Chief Executive Officer of Adansi Travels, Gideon Asare, has called on stakeholders in Ghana’s tourism sector to focus more attention on attracting tourists from Nigeria.

Speaking in an interview with Kwame Dadzie on Joy FM’s Showbiz A-Z, Gideon, while analysing the Ghana Tourism Authority’s 2024 tourism report, pointed out the widening gap between tourist arrivals from the United States and Nigeria.

“You can see that for the past few years, for the source markets for Ghana, the three have been US, UK and Nigeria. You can see the gap even between the US and Nigeria widening. And if you look at the pre-pandemic report you will see that Nigeria was even catching up but after that, the progress has not been much,” he said.

He acknowledged the significant progress Ghana made in the Nigerian market last year but stressed the need for a more deliberate effort to increase traffic from Ghana’s West African neighbour.

“Even though last year we had 25% increase, but you can see that if you look at the proximity of Nigeria as compared to the US, there is more we need to do to drive traffic. It’s one hour flight, it’s over 200 million population, and so we need to be intentional about that. I am sure that the sort of marketing we are doing in the US, if we are to put a quarter in Nigeria, we will attract more people,” he noted.

According to the 2023 report by the Ghana Tourism Authority, the country welcomed 1.29 million international visitors. Ghana recorded 1,288,804 international arrivals in 2024, a 12 per cent increase from the previous year. The top three countries with the highest number of arrivals in 2034 were the United States (137,862) visitors, Nigeria (111,581), and the United Kingdom (52,845). 

While these figures represent steady growth, Asare argued that the gap between Nigeria and the United States should not be this wide, especially considering the closer proximity and cultural ties between Ghana and Nigeria. He believes a strategic marketing push in Nigeria could help Ghana close that gap and bring in more regional travellers.

Adansi Travels, under the leadership of Gideon Asare, has become one of Ghana’s leading travel and tour agencies, known for offering both local and international packages. The company has been instrumental in promoting domestic tourism and facilitating travel for thousands of Ghanaians and foreigners alike. Asare himself is a well-known voice in Ghana’s tourism space, often advocating for policies and initiatives that make Ghana a more competitive destination on the continent.

His latest appeal to stakeholders adds to ongoing conversations about how Ghana can not only maintain but expand its reach within Africa’s travel market.