Tourism and household income of Abono community members in the Ashanti Region of Ghana By Foster Frempong & Louis Amofa Asamoah Dept. of Geography & Rural Dev’t KNUST, Kumasi

Presentation outline Introduction Problem statement Objectives Rationale for the study Tourism and income generation Tourism and employment Methodology Results and discussions The way forward

Introduction Developing countries have the highest population numbers and growth rates in the world Population growthEconomic growth HighLow HighGhana Low

Other economic impacts of tourism – Contribution to sales – Profits – Jobs – Tax revenue – Income

Introduction cont. Tourism activities mostly support the productive capacity of households by increasing skills and providing cash for operational capital and investment The new skills gained by household members involved in tourism can be transferred to other activities (Ashley, 2000).

Introduction cont. Tourism has been identified as a potential contributor to economic and socio-cultural development of countries Considering the returns from tourism, it is imperative that it is given the attention it deserves Most developing countries, especially those in Africa have taken to tourism as one of the possible panacea to their economic challenges

Introduction Development of tourism in Ghana can diversify the livelihoods of rural households minimize risks and uncertainties of other economic activities, maintain liquidity in households and increase employment rates Tourism can decrease the uncontrolled migration from rural to urban areas

Some less developed countries of sub-Sahara Africa have realized the potential of tourism development for rapid socio-economic development. Tourism is capable of generating foreign exchange; reduce unemployment and improving the standard of the people (Ajala 2008).

Problem Most tourist attraction sites are found in rural areas with a high number of poor people Local communities, are mostly not major participants in or beneficiaries of tourism activities.

Problem contd. Lake Bosomtwe is the only natural lake in Ghana which attracts an appreciable number of tourists and the only internal drainage system in the country Abono community Community members find it difficult to meet their daily responsibilities of taking care of their family needs due to low income generation from their activities

Objectives Examine the effects of tourism activities on household income of the local people. Examine effects of tourism on employment opportunities in the community. Assess the effects of tourism on poverty reduction in the community

Rationale for the study Help eradicate extreme poverty in the Abono community Ensure environmental sustainability for tourism growth and development Appreciate the situation of employment development, income and poverty reduction through tourism

Tourism and income generation Income from tourism is dependent on the money tourists spend in the community Tourist expenditure in most cases increases the income earning capability of the local people

Tourism generally generates three types of cash income for rural households and community tourism can generate a fourth additional type for the community Regular wages for those with jobs Casual earnings opportunities from selling food, wood, crafts, etc Profits from ownership of a tourism enterprise Collective income earned by the community (Ashley, 2000),

Tourism and employment Tourism does create employment – Direct Employment – Indirect Employment – Induced Employment

Methods Study area: Abono, 32km southeast of Kumasi Population: 1154 Education: One (1) Primary and One (1) JHS Health: One (1) Health facility – not in operation, no Ambulance car Others Social facility: One (1) public toilet facility, no telephones Major agriculture products - cocoa, maize, cassava and plantain

Methodology Study population: Abono community members who are 18 years and above Sample size : 75 Sampling technique: Stratified sampling Simple random sampling Data collection instrument: Interview schedule

Results and discussions

Socio-demographicFrequencyPercentage Sex Male Female Education None56.7 Elementary/JHS Secondary Polytechnic Household size – –

Income range of respondents Income range (Gh cedis) Frequency Percentage 10 – ,7 31 – – Total

Effects of tourism activities on household income Seasonality of tourism activities and household income

Effects of tourism on employment in Abono Employment of local people

Tourism cannot survive without involvement of local people through employment (Richard and Hall (2000) local people can increase their income Improve living standards leads to a better quality of life

Specific tourism activities for local people Type of tourism enterprise Number of people Sellers 28 Accommodation 27 Tour guiding 6 Handicraft 1 Total 62

Seasonality nature of tourism jobs at Abono Seasonality has obvious implications on employment Peak season: December – April Off season : April - November

Seasonality of tourism jobs

Alternative jobs during off seasons

Tourism and MDG 1 Standard of living

Patronage of products from Abono Fresh fish Carving work Woven clothes Clay works Beads Other farm products

How can tourism help to address poverty Supply of goods and services to tourism enterprises by local people (Yunis, 2004) Encouragement of enterprises to identify new sources of supply Collaborating with local community for constant supply of goods and services

The way forward Public and private investment Provision of facilities (seats, summer hats, boats, ambulance cars, banks, temporal rooms for visitors to keep their belongings and other social services Protection of the resource that tourism thrives. Monies from toll booth charges should be used for developmental projects in the community Marketing of the area

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