Meet WeTravels: The startup on a quest to transform Tourism in Ghana.
Ghana has made strides in positioning herself as the preferred destination for travel and tours in Africa in recent years. According to a report by Statista, Ghana saw an average of 950,000 foreign tourists from 2016 to 2019. The Year of Return campaign alone in 2019 saw over a million tourists visit the country, injecting about $1.9 billion into the economy.
“By the end of 2019, the international arrivals reached 1.13 million from 956,372 in the year 2018 which was 27% growth which was above the global average of 5%. The average expenditure per tourist increased from US$2,708 in 2018 to US$2,931 in 2019. The receipts attributed to tourism is, therefore, US$3.312 billion. The increased number of travellers to Ghana positively impacted five sector industries such as airlines, hotels, tour operators, restaurants, and arts and craft dealers to name a few”, Barbara Oteng-Gyasi( Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture.)
The tourism sector in Ghana is gradually becoming a focus for investment due to its considerable potential to support economic growth and employment creation. The Bank of Ghana lists the industry as the fourth-highest foreign currency earner behind gold, cocoa, and remittances. In 2019, the sector’s contribution to GDP was 5.5%. The World Travel and Tourism Council reported that the industry supported 682,000 jobs in 2017, the number still grows steadily.
The numbers and percentages painted a good picture of the tourism sector in the country, at least not until the rise of covid-19. In March 2020, Ghana recorded its first official cases of COVID-19, which in later developments led to various restrictions to mitigate the spread of the virus. Among the regulations were the closure of borders, a ban on travel, and the shutdown of all public places. These were the best practices apparently because, internationally, many countries resorted to these actions as well. Consequently, the Tourism sector plummeted into a sorry state, leading to a loss of over a million dollars as tour sites were forced to close and its related job losses.
In the wake of crises, entrepreneurs and other development actors always have a window of opportunity to adapt to the changing trends and reinvent the wheel if possible. The instinct of inaction in times of crisis should be discouraged.
The task to revitalize the tourism sector is already being taken up by the government through the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, and the Ghana Tourism Authority. Their efforts will not be sufficient hence the need for private actors to also come on board. It is in this spirit that WeTravels has emerged.
WeTravels is a startup focused on creating and curating unique and unforgettable tour experiences in Ghana.
In a COVID-19 impacted world, things are bound to change: travellers’ behaviours, experiences, preferences, demographics, and technology. Our mission at WeTravels is to keep up with these trends and be an active player in the future of tourism.
We will have to grapple with significant changes: the pivot to domestic tourism, sustainable tourism, and virtual tourism. Currently, we are among the few startups selected to be part of the Ghana Tech Lab Startup Incubation Programme, which the World Bank and MasterCard Foundation are funding. With suitable business models, training, and access to funding, WeTravels seeks to well-position Ghana as a hotspot travel destination.
