Impacts of COVID-19 on Emerging Tourist Destinations and Recovery Strategies in Ghana

The COVID-19 pandemic, characterised by systemic border closures, economic meltdowns and an overwhelmed global health sector, had a debilitating effect on the global tourism industry. Due to lockdowns, quarantines, flight cancellations and movement restrictions in major travel source markets, tourism activities virtually halted in many emerging tourist destinations that depend on inbound tourism, including Ghana. This chapter provides a holistic analysis of the impacts of COVID-19 on the tourism industry in Ghana and the recovery strategies employed by the government and the private sector. This chapter used a document analysis method through a comprehensive review and analysis of press releases, newspaper articles, research publications and other relevant documents and policies related to COVID-19 and tourism specific to Ghana. Thematic and content analysis was used to analyse the data. Results show that tourism business activities were virtually halted by government’s initial protocols (border closures, ban on social gatherings, lockdowns and social distance protocols) to manage the spread of the disease. The interventions worsened the plight of tourism businesses bringing tourism activities to a standstill. Even with the easing of restrictions and the discovery of vaccines, tourism is still a long way from recovery. Therefore, government and industry players must undertake a holistic and thorough vulnerability analysis of the tourism industry. The analysis would enable them to understand the peculiar needs of the various sub-sectors and develop tailor-made solutions for sustainable tourism development.