Business / Tourism
The Ghana Statistical Service says domestic travellers dominate the country’s accommodation market, while foreign visitors generally stay longer, creating opportunities to increase tourism spending.
Domestic travellers continue to dominate Ghana’s accommodation market, but foreign visitors tend to stay significantly longer, according to the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS).
The findings are contained in the GSS Accommodation Unit Survey covering November 2024 to February 2025.
The survey recorded between about 1.87 million and 2.17 million domestic guests per month across accommodation establishments during the period, while foreign guest numbers remained below 40,000 per month.
Despite the significant difference in visitor numbers, foreign guests generally recorded longer stays. In hotels, foreign visitors stayed for approximately three to four nights, compared with about two nights for domestic guests.
The GSS says the findings demonstrate that tourism performance should not be measured solely by visitor numbers, as the length of stay also determines the economic value generated by tourists.
Longer stays can increase spending on accommodation, food, transportation, entertainment and other tourism-related services, potentially spreading tourism benefits across local economies.
The Service has therefore encouraged tourism businesses and destination managers to develop products and experiences that encourage visitors to remain longer.
Domestic Tourism Opportunity
The strong presence of domestic travellers also represents an important market for accommodation providers and other tourism businesses.
The GSS recommends that domestic tourism be treated as a market in its own right, with businesses developing packages around attractions, cultural events, festivals, conferences and other travel activities.
The Service, however, noted that greater emphasis on domestic tourism does not diminish the importance of international visitors. Domestic tourists provide significant volume, while foreign visitors often generate longer stays across several accommodation categories.
The findings form part of Ghana’s first nationally representative longitudinal survey of short-stay accommodation activity, covering both licensed and unlicensed establishments.
The survey provides information on accommodation capacity, utilisation, guest activity and financial performance.
However, the GSS cautioned that the current findings cover only four months of a planned 12-month data collection programme and should therefore be viewed as an emerging baseline rather than evidence of long-term tourism trends.
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