… The Ghana Tourism Authority itself describes the campaign and its successor, Beyond the Return, as major tools for positioning Ghana in American, Caribbean, European, African and sub-regional markets. …
… He cited Ghana’s Year of Return and Beyond the Return initiatives as examples of the country’s ability to attract members of the African diaspora, but stressed the need for sustained storytelling to maintain that momentum. …
… According to her, the GTA would continue to preserve and promote Ghana’s heritage sites and authentic cultural experiences through initiatives such as the Year of Return, Beyond the Return and the Black Star Experience, while strengthening Ghana’s position as the leading destinat …
… According to Dr Kambon, the initiative builds on the momentum created by Ghana’s Year of Return and Beyond the Return campaigns but shifts the focus from heritage tourism to long-term repatriation, entrepreneurship and sustainable economic development. …
… The government followed it with Beyond the Return, a decade-long programme running to 2030 under the theme A Decade of African Renaissance, explicitly shifting the focus from visiting to belonging, from tourism to investment and ownership. …
… Ghana then launched Beyond the Return, a 10-year programme running to 2030 under the theme A Decade of African Renaissance, explicitly designed to convert visits into lasting connections, investment, and citizenship. …
… December in GH emerged from the success of the Year of Return and Beyond the Return initiatives, which have positioned Ghana as a preferred destination for diaspora engagement, cultural reconnection and leisure tourism. …
… December in GH emerged from the success of the Year of Return and Beyond the Return initiatives, which have positioned Ghana as a preferred destination for diaspora engagement, cultural reconnection and leisure tourism. …
A Ghanaian-American marketing executive's August 2026 wedding in Accra, attended by Real Housewives of Beverly Hills personalities and filmed for television, illustrates Ghana's under-exploited advantage: celebrities voluntarily associate themselves with Ghana through personal milestones, reaching millions of followers without the country having to pay for endorsements.
A Ghanaian-American marketing executive's August 2026 wedding in Accra, attended by Real Housewives of Beverly Hills personalities and filmed for television, illustrates Ghana's under-exploited advantage: celebrities voluntarily associate themselves with Ghana through personal milestones, reaching millions of followers without the country having to pay for endorsements.
James Korsah-Brown, an NPP parliamentary aspirant for Mfantseman, has called for Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts Abla Dzifa Gomashie to be replaced, citing subpar performance and saying the minister has not effectively leveraged existing programmes like Beyond the Return to boost the creative economy.
Deputy CEO of the Ghana Tourism Authority Gilbert Abeiku Aggrey Santana has launched Tourism Destination Africa, a podcast designed to amplify African voices and reshape global perceptions of the continent's tourism industry through storytelling focused on tourism, travel and hospitality in Ghana and across Africa.
A wreath-laying ceremony was held at the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park in Accra on Thursday to honour Ghana's founding president and millions of Africans who endured slavery, as part of the 2026 Emancipation Day celebration. The event, held on the theme 'Reconnecting Roots, Celebrating Freedom, Experience Ghana,' brought together government officials, diplomats, traditional authorities, diaspora representatives, and students to reaffirm calls for African unity, reparatory justice, and stronger ties with the diaspora.
The Decade of Our Own Return (D.O.O.R.) Initiative is calling on Africans in the diaspora to invest, settle, and transfer skills to Ghana, projecting at least $8 billion in economic activity during the programme's first year. The 10-year initiative aims to reverse emigration trends by attracting diaspora members—including descendants of those displaced by the trans-Atlantic slave trade—to relocate, establish businesses, and contribute to national development.
YouTuber Darren Watkins Jr. (IShowSpeed), with over 50 million YouTube subscribers and 135 million followers across platforms, revealed Ghanaian ancestry in January 2026 and was granted a Ghanaian passport and given the Ghanaian name Barima Kofi Akuffo at a ceremony in Akropong.
Ghana's Year of Return campaign in 2019, which marked 400 years since the first enslaved Africans were taken to Jamestown, Virginia, has evolved from heritage visits into sustained property ownership, reshaping who owns prime real estate in Accra. The follow-up "Beyond the Return" programme, launched in December 2019 and running to 2030, institutionalised the shift from temporary diaspora engagement to permanent settlement.
Ghana has pursued a sustained decade-long strategy to welcome the global African diaspora, beginning with Right of Abode provisions and accelerated by the 2019 Year of Return campaign, which drew over a million visitors and more than 3 billion dollars into the local economy. The article suggests this policy framework is now driving African American investment in Ghanaian real estate as a practical step following diaspora citizenship.
International tourism receipts fell from $4.83 billion in 2024 to $4.34 billion in 2025, even as Ghana recorded 1,306,962 international tourist arrivals, a 1.4% increase over 2024. Domestic tourism and tourism enterprises expanded, with licensed tourism businesses rising from 6,702 to 7,109.
International arrivals to Ghana in December 2025 rose to 141,186 from 126,791 in December 2024, an 11.35% increase. Overall, Ghana recorded 1,306,962 international tourist arrivals in 2025, representing a 1.4% increase over 2024.
Short-term rental platforms like Airbnb have transformed Accra's property market, particularly in areas like East Legon and Osu, creating economic benefits through tourism and property owner income but raising concerns about housing affordability and rental availability for residents amid rising rents and prices.