Ghana Statistical Service Launches Tourism Survey to Develop Effective Policies

The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) has launched the Domestic and Outbound Tourism Survey (DOTS) to gather data on domestic and outbound visitors for the effective and efficient development of tourism policies and programmes in the country. The survey will cover a one-year period and gather information on Ghanaians and non-Ghanaians who are resident in the country.

The DOTS is one of four surveys that will be conducted by the GSS to compile the Tourism Satellite Account (TSA), which will serve as the basis for computing the tourism sector’s true relevance to the national economy. The rest of the surveys are the Ghana International Travellers’ Survey (GITS), Accommodation Units Survey (AUS), and Tourism Supply Establishment Survey (TSES).

Professor Samuel K. Annim, the Government Statistician, who officially launched the survey, stated that the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MoTAC) had projected that the sector could potentially attract 4.3 million tourists, translating into foreign exchange worth $1.5 billion while creating direct and indirect employment for 1.4 million people in the country.

The DOTS will provide comprehensive data on how attractive the country’s tourist sites are, the facilities available, the number of people visiting, and how realistic the ministry’s projections are. Tourism, when properly planned and developed, could be used as a vehicle to achieve many of the sustainable development goals directly and indirectly.

Residents are urged to participate willingly in the exercise to help compute the true contribution of the tourism industry to the national economy. The survey will be a great help in furthering the country’s tourism industry by providing accurate data to policymakers.