"Today is party A, tomorrow is party B" : The Elmina 2015 Strategy and the politics of tourism-led local economic development planning in Ghana

Across much of the social sciences, it has been well established that institutions are important in explaining socio-economic and political outcomes. However, this idea is much less entrenched within tourism studies, especially in the area of tourism’s role in economic development and poverty reduction. Tourism in and of itself is a neutral force and therefore whether it can be used for development purposes depend on the interactions with institutions and structures. Tourism development is political in nature and therefore it is important to critically assess how institutions constrain and/or enable the use of tourism for poverty reduction.This chapter sets out arguments about the particular ways in which institutions, particularly political party structures, shape development outcomes by focusing on the Elmina Cultural Heritage Management Programme (ECHMP) in Ghana. The central question addressed by this chapter relates to how the political nature of institutions shapes the use of tourism for poverty reduction goals. Extensive interviews with key actors (past and present) involved in the ECHMP as well as a critical review of programme documents serve as the basis for this chapter. The ECHMP which started in 2000 and resulted in the formulation of the Elmina 2015 vision sought to transform the development fortunes of the city of Elmina through cultural heritage tourism. The findings indicate that the vision has come undone mainly due to the messy institutional set up at the destination level. This chapter shows how key institutional arrangements in the tourism sector at both the national and destination levels of Ghana shaped the outcome of the Elmina 2015 vision.The wider implication of this chapter is to show the importance of bringing back the critical role of politics and state governance institutions in addressing the tourism-poverty nexus. The historical account of how the Elmina 2015 Strategy evolved offers important implications for contemporary tourism development in Ghana. Tourism development depends on state policy directives that span a multitude of institutions at different governance scales. It is therefore important to state institutions maintain a coherent long-term policy ambition in this area. This chapter therefore highlights the specific ways in which the political nature of institutions is important for our understanding of the tourism-poverty nexus. Such an understanding ought to be a foundation on which interventions can then be designed in utilising tourism for poverty reduction

Heritage and heritage tourism in Africa: historical overview and contemporary issues

Africa is a small but expanding region of the global tourism economy. While its regions endowed with natural heritage resources such as wildlife, beaches and warm climates have been primary tourist places, regions endowed with cultural heritage resources including the colonial and indigenous tangible and intangible African heritage are also becoming more important in the African tourism product mix today. Regarding the latter kind of heritage, its use and development for tourism in Africa is inherently endowed with complex dynamics both theoretically and practically, especially when the local perspectives are given central focus. This chapter provides a historic overview to highlight the development of heritage tourism in Africa, and position it in the global heritage politics. In this way, it highlights the critical paradoxes in heritage tourism development and practices across the continent from a local Africanist eye. The chapter argues that, at a time when many African government and international organisations are acknowledging the developmental significance of heritage tourism, the use of heritage for tourism within the paradoxical frameworks that are based on Western doctrines is problematic. The current heritage tourism frameworks result into marginalisation of African heritage and traditions and local communities – the primary custodians of heritage – in heritage tourism development, mistreatment of African heritage, and ambiguities in heritage tourism promotion and marketing programs. Such frameworks were indoctrinated during the massive slave trade and colonialism, and further amplified through the prevailing neocolonialism agenda. Their effect – often given a shallow deliberation in tourism impact literature – are not only detrimental to heritage tourism longevity and sustainability but also humiliating to the cultural pride and self-esteem of Africans. The chapter advises heritage tourism and conservation policymakers and practitioners to reconsider broader theoretical issues that translate the means under which they ascribe sites as national heritage, formulate heritage tourism plans, and treat and develop African heritage for tourism.This chapter provides a historic overview to highlight the development of heritage tourism in Africa, and position it in the global heritage politics. It draws on local heritage concerns to provide an overview of critical issues facing heritage tourism in Africa, including prospects for developing heritage tourism, that appropriately integrate the local heritage narratives and practices. After independence from the late 1950s onward, most post-colonial African states had agendas of restoring lost cultural heritage that they held with high value and pride. The current heritage tourism frameworks result into marginalisation of African heritage and traditions and local communities – the primary custodians of heritage – in heritage tourism development, mistreatment of African heritage, and ambiguities in heritage tourism promotion and marketing programs. Such frameworks were indoctrinated during the massive slave trade and colonialism, and further amplified through the prevailing neocolonialism agenda

Sustainable Tourism Policy and Planning in Africa

Sustainable Tourism Policy and Planning in Africa offers an accessible and understandable overview of the challenges of integrating sustainability into tourism policy and planning in Sub-Saharan Africa and provides some interesting recommendations on how these could be overcome.Tourism is currently growing faster in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and in many other developing regions compared to the rest of the world. Using case examples from different segments of the tourism sector in different country contexts, this volume therefore reassesses context specific tourism policies and planning mechanisms in SSA over the years. It considers how the increasing focus on sustainability is reflected in different areas of the tourism sector including food security, the human capacity management, service delivery, local communities and heritage management, climate change and the influence of colonial legacies on tourism policy planning. 　For many SSA countries, it has only been in the last two decades that the development of sustainable and achievable context specific policies and planning mechanisms has become the norm. The chapters provide examples of how different dimensions of sustainability are integrated into tourism policy and practice, and examine the extent to which these are shaping the present, and their implications for the future sustainability of the tourism sector.Sustainable Tourism Policy and Planning in Africa will be of great value to academics, private and third sector employees to better understand tourism in Sub-Saharan Africa. Eight of the chapters were originally published as a special issue of Tourism Planning and Development. These are now complimented with a new introductory chapter and a concluding chapter that sets out a future research agenda for sustainable tourism policy and planning

