Closure of Elmina Bridge affects tourism revenue
Tourist visits to the Elmina Castle, one of the hottest tourist attractions in the Central Region, has reduced following the protracted closure of the Denya Bridge which provides access to the castle.
Advertisement
As a result, the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) fears revenue inflows from the region would slow further if the bridge remains closed.
The bridge over the Denya Lagoon was closed in April, this year, to save it from collapse or further deterioration.
Given the importance of the bridge in providing access to the Elimina Castle and other places of interest to tourists visiting the Central Region, the tourism authority is concerned that visitor numbers to the castle will reduce further and cause the authority to miss its revenue targets for the year.
Attempts to speak to the Municipal Chief Executive of the KEEA did not yield any fruits.
But the officer in charge of the Elmina Castle, Mr Clifford Ato Ashun, told the Daily Graphic in an interview that visits to the facility declined in April and June, this year, following the closure of the bridge.
The castle recorded about 8,300 visits last year, partly accounted for the $2.3 billion the country realised from tourist arrivals in the first nine months of last year.
The acting Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Tourism Authority, Mr Sampson Donkor, also admitted in an interview that the situation had already started reflecting in the authority’s revenue stream.
“It is really affecting visitor arrivals and revenues a lot and that is worrying to us. Immediately people get there and are not able to access the place (as a result of the closure of the bridge), most of them always return disappointed, with some going further to spread the bad news. This creates negative impressions about the facility,” Mr Donkor said.
Given the rate of the loss to be suffered as a result, Mr Donkor said the GTA expected the Komenda Edina Eguafo Abirem (KEEA) Municipal Assembly, under whose jurisdiction the castle is, to expedite action on rehabilitating the damaged bridge or at least create a temporary access.
By Maxwell Adombila Akalaare/Daily Graphic/Ghana