Ghana has grown to be the top December destination worldwide, and 2022 would be no exception.
Similar to most other nations, Christmas has traditionally been a busy time of year. But since the government enhanced the holiday season in 2019 through a purposeful tourism push, Ghana has emerged as the top vacation spot for people looking to have a good time in December. For what is now known as “December in GH,” the entire world travels to Ghana. This year the ‘Detty December’ race would start with the Global Citizen Festival.
The current destination for Detty December is Ghana. The world travels to Ghana around that time of year. Additionally, it is a wonderful chance for the diaspora to reconnect with its cultural richness, ancestry tracing tradition, and “new skuul” lifestyles, including pop culture, music, and cuisine.
With Africa as the new market focus and the elevation of all tourist value chain components, many businesses are working harder than ever to make their brands appealing to Generation Z and Millennials.
Undoubtedly, December in Ghana has developed into one of Ghana’s successful tourism brands, serving as an anchor to launch a worldwide trend or movement that people look forward to every year, which marked the beginning of the global African reunion.
The “Year of Return, Ghana 2019” for Africans in the Diaspora was officially declared and launched in Washington, D.C., by Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo in September 2018. This gave the effort to bring together Africans on the continent and their relatives in the diaspora.
This has made it possible for the nation’s tourism industry to flourish and generate a lot of income for nation-building. The Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) calculated that the planned arrival of 600,000 persons will bring US$ 2 billion to the Ghanaian economy in 2021.
Through the “Year of Return” and “Beyond the Return” campaigns, the GTA tapped into the nation’s emotional tourism touchpoints, including hospitality, food, music, arts, culture, and “Gen Z” Pop Lifestyle. However, these are not all of the causes. The organizations Afrochella, Afronation, Akwaaba UK, Around the World, Akwaaba UK Parties, Afrochella, Wildaland, Amapiano & Brunch, Polo Beach Club, Tribal Jungle Fever, Gold Coast Carnival, PineXGinja, Gold Block Party and many more have settled in Ghana for their major events and have promoted increased diaspora travel to Ghana each December.
These plans heavily involved the diaspora. People of African heritage are returning home more frequently than in previous years in America, the Caribbean, and Europe because of the progressive strengthening of cultural ties. For many of these Afro-descendants who travel to Ghana, cultural festivals, beach activations, and musical concerts serve as their main points of contact with Africa.
The majority of Ghanaians and their counterparts in the diaspora share a relationship that is emphasized through cultural exchange. In the past, music has been used to unite Black liberation movements across the globe and to highlight Black inventiveness and talent.
There is no denying that December in Ghana has developed into one of the world’s successful tourism brands, serving as an anchor to launch a worldwide trend or movement that people look forward to every year. With December around the corner, we expect the best musical festivals which would help promote tourism and keep Ghana ahead on the entertainment front.
By Jessica Yeboah Tenkorang
