Hello! Welcome to Ghana Tourism Authority!

First Birth

In 1959, the Second Development Plan (1959-64), the first for independent Ghana, launched by the Convention People’s Party (CPP) government featured tourism as an important sector to be developed. Consequently, the Ghana Tourist Board was created by this government in 1959 and incorporated on 28th April 1960 by Executive Instrument No. 121. to see to the healthy development of the industry. Attached to the Ministry of Parks and Gardens, the Board was charged with the following functions:

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1) to keep a register of private hotel and boarding house accommodation, classified according to suitability for tourists;

2) to make a list of all possible tourist sites and occasions, and to see, in collaboration with the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board, that all necessary preparations are made for their development;

3) to prepare and distribute literature on tourist facilities, and to advertise in appropriate places.

Merger & Redesignation

On 25 January 1963, the Ghana Tourist Board was merged with the Ghana Hotels Corporation to form the Ghana Hotels and Tourist Corporation under the Executive Instrument No. 7. This merger, however, lasted for only two years. In 1965, under the Legislative Instrument L.I. 466, the hotels corporation was detached from the Board. The Board, re-designated the State Tourist Corporation, was formed to reflect the socialist ideology of the CPP government.

Desolution

When the CPP government was overthrown by a coup d’etat in February 1966, the National Liberation Council (NLC) military/police government which came to power dissolved the State Tourist Corporation. The committee appointed by the NLC to look into the operations of the Corporation, however, recommended the need to re-establish a national tourism organization (Ghana Year Book, 1977:248).

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Rebirth and Dissolution

Consequently the National Tourist Corporation was established on October 2, 1968 by a decree, NLCD 310. In order to conform with the requirements of the Second Republic’s constitution, the Progress Party government re-enacted the National Tourist Corporation Decree, NLCD 310. On January 12, 1971, The Ghana Tourist Corporation Act, 1970, Act 349, was promulgated to amend the NLCD 310 and establish the Ghana Tourist Corporation (ACT 349: 2). The Corporation was made responsible for the discharge of the following functions:

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a) the promotion, development and enhancement of places of historic and scenic interest in Ghana;

b) the encouragement and inducement of holiday-makers, travellers and tourists to travel to and see such places;

c) the promotion and advertisement of tourism in Ghana and abroad;

d) the promotion of the establishment of tourist organization; and

e) the carrying of such functions relating to tourism as it may think fit and is in the national interest.

2nd Dissolution

For more purposeful and rational planning, this new military government amended the Act 349 of 1970 by NRCD 86 which empowered the national tourist organization to formulate policy and organize the industry in a more business-like manner. In November 1973, however, the Ghana Tourist Corporation Act, 1970 (Act 349) was repealed and the Corporation accordingly dissolved.

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New Birth and Direction To GTA

In its place came the NRC Decree 224, which set up the Ghana Tourist Control Board and gave it these responsibilities (NRCD 224, 1973:1):

a) the formulation of policy and co-ordination of activities on tourism;

b) the regulation and control of the tourist industry;

c) the marketing of tourism, both in Ghana and outside Ghana, including the publication of brochures;

d) research and studies on trends in the tourist industry; and

e) any other matters affecting tourism generally.[expander_maker id=”2″ more=”Read more” less=”Read less”]

The civilian government which came to power after the NRC/SMC, the PNP government (1979-1981) created a separate Ministry of Culture and Tourism, so as to enhance the Ghanaian culture in the process of tourism development.

It was felt that the emphasis placed on international tourism in national policy hitherto had led to the neglect of domestic tourism as a need for national cultural awareness and as a means of enhancing the domestic revenue earning capacity of the government

The Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA)

After several years of efforts to help align and strengthen the tourism industry, the Ghana Tourism Act 817, was passed by parliament and accented in 2011 thus creating the Ghana Tourism Authority with renewed and expanded mandate and source of finance ‘Tourism Development fund’. The Establishment of the GTA saw the repeal of NRCD 224, 1973.

Since then, the organisation has led in the development of tourism in Ghana.

Credits: Francis Adu-Febiri, Tourism ACT 2011

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