Prospects and futures for tourism in Africa

This chapter provides some reflections on the prospects and futures for tourism in Africa and advance suggestions about possible directions for forthcoming research opportunities on tourism ‘in’ and ‘for’ Africa. The demand for new tourism products and services gives way to the creation of new jobs, hence potentially contributing to poverty alleviation and reducing inequalities through entrepreneurship. In some countries, tourism has been the seed of collaborative approaches leading to funds fully dedicated to the conservation of wildlife and biodiversity, the regeneration of local assets and the boost of skills across the entire value chain. The chapter also provides an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book. The book offers a varied and far-reaching set of insights into the workings of tourism in Africa. It is also devoted to the intricacies of tourism development in the Middle Africa region

Word-of-Mouth Redefined: A Profile of Influencers in the Travel and Tourism Industry

The emergence of the digital economy and easy accessibility to Web 2.0 tools has seen an expansion of the influencer ecosystem withinthe travel and tourism industry. Founded on the principles of reference groups and peer reference there is a growing trend amongstindustry practitioners who are now opting to move away from many of the traditional approaches used to market their products andservices and are instead taking advantage of the concept of e-word-of-mouth (eWOM). Whilst there is a growing body of academicliterature addressing the notion of influencer marketing, there is little understanding of influencer marketers themselves.Consequentially, this study addresses this gap in the literature through the quantitative examination of those who promote products,services, or companies by distributing eWOM through their online digital channels and presence; otherwise known as travel influencers.A quantitative research approach involving an online survey yielded 255 responses from travel influencers. The research findingsindicate that those who work in this field prefer not to be awarded the label “travel influencer,” focusing instead on their specificmethod of influencing, such as blogging and vlogging or sharing Instagram updates. The research also demonstrates how the newinfluencers have a strong role in generating travel urge and desire. The research contributes to the wider body of academic literatureand travel industry practitioners by establishing the general profile of influencers and their increasingly specialized role in tourism andhospitality marketing

Introduction: Tourism in Africa : continental issues and regional context

This chapter offers a brief introduction to a number of theoretical perspectives on the relationship between tourism and development and provides a critical account of the state of tourism in Africa. It provides a broad examination of current issues and stumbling blocks to sustainable tourism development in Africa. Tourism development under a neoliberal perspective continues to represent the biggest proportion of tourism product development around the world. Tourism research rooted in post-development thinking offers a nuanced understanding of the shaping effects of the tourism phenomena on both communities and tourists. Having analysed some of the key tourism issues in Africa and despite recognising the enormous potential of tourism development at continental level, five main interrelated constraints highlighted by Novelli to the fulfilment of the ‘African tourism dream’ remain. These are organised according to the World Bank terminology, as: unpredictable and weak business environments; institutional weaknesses; inadequate access; low level of linkages; and price/value mismatch

The Routledge Handbook of Tourism in Africa

This book provides a comprehensive and readable overview of the critical debates and controversies around tourism in Africa, and the major factors that are affecting tourism development now and in the future. Drawing upon research emerging from collaborations between a growing number of African academics and practitioners based in the continent and in the African diaspora as well as international colleagues, the Handbook offers key critical insights into the issues, challenges and trends that Africa and African tourism is facing. Part I covers continent-wide issues such as climate change, ICT, heritage and development. The remaining parts are organised along geographic lines, with each chapter covering the development of tourism, current trends and discussion of critical issues such as community participation, gender, backpacking, urban tourism, wildlife tourism and conservation.Combining an overview of key theories, concepts, contemporary issues and debates, this book will be a valuable resource for students, academics and practitioners investigating the role of tourism in Africa

Waarom een confrontatie met ons koloniaal erfgoed onvermijdelijk is

Wij Wageningers zien onszelf graag als bewoners van dat vriendelijke stadje aan de Rijn, klein genoeg om de grootstedelijke problemen op afstand te houden, maar 'stads' genoeg om mee te tellen. Een plek van mensen met gezond verstand waar mensen met veel verschillende nationaliteiten welkom zijn om aan de universiteit aan hun carriere te werken. Niet een plek die gebouwd is op de wreedheden van koloniale uitbuiting en slavernij. Toen grate steden als Amsterdam in 2020 hun slavernijverleden onderzochten, bleef het in Wageningen stil, alsof we wilden zeggen: 'Bij ons viel het toch allemaal wel mee?' Wij, als auteurs van dit artikel willen uitnodigen tot diepgaander zelfonderzoek