Ghana: My choicest travel destination

As recently revealed by the Traveller’s Choice Awards, Paris, New York and London are the most famous destinations to travel to.
Consequent to this, and with the increasing trend of young people travelling abroad for studies or internship, some will very likely end up in one of those famous cities.

Traveller’s Choice Awards honour hospitality facilities in eight regions and 30 countries across the globe, based on the choice of travellers.

To gain new experiences, both culturally and educationally and in terms of career development, is the most common reason people spend several months abroad.

Though Ghana was not ranked among the top 10 in the Traveller’s Choice Awards, from my perspective the country is becoming more and more popular as a travel destination for foreigners.

Visit popular tourist spots in Accra, such as the Oxford Street at Osu or the Accra Mall and you will see many “obroni” tourists among the local people.

Why come to Ghana

How come so many travellers, volunteers and students choose Ghana as the destination for their intended purposes? What is it that makes the country so attractive?

Having left my country, Germany, to spend a couple of months in Accra, I may be able to come up with an explanation for that, starting with what goes through a traveller’s mind before deciding to visit Ghana.

Sam Elliot-Wood, originally from the UK and currently volunteering in Accra, explained his choice of country, saying Ghana is “a relatively calm country, compared to South Africa, for example. And they are English-speaking as well, which makes it easier for me to communicate”.

The language

For various nationals who can communicate in English, the language plays an important role in choosing their travel destinations. English is the most widely used language in the world and a chunk of the world’s population speaks and understands at least some words of that language.

While this is true, it is also common knowledge that there are a high number of English-speaking countries across the globe, for which reason the fact that Ghana uses English as the official language is not the only good reason the country is a choice destination.

Perception

Personally speaking, I had always been interested in travelling to an African country and my preference for English-speaking surroundings had helped to shorten the list of the countries to a manageable number.

Which African country, then, was it to be?

“I was told that Ghana is the Gateway to Africa and that it is a very peaceful country. I also heard that Ghanaian people are very friendly,” a volunteer from Denmark, Line Rosenkrands, stated, explaining why she decided to come to Ghana.

Having stayed in Ghana for almost four weeks now, I can definitely affirm that most Ghanaians are very friendly and helpful in almost every situation.

Also, the political and economic stability in Ghana makes the country one of the safest in Africa.

Unfortunately, there are some prejudices that still exist in Europe. When you tell your friends that you plan visiting Ghana, some may ask whether there is electricity supply in that country and whether you will stay in a wooden cabin without running water.

In spite of this, from my perspective, the wrong perception that Ghana is an under-developed or Third World country is not a view that is commonly shared in Europe.

On the contrary, there are many travellers’ guides which praise Ghana for being a relatively safe country, with inhabitants who show great hospitality and are very friendly.

That, definitely, sounds like a perfect place to travel to.

Cultural diversity

Some of us also want to gain new experiences by discovering other cultures. That was the reason Cecilia Maccacaro from Italy came to Ghana as a volunteer.

“I really wanted to experience a different culture from the Italian one. Here, people live in a very different way and it’s very interesting to discover how their culture influences their lifestyles,” she said.

Seeking new challenges and wanting to experience cultural diversity certainly add up to the bait that brought me to Ghana, and as an enthusiast of different lifestyles and languages, I look forward to the so-called “culture shock”.

And for all that, Ghana is most certainly the perfect place to be.

By Miriam Schirmer/Daily Graphic/Ghana