2026 tourism budget implementation promising, but incomplete – Analyst

Emmanuel Frimpong, a Tourism Consultant and Analyst, says Ghana’s implementation of tourism, arts and culture initiatives outlined in the 2026 Budget has been promising but remains incomplete.

He said although progress had been made in institutional development, digitalisation and cultural promotion, several major commitments were still at the preparatory or implementation stages, and urged the Government to shift its focus from policy announcements to measurable results.

He cited the introduction of the Ghana Tourism Marketplace and the Ghana Tourism Investment Platform as important developments aimed at improving market access for tourism businesses and connecting investors to opportunities in the sector.

He also highlighted initiatives such as AfroGastro, the promotion of Ghanaian cuisine in hospitality establishments, and renovation works and facility upgrades at the National Theatre.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Accra on Wednesday, Mr Frimpong said the establishment of digital platforms and the release of funds were commendable, but the industry needed corresponding improvements in infrastructure, access to financing, business growth, and sustainable job creation.

He explained that the Ghana Tourism Marketplace gave tourism businesses opportunities to showcase and sell their products and experiences, while the investment platform could connect potential investors with hotels, tourist attractions, and community-based tourism enterprises.

However, he said the interventions' benefits were not yet evenly distributed, particularly among small tourism businesses operating outside the country’s major tourism centres.

He identified poor access roads, inadequate financing, limited digital skills, weak marketing capacity, and insufficient visitor facilities as challenges confronting operators.

Mr Frimpong said digital tourism promotion must go hand in hand with physical infrastructure development, noting that although tourists could discover destinations online, the quality of roads, sanitation, security, accommodation and visitor services would ultimately determine their experience.

On the sector’s economic performance, he said Ghana recorded 1,306,962 international tourist arrivals in 2025, generating an estimated US$4.34 billion in revenue.

Domestic tourism visits also increased from 1.68 million in 2024 to 1.79 million in 2025, while licensed tourism enterprises grew by 6.1 per cent and travel trade enterprises by 18.6 per cent.

He cautioned, however, against attributing those figures directly to the implementation of the 2026 Budget, since they largely reflected the sector’s performance in 2025.

Mr Frimpong said the Government needed to provide more detailed information on jobs created through individual projects, businesses benefiting from interventions, funds disbursed, private investments attracted and revenue generated.

He called for the timely release and use of approved budgetary allocations, completion of outstanding infrastructure projects, improved tourism data systems, and accessible financing for small and medium-sized enterprises in the tourism and creative industries.

He also advocated establishing a Tourism Satellite Account (TSA) to provide more accurate information on tourism’s contribution to Gross Domestic Product, employment and national revenue.

Mr Frimpong said stronger collaboration among the Government, private sector operators, local authorities and communities was necessary to ensure that tourism growth translated into improved livelihoods.

He said the industry’s success should be measured not only by visitor numbers but also by the income retained in local communities, sustainable jobs created and the commercial viability of tourism businesses.