The Ghana Tourism Authority has unveiled the top 10 most visited tourist attraction sites of 2023, shedding light on the sector.
According to the GTA's 2023 report, these tourist sites collectively welcomed 1,157,632 visitors throughout the year, out of a total of 1,407,709 visits to various tourist destinations.
Leading the pack is the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, which attracted 208,577 visitors.
The park achieved this feat despite officially reopening in July 2023, following extensive renovations.
Securing the second position is the newly renovated National Museum, surpassing the Kakum National Park. The museum welcomed 166,884 visitors, constituting 12% of the total visits to the top ten attractions.
The Kakum National Park in the Central Region slid to the third position, with 159,271 visits.
Similarly, the Kumasi Zoo, which held the third spot in 2022, dropped to fourth place in 2023, recording 142,518 visits.
At number five is the Cape Coast Castle. The tourist site recorded 101,134 visitors in 2023. Although this is an increase from the 86,692 visits in 2022, it still fell down the rankings from number four.
Experiencing the most significant decline in 2023 is the Aburi Botanical Gardens, which topped the list in 2022 with 186,109 visits. However, its visitation plummeted to 93,719, relegating it to sixth place.
The Elmina Castle, which previously ranked at number five, fell two spots down. It secured the seventh spot with a recorded total visit of 78,870 in 2023.
The eco-tourism site Bunso Arboretum in the Eastern Region is at number eight with 78,203 visits, making up 6% of the top ten total visits.
Meanwhile, the Accra Zoo is at number nine with 71,137 visits making up 5% of the top ten total visits.
Lastly, Manhyia Palace Museum also after undergoing some renovations saw a striking resurgence in 2023. The museum returned to number 10 for the first time in four years.
It recorded 57,319 visits in 2023. It makes up 4% of the top ten total visits.
The Ghana Tourism Authority believes that the renovations and enhancements of various attraction sites have contributed to the increased visitor interest and played an important role in driving tourism success in 2023.
“The ten most visited sites collectively captured between 78.80% to 93.72% of total arrivals during the period, maintaining a consistent share of 82% between 2019 and 2023.”
“Notably, the top ten destinations accounted for 82% of overall domestic arrivals, with residents making up 68% of this visitation and non-residents comprising 14%,” the GTA added.
