Tourism and national economic development planning in Ghana, 1964–2014

Tourism continues to be a significant source of economic activity for many developing countries. The challenge for such countries has been how best to effectively plan for tourism development within overall national economic development planning and policies. This paper takes a historical approach in examining the conception of tourism development in Ghana within successive national economic development plans. Since independence in 1957, tourism has been identified as an opportunity for economic growth. In the early days of national development planning, tourism was seen mainly in terms of its foreign-exchange-earning potential. Within the current medium-term national economic development plan (Ghana Shared Growth and Development Agenda 2014–2017), tourism is now positioned as one of seven key economic pillars for transforming the economy. This paper argues that the shift in thought about tourism’s economic role within a country can be traced through the historical eyes of successive national economic development plans.