Ghana is about to receive something many African countries would gladly pay millions to achieve: global visibility in one of the world’s biggest sporting and entertainment ecosystems.
The Visit Ghana partnership with Sunderland Football Club, which will place “Visit Ghana” prominently on Sunderland’s shirts during the 2026/27 English Premier League season, is an ambitious marketing opportunity. The initiative is expected to expose Ghana to millions of football fans through television broadcasts, digital platforms and international media.
That is excellent marketing.
But here is the uncomfortable question:
What happens after the tourist sees the advertisement and decides to come to Ghana?
This is where our tourism conversation needs to become much more serious.
Are we marketing Ghana faster than we are fixing the experience of visiting Ghana?
I recently checked hotel prices for Accra and Miami, and the comparison made me pause.
At the time of my own search, a room at Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City Accra was starting at approximately US$414 per night, while Moxy Miami South Beach was showing rates around US$154 per night for a comparable search.
These prices fluctuate depending on dates, demand, taxes, room category and promotions, so this is not presented as a scientific hotel-price comparison.
There is also an important qualification: Kempinski is a five-star luxury property, while Moxy Miami South Beach is generally classified as a four-star property. Moxy is also located in the South Beach area rather than being directly on the beachfront.
So the comparison should not be interpreted as “Ghanaian five-star hotels are always more expensive than Miami hotels.”
The bigger question is more important:
Why does accommodation—and the broader cost of experiencing Ghana—so often feel expensive relative to the value received?
That is the conversation we should be having.
GHANA DOES NOT HAVE A TOURISM PROBLEM. WE HAVE A COMPETITIVENESS PROBLEM.
The numbers show that people are already coming.
Ghana recorded 1,306,962 international tourist arrivals in 2025, up from 1,288,804 in 2024, while tourism generated approximately US$4.34 billion in revenue. Domestic tourism also increased to about 1.79 million visits in 2025.
The tourism ecosystem is growing too.
Licensed tourism enterprises increased from 6,702 to 7,109, while accommodation enterprises increased from 5,210 to 5,424. Travel-trade enterprises grew by an impressive 18.6%.
These are encouraging numbers.
But growth in visitor numbers should not make us complacent.
Our objective should not simply be to bring more people into Ghana.
It should be to make them:
Stay longer.
Spend more.
Travel beyond Accra.
Return again.
Recommend Ghana to others.
That requires more than advertising.
It requires value.
