The Travel and Tour Business in Ghana: Perspectives, Prospects, Barriers
Résumé
Over the past six decades, travel and tourism have experienced continued expansion and diversification, becoming one of the largest and fastest-growing economic sectors in the world. The travel and tour facets of the tourism industry are still undergoing development in Ghana. Nonetheless, little research attention has been given to the prospects, challenges and barriers to business growth of the sector. The purpose of this paper is to assess the travel and tourism business in Ghana to identify its perspectives, prospects, barriers and success factors. The study relied on descriptive research design and a qualitative research approach where data were gathered from 20 managers of travel and tour agencies in Accra and Kumasi through semi-structured interviews. Data was gathered through semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the results by developing similarities in the responses to form the basis of the findings. The study is based on certain theoretical foundations, including the Institutional Theory and Theory of Change. The Institutional Theory assumes that firms require best practices, policies and strategies to succeed when there are new waves and changes in the business environment. The Theory of Change emphasises that traditionally, firms in the industry plan, design, and market tourism products and services for tourists and travellers to purchase. Nonetheless, current trends have caused significant changes in how tourism and hospitality products and services are accessed by travellers and tourists. The study showed that conventional business models of travel and tour businesses still revolve around travel arrangements (airline ticketing, hotel reservation, visa assistance, etc.). Nonetheless, the study observed that some travel and tour firms have added car rentals as part of their core business models as a means of diversifying the revenue generation streams. The study also showed that key prospects for business growth in the travel and tour sector include: new digital marketing streams, new markets such as travel and work abroad and the emergence of new destinations in Middle Eastern countries. Major challenges that undermine the growth of the travel and tourism business include: the emergence of armchair tourism, a lack of a technologically savvy workforce and an unfavourable macroeconomic environment. Balancing demand and supply in current times requires firms in the industry to build strategic partnerships and support. The study recommended that firms collaborate and build partnerships to ensure business continuity. Partnership in this context will enhance the flow of supply to service providers, thereby ensuring continuous performance. Again, a strategic partnership between airlines and travel and tour companies will ensure a consistent flow of clients, which in turn will boost business continuity.