Ghana’s tourism industry expanded its workforce from 252,714 tourism-related jobs in 2021 to approximately 204,591 direct jobs by 2023, with total tourism employment, including indirect roles, reaching an estimated 429,641 in 2023.
International tourist arrivals increased to 1,288,804 in 2024 and further rose by 1.4 percent to 1,306,962 in 2025, while licensed tourism enterprises grew from 5,786 in 2023 to 6,702 in 2024. The sector generated approximately US$4.8 billion in tourism revenue in 2024.
Graduate Tourism Employment and Mobility Programme Trains 200 New Tour Guides
The Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) and Ghana Tourism Federation (GHATOF) launched the Graduate Tourism Employment and Mobility (GTEM) Programme to train and professionally certify 200 graduates
as tour guides. These graduates will be deployed across hotels, tour operators, cultural sites, and events nationwide.
The GTEM programme includes a mobility support system that facilitates access to vehicles through a work-and-pay arrangement, enabling graduates to start their guide services without immediate capital barriers.
National Certification Programme Targets Frontline Tourism Workers
Beyond GTEM, the National Professional Training and Certification Programme focuses on frontline tourism workers, such as tour guides, waiters, housekeepers, front-office staff, and restaurant managers. The initiative aims to grant them recognized professional training and certification.
GHATOF President Seth Ocran stated that certification should be accessible and practical for frontline workers, emphasizing the programme’s intent
to enhance employability and career progression.
Tourism Supports Youth Entrepreneurship and Broad Economic Activity
Ghana’s tourism sector extends beyond traditional employment to foster entrepreneurship in areas like tour operation, digital content creation, car rental, photography, event organizing, food vending, and digital marketing. This diverse ecosystem amplifies economic activity across beaches, waterfalls, heritage sites, national parks, festivals, and cultural attractions.
By supporting one tourism worker, the sector stimulates income generation for multiple associated businesses, including hotels, restaurants, transport providers, artisans, and event operators.
Officials Stress Collaborative Efforts to Build a Professional Sector
GTA Chief Executive Officer Maame Efua Houadjeto said, “We are going to train and certify 200 graduates as professional tour guides, standardise and improve the quality
of tour guiding across Ghana, and deploy them into hotels, tour companies, cultural sites, and events.”
