the entertainment industry (November-December) which is roughly about four months away.
The last 5 days of the year are unarguably the most jam-packed with back to back concerts and church services well attended by people in the city. But the whole of December is always very busy. Peak traffic and multiple events in areas like East Legon combined with the harmattan heat do not make moving around any easier.
2019 December’s festivities will however be more significant because they coincide with the end of the year of return.
There is going to be a lot more people in Accra and the rest of the country to mark the end of the year and the year of return. But if it was as simple as Ghana receiving more tourists this year you wouldn’t be reading this and I would not be fighting with my keyboard at 3 am trying to get my point across.
After being named one of the top countries to visit in 2019 by CNN in March, it’s unquestionable that globally, many people have their eyes on Ghana this year. This means the two major events will attract more people and be pivotal for the tourism sector.
Ghanaians abroad who usually come home for the holidays will be here as will Blacks in the diaspora looking to reconnect with their ancestral roots.
In fact, some African-American celebrities were here in December 2018 for a group holiday dubbed the full circle festival to being the year of return in Ghana. Pictures of the Boris Cudjoe and his friends who were here gave a lot of exposure and has inspired other celebrities to come through. So we need to ensure we finish the year even stronger than we started it.
The Year or return thus far
Reflecting on the marketing and events that have gone into the year of return this far, I think the Ministry of Tourism and the Committee in charge of the website and events need to be commended for all the work done so far.
Researching for this piece, I was intrigued when I read about the inspiration behind the chosen logo for all marketing and events. The waves in red yellow and green which are part of the background of the logo were chosen to show the connection that exists between the Africans and members of diaspora and the fact that this can be strengthened showing how “What is lost in the sea is returned by the waves”. It clearly showed the intention and attention to detail that has gone into the planning of this event.
The list of events is extensive and includes the Pan African student summit held in March and the others like the annual Panafest taking place later this month. The Pan African Historical Theatre Festival mainly focuses on issues that affect both the African diaspora and Africans on the continent since slavery.
This year’s emancipation day and the year of return include a Symbolic Boat Ride for Diaspora Returnees who will ride from the Cape Coast Castle Door of No return at the Elmina castle dungeon.
Even though the list of events is encouraging, I think more can be done to make sure Ghana benefits from all of the exposure, which will benefit tourism and create stronger connections between us and the African diaspora.
(New Event: Dialogue about the role of Africans in the slave trade )
Despite the lengthy list of events mentioned on the Year of Return website, there is no event that focuses on Africans’ role in the slave trade. The fact that fellow Africans played a role in the slave trade by kidnapping and selling other Africans to slave traders is a known fact but something that is frankly not openly discussed on the continent.
There has never been any formal recognition or apology from Africans on the continent to Africans in the diaspora about the role we played in the slave trade and this is an issue that I believe will be perfect to tackle during this years’ celebrations.
An open dialogue similar to truth and reconciliation committee that was set up after the end of apartheid in South Africa, over a shorter period of time, would likely be the best format to address an issue like this.
In addition to this issue, other topics can be discussed that will facilitate to help all people of African descent get a better understanding of the realities we face and bring us closer together.
The whole country should benefit from the influx in tourism
As part of helping Africans in the diaspora reconnect trips to tourist sites are have also been included to help them discover what the continent has to offer. One challenge with this however is the fact that a lot of the tourist sites people are taken to are mainly within the southern regions of Ghana i.e: Greater Accra, Central, and Eastern region meaning that its mainly these regions that are benefiting from the rise in tourists this year.
Spreading the benefits of tourism across the country is necessary and this can be done by creating accommodation packages and tourists discounts for hotels in regions that receive fewer tourists.
Packages like this will make visiting other parts of Ghana more accessible and affordable for tourists and generate more revenue in the tourism sector.
Civil society organizations should benefit for the influx of tourists
Despite the majority of tourists coming to Ghana to enjoy our food and warm weather in December, a lot of people are looking for more than “enjoyment ” on their holiday. For some people, the nightlife and social events in December may not be exciting and we need to make sure we engage these types of people as well. One way I think this can be done is by connecting them to impact civil society organizations and NGOs creating positive change in the country.
Creating exposure for these kinds of events may simply mean advertising volunteer opportunities at hotels but this will definitely attract interested people to these types of opportunities.
These types of interactions could also lead to increased revenue through donations to organizations in this sector whilst creating another avenue for people to learn about Ghanaian culture and people.
We need to increase our security and support Ghanaian entrepreneurs
The recent spike in reported kidnappings in the country are not only a source of alarm for Ghanaians but are also very worrying for potential tourists. The case of the Canadians girls kidnapped in Kumasi was dealt with and fortunately resolved quite quickly. But this is not always the case and weak security will make tourist question their safety.
It will be crucial to increase security over the next few months but particularly in December so tourists are confident that they are safe.
Supporting and encouraging Ghanaian entrepreneurs and businesses ahead of festivities is another thing that must be done. This can be done by organising for fairs to be held at hotels during the peak weeks of December to showcase products or simply through sharing the contact details of an entrepreneur whose products you like with a tourist you end up speaking with at an event.
A little goes a long way when it comes to patronising goods from entrepreneurs you want to support and this will benefits both Ghanaians and tourists.
Social Media as a marketing tool.
Over the last few years, a lot more advertising has been pushed on to social media and this is no different from tourism. A lot of resorts have started using social media influences with large followings to advertise their business and in some cases, this creates more customers for them around the globe.
One interesting thing to note about the people and for influencers is that a large number of them will be active social media users. Although people who use social media vary in age a large number of them can be considered as members of the youth.
Considering the rise in social media advertising the ministry of tourism could therefore consider using social media to market the activities in the country during December. They could also consider working with influencers to promote resorts and hotels in the country.
Looking at how Ghana’s has handled the year of return festivities I can definitely say that were are on the right track and have played an exemplary role in the continent. Despite our good start we need to make sure that the momentum for the upcoming festivities is not lost and pay specific attention to the events closing the event in December.
Social media can help us do this, but planning more events will also help increase the impact. Ultimately the goal is to make sure the whole country benefits from the influx of tourists and if we do this correctly this will just be the beginning of the impact Ghana’s will have as a major tourist destination for years to come.