The literature
is filled with several definitions of the concept of positioning however;
Arnott (1992 & 1993) provides a definition, which combines both the
strategic and applied perspectives. He formally defines positioning as:
“...the deliberate proactive, iterative process
of defining, measuring, modifying and monitoring consumer perceptions of
a marketable object...”. According to Arnott (1993), the application
of positioning involves four related activities: defining the dimensions
of a particular perceptual space that adequately represents the target
audience's perception; measuring objects’ locations within that space;
modifying actual characteristics of the object to match closely consumers’/customers’
perceptions of an “ideal”, and lastly, modifying consumers’/customers’
perceptions via a communications strategy. The operational process is described
as iterative and requires deliberate proactive involvement of the marketer.
While researchers have mostly explored positioning
within the context of a firm's product mix, here, it is argued that within
the global marketplace, most specifically marketing countries as tourist
destinations, positioning plays a pivotal role. As such, the purpose
of this note is essentially exploratory and descriptive with the broad
intention of examining country positioning as tourist destination. The
positioning of Ghana as a tourist destination will be used as an illustration.
In order to get acquainted with the research
setting and to be familiar with the positioning of Ghana as a tourist destination,
a pilot study was undertaken. It was decided to first undertake a review
of Ghana web sites (see Ghana.com and Ghanareview.com). Secondly, a cursory
review of a convenient sample of local newspapers was undertaken with the
aim of studying issues about tourism and the promotion of tourist products
in Ghana. Next, in line with Naser and Moutinho’s (1997) methodology, two
broad sources of data, namely, internal sources (e.g. Ghana Tourism Development
Board Directory, 1996; Ghana Budget, 1998, 1999, 2000) and external sources
(e.g. Ghana Review International Magazine Special Issue on Tourism, 1998;
Ghana web sites; Ghanaian Newspapers including The Daily Graphic, The Times,
The Ghanaian Chronicle, July, 1999- September, 2000) were examined. In
order to minimize the difficulties associated with secondary data, following
Zikmund’s (1991) writings, the data conversion procedure (also called data
transformation) was carried out on the data, which has been compiled from
several sources.
Tourism Development in Ghana
Ghana has a population of 19 million, a GDP of
US$6970 million (1997), a GDP growth rate of 5.1% (1997) and a GDP per
capita income of US$462.8 (1993) (www.ghana.com/republic/geninfo/economy.htm).
Ghana has been cited by economic analysts as a role model of success in
Africa because of the growth rates achieved by the country since its commencement
of the economic development program in 1983. For instance Hawkins’ (1989)
comments that Ghana is perceived as a success story are in part a commentary
on the continent-wide difficulty encountered by other African countries
in implementing economic development programs, and partly the consequence
of an economy which has benefited from aid inflows of US$530 million annually,
to the extent that the country is regarded as the World Bank’s star pupil
in Africa (Appiah-Adu, 1999, pp.465). Notwithstanding the praises, commentators
have highlighted the growing economic difficulties culminating in high
inflation, negative interest rates, falling exchange rate and the hardships
faced by the population (Wong and Holman, 1996; Holman, 1999). Ghana is
endowed with a rich cultural heritage and is aiming to be the gateway to
economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa (Ghana Review International, 1997).
In the last five years, tourism has been the fastest growing sector of
the Ghanaian economy achieving growth rates of 16 to 30 per cent per annum
in terms of numbers of tourists and foreign exchange revenue (see www.ghana.com/republic/tourism).
Specific differentiating attributes of Ghana’s tourism include good year-round
weather (i.e. 21-32 C. in the South and 24-38 C in the North), low crime
rate, unspoiled sandy beaches, unique culture, friendly and sociable population,
historic Forts, Castles and Monuments and Wildlife and Vegetation. Over
the years, revenue from tourism has increased gradually, with most of the
tourists coming from UK, The Netherlands, USA, Germany, and Nigeria.
Government Tourism Policy
In 1993, the Ministry of Tourism was established
as the policy making body of the tourism sector while its implementing
parastatal is the Ghana Tourist Development Board. The Ministry of Tourism
has decided to position tourism in Ghana on five key areas, namely, heritage,
culture, beaches, conventions, and ecology. More specifically, they include
the following tourism products.
· The Kakum Nature Park. This is a 350
sq. km tropical forest reserve with about 40 species of animals, over 400
species of butterflies and the only canopy walk way in Africa,
· 540 km of sandy shoreline dotted with
several forts and castles. The most prominent are The Elmina and Cape Coast
Castles. The latter serve as a historic cradle for the slave trade and
is designated as world heritage site by the United Nations Educational
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO),
· The Pan African Historical Festival
(PANAFEST). The festival was first held in December 1992 and brought in
tourists from different parts of the world. Since then, it has been held
every other year.
· The Emancipation day celebration.
This is a Remembrance Day in memory of the slave trade.
· Cultural attractions and festivals.
These are organized throughout the regions of the country and include the
parade of traditional chiefs.
Alongside the positioning of Ghana as a tourist
destination, the government has earmarked the transport and communication
sectors for development as a backbone to tourism in Ghana. More specifically,
the following key areas have been identified for development.
· The development of Kotoka International
Airport (Accra Airport) as a gateway to West Africa.
· To make Ghana a shipping gateway to
West Africa.
The government's efforts and policies towards
tourism have been the creation of a favorable environment for the sustainable
development, marketing, and promotion of tourism in the country. Consequently,
the government has implemented a 15-year National Tourism Development Plan.
This plan will establish investments in infrastructure and concentration
on heritage, cultural, ecological, recreational and conference tourism.
A Tourism Development Fund is currently under consideration by the government
(Ghana Budget, 1999 – www.ghana.demon.co.uk/budget99r.htm).
Overall, it appears that the tourism industry
in Ghana is in its infancy stage with potential to grow. It must be noted
that despite the government's efforts to position the country as a tourist
destination, there is the need to proactively work towards creating the
enabling environment for competitive tourism industry. These findings partly
adds to comments on the positioning of countries (see Ries and Trout, 1986)
and to some extent attempts to serve as an insight into the issue of country
tourism. One can infer that although this is an exploratory study, it is
important for both tourism policy makers and academic researchers interested
in tourism in Africa, and more specifically, Ghana.
Clearly, as tourism continues to grow in importance
as an economic growth engine for countries throughout the world, the issue
of country level tourism positioning will become more critical. |
