In light of the government’s plans to extend the diaspora tourism beyond the December peak period, about 500 African-American visitors have arrived in Ghana under the Beyond the Return framework.
The arrival of the tourists builds on the momentum of Ghana’s landmark Year of Return in 2019 and the Beyond the Return initiative, which seeks to strengthen cultural, historical and economic ties between Ghana and the African diaspora.
According to a report by channelonenewsonline.com, the visitors are members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated, the first African-American sorority, founded at Howard University in the United States.
Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Tourism Authority, Gilbert Abeiku Aggrey, aka Abeiku Santana, said the visit is expected to have a positive economic impact on the country, particularly in tourism, hospitality and related sectors.
“Accommodation, food and beverages, buying gifts from the craft market, transportation, hotel and so forth. It will boost our economy. If you take the average, if a person spends, say, $3,000, multiply $3,000 by 500 and if they are spending two weeks, you appreciate the tourism receipt, the income that is coming into our economy.
“And it’s coming into the informal sector, you know, where normally in January it dips down because we have spent so much in December, so it’s a lean season. So even in the lean season, you are getting visitors coming to spend. It’s a major boost for our economy,” he said.
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President of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated, Danette Anthony Reed, highlighted the significance of the visit, describing it as a meaningful reconnection with ancestral roots and a reinforcement of long-standing bonds between Ghana and the African-American community.
“We’re very happy that Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated has decided to celebrate its 118th Founders’ Day in Ghana. It’s a historical occasion; it’s a historical moment, not just because it’s the first time that a group this large from America, a college-educated group of Black women, has decided to celebrate their Founders’ Day and chart our new chapter here.
“But what this shows is that years after the Year of Return and now into the Black Star Experience, we are still attracting large numbers of diasporas to come back to Ghana,” he said.
ID/AM
