Sir Charles Tourist Centre
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Date
1991-04-19
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Abstract
Tourism has become one of the great growth areas in the World Trade and has, since the past three decades made phenomenal impact on the economies of developed and developing countries.
It is acclaimed throughout the world as a universal industry; It is also argued by sociologists to be a good means of promoting cultural relations and international cooperation.
Its importance in international trade, its dynamism and growth can be attributed to the following:-
— Generates a good deal of foreign exchange at destination? through supply of services;
— Encourages investment and creates investment opportunities;
— Introduces new skills and creates employment;
— Stimulates growth in related industries and services due to its high multiplier effect;
— Reliable vehicle for the redistribution of income and capital;
— Development of rural areas, reducing overcrowding in urban centres and redistribution of income;
Today it is the leading foreign exchange earner in quite a number of countries, earning in excess of $80m in Ivory Coast while others such as the UK, Germany and Spain in Europe, Kenya, Tunisia, Gambia and La Cote d’Ivoire in Africa, register significant earnings from tourism.
According to the IUOTO (International Union of Travel Organizations) a tourist is defined as a visitor who stays in a place for a period not less than 24 hours and not exceeding one year, the purpose of whose visit may be:
1. Leisure
ii. Business (Convention, Conference)
iii. Health
Social, economic and technological improvements, greater affluence and increased purchasing power have increased the time people are able to devote to leisure and business and will continue to do so thus creating a continued demand for new and diverse avenues for tourists to expend their energies, time and money.
Ghana though endowed with a rich culture, idyllic beaches and a majority of the slave forts and castles (26 out of 40) along the West African coast, blessed with good weather and populated by friendly people, lacks the needed infrastructure to support the industry and has for a long time lacked policies at the national level to guide the industry and attract investors and clients.
Hence the need, as realised by the PNDC Government, to stimulate and vitalize the county’s tourism industry to enable it compete successfully with others already in the market.
Description
A thesis submitted to the Board of Postgraduate Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of Postgraduate Diploma in Architecture, 1991