River festival and the prospects of event tourism
The third Ghana International River Festival continues at Ada Foah in the Greater Accra region from today, June 29 till Monday, July 1.
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The event is a celebration of recreational water sports to create awareness on the need to protect and preserve water bodies. Visual and performing arts, as well as cultural tours, have been lined up to form part of the festival celebration.
The Ada area, which forms part of the Lower Volta Basin, is made up of beautiful islands, wildlife and unique ecosystems along the river banks. Against the backdrop of the estuary and the pristine beaches of Tsarley Korpey and Maranatha, visitors are expected to have a jolly good holiday weekend.
Though naturally beautiful, this destination is also very poor. Most of the islands and communities have neither medical facilities nor good quality schools for their inhabitants. It is thus encouraging that the festival has at heart the development of ecotourism to alleviate poverty and to create opportunities.
Ultimately, the idea is to transform and restore the Lower Volta Basin into a leading ecotourism and water sports destination in West Africa.
The third celebration in as many years, the International River Festival brings in focus the place of event tourism in destination marketing. According to American marketing consultant, Philip Kotler, events are major elements, in addition to infrastructure, attractions and people, in the development of tourism destinations.
While the bulk of these resources come from the state, community initiatives such as the Riverfest would go a long way to open up tourism opportunities across the country. It would be strategic, for instance, to have other themed events all over Ghana to fill up the tourism calendar.
Quite evidently, accommodating the development of the event segment is only one side of the story. The way forward for Ghana’s tourism is the bravery to take bold steps and do the things that work and not repeat the old ones that don’t.
For the development of tourism destinations, the bold steps should include self-definition, workable visions, operationalising industry standards and finally, innovation.
The need to embrace innovation is also underpinned by changes in tourism trends. Old tourists focus on sun, sea and sand for relaxation. These tourists lie in the sun, get tanned , visit any available famous attractions, have no special interests and eat in hotel dining rooms.
The new tourists on the other hand go for satisfaction and are very sensitive about their particular segment of the market. They get up and get active, try out local food, clothes and drinks. They are interested in the people in the places they visit.
They want to learn a dance, a craft, a phrase or two of the local dialect. They are culturally, environmentally sensitive, as well as ethically sensitive. They even go to the extent of donating to local projects and charities. Ghana’s tourism sector must position itself to harness this growing trend.
The point cannot be belaboured that product development is crucial for our tourism growth. Tourism is about memorable experiences and as much as possible, the visitor must find the destinations and attractions worth the while.
When it comes to improving the standards of facilities, there is no way of going round it. Additionally, in a globalised village there can be no excuse for poor service.
The issue of service in tourism is critical and is directly linked to the improvement of human resources and institutional capacity both in the formal and informal sectors.
Branding and marketing Ghana as a competitive and quality destination with the private sector taking the lead role is also a major requirement for the journey forward.
We must also pay attention to growing trends. Sustainability is a mantra that can hardly be ignored. Our development effort must also consider the environment and the green movement, e-business, certification schemes and joint regional marketing with our neighbours.
In five years, the Riverfest should add visible value to Ghana’s tourist product. Other beaches should clean up their acts and develop water sports and recreational activities for patronage of domestic and international tourists.
As an annual event, Riverfest has the potential to boost domestic tourism while creating wealth and reducing poverty in the surrounding communities. It should also feature interesting programmes that will give people the opportunity to develop their talent while relaxing and enjoying the bounties of nature.
For an area that is prone to water borne - diseases such as bilharzias, it is good to learn that organisers are raising funds to acquire an ambulance boat to provide health support for the people.
Tourism has long been considered a major contributor to the economy of many nations. Some countries have decided that since they lack vital mineral resources and are unable to make much headway with secondary industries, they would place emphasis on the gifts of nature by establishing sound tourism industries.
The Caribbean is one such area. Can Ghana’s Riverfest get us there?
By Kofi Akpabli
Writer's email: [email protected]