Ghana recorded 1,148,002 international arrivals in 2023, slightly above the 1,130,307 arrivals recorded in 2019 before the pandemic. The same 2023 tourism statistics show US$3.8125 billion in tourism receipts, an estimated average tourist expenditure of US$3,746.65, and 1,407,709 domestic attraction-site visits. These figures come from the TOURISM REPORT 2023.
Contents
- International arrivals and recovery
- Quarterly and monthly arrival patterns
- Gateways and source markets
- Tourism receipts and visitor spending
- Length of stay
- Domestic visits and attractions
International arrivals and recovery
Ghana’s international-arrival series shows the disruption of 2020 and a multi-year recovery afterward. The country recorded 1,130,307 international arrivals in 2019, followed by 355,108 in 2020. Arrivals then increased to 623,523 in 2021, 914,892 in 2022, and 1,148,002 in 2023.
The report records a 69% fall in international arrivals from 2019 to 2020. The year-over-year changes then turned positive: arrivals rose 76% from 2020 to 2021, 47% from 2021 to 2022, and 25% from 2022 to 2023. On the reported annual totals, 2023 was higher than 2019 by 17,695 arrivals, although the report’s year-by-year percentage changes should be read as the published figures for each comparison.
| Year | International arrivals |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 1,130,307 |
| 2020 | 355,108 |
| 2021 | 623,523 |
| 2022 | 914,892 |
| 2023 | 1,148,002 |
This series is useful for separating recovery from longer-term growth. The 2020 figure marks the sharp contraction, while the 2021–2023 figures show successive increases. The 2023 total is the first figure in this five-year series to exceed the 2019 level.
Quarterly and monthly arrival patterns
International arrivals were highest in Ghana’s fourth quarter of 2023. The country recorded 248,129 arrivals in the first quarter, 264,018 in the second quarter, 306,365 in the third quarter, and 329,490 in the fourth quarter.
The quarterly pattern therefore rose through the year in the reported statistics. The fourth quarter had 81,361 more arrivals than the first quarter. December was also the standout month in the monthly figures supplied by the report: Ghana recorded 125,461 international arrivals in December 2023, and December accounted for 37% of the year’s international arrivals according to the report.
The first-quarter monthly breakdown was 87,081 arrivals in January 2023, 74,636 in February, and 86,412 in March. February was the lowest of those three months. The monthly figures provide a more detailed view of the opening quarter, while the quarterly figures describe the complete year by quarter.
For travel planning, these statistics indicate that arrival activity was not evenly distributed across 2023. The report specifically identifies December as a major concentration point, and the quarterly totals show the strongest reported quarter was Q4.
Gateways and source markets
Kotoka International Airport was Ghana’s dominant international gateway in 2023. It handled 1,017,576 international arrivals and accounted for 88.64% of Ghana’s international arrivals. The reported land-border figures were 67,148 arrivals through the Aflao border, 43,467 through Elubo, and 19,811 through Paga.
| 2023 gateway or market | Reported figure |
|---|---|
| Kotoka International Airport | 1,017,576 arrivals; 88.64% share |
| Aflao border | 67,148 arrivals |
| Elubo border | 43,467 arrivals |
| Paga border | 19,811 arrivals |
| United States | 133,885 visitors |
| Nigeria | 82,642 visitors |
| United Kingdom | 51,785 visitors |
The leading named source market in the 2023 international-arrival statistics was the United States, with 133,885 visitors. Nigeria followed with 82,642 and the United Kingdom with 51,785. Other reported markets included Germany with 24,926 visitors, India with 23,878, China with 19,725, and Liberia with 19,303.
These source-market counts are visitor totals in Ghana’s 2023 international-arrival statistics. They should not be treated as a complete ranking of every country unless the full report’s market table is consulted. The gateway data likewise describes the reported arrival points and highlights the central role of Kotoka International Airport.
Tourism receipts and visitor spending
Ghana’s tourism receipts totaled US$3,312,929,817 in 2019. Receipts fell to US$387,067,720 in 2020, then increased to US$803,771,256.40 in 2021 and US$2,509,548,756 in 2022. The 2023 total was US$3,812,500,003.10.
The receipts series shows that 2023 was above the 2019 figure in nominal reported receipts. The 2023 total was also higher than the 2022 total, while 2020 was the lowest figure in the five-year series. No adjustment for inflation or currency effects is supplied here, so these amounts should be read as the report’s stated US-dollar totals rather than as inflation-adjusted comparisons.
Average tourist expenditure was US$2,931 in 2019 and US$1,090 in 2020. It rose to US$1,289.08 in 2021 and US$2,743.19 in 2022. For 2023, average tourist expenditure was estimated at US$3,746.65. The estimate label matters: the 2023 average is presented as an estimate, not as an independently verified final measure.
The reported spending figures and receipts figures describe related but different measures. Tourism receipts are the total reported receipts for the year, while average tourist expenditure is the reported average per tourist. The report’s 2023 average should therefore be kept distinct from the 2023 receipts total and retained with its estimate qualification.
Length of stay
Average length of stay was 10 days in 2019, 12 days in 2020, 14 days in 2021, and 14 days in 2022. The 2023 average length of stay was estimated at 13 days.
| Year | Average length of stay |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 10 days |
| 2020 | 12 days |
| 2021 | 14 days |
| 2022 | 14 days |
| 2023 estimate | 13 days |
The reported series places the longest average stay in 2021 and 2022 at 14 days. The 2023 estimate is one day lower at 13 days, while still above the 2019 average of 10 days. Because the 2023 value is explicitly estimated, it should not be described as a finalized survey result without additional source context.
Read alongside the visitor-spending figures, the length-of-stay series gives useful context for Ghana travel statistics. However, the supplied report figures do not provide a breakdown of spending by day, visitor type, purpose of travel, or source market. Those comparisons are therefore outside the scope of these statistics.
Domestic visits and attractions
Domestic attraction-site visits changed substantially across the reported period. Ghana recorded 669,311 domestic attraction-site visits in 2019, 210,582 in 2020, 588,946 in 2021, 945,405 in 2022, and 1,407,709 in 2023.
The 2023 total was divided between residents and non-residents. Residents accounted for 1,161,474 attraction-site visits, while non-residents accounted for 246,235. The report states that residents represented 83% of Ghana’s attraction-site visits in 2023 and non-residents represented 17%.
| Year or visitor group | Attraction-site visits |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 669,311 |
| 2020 | 210,582 |
| 2021 | 588,946 |
| 2022 | 945,405 |
| 2023 | 1,407,709 |
| Residents, 2023 | 1,161,474; 83% |
| Non-residents, 2023 | 246,235; 17% |
The 2023 attraction-site total was the highest in the five-year series. The resident share also shows that attraction-site visitation was primarily domestic in the reported 2023 breakdown, even though the international-arrival total had recovered to above its 2019 level.
Among named attractions, Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park recorded 208,577 visits in 2023. That figure is a site-specific total and should not be interpreted as Ghana’s total attraction attendance or as the number of unique people visiting the country. The broader attraction-site measure counts visits, while the international figures count arrivals; these are different units and should be compared cautiously.
The Ghana tourism statistics for 2023 therefore describe two parallel movements: international arrivals reached 1,148,002, and attraction-site visits reached 1,407,709, with residents accounting for 83% of the latter measure. Together with the gateway, seasonality, receipts, spending and length-of-stay figures, they provide a compact view of Ghana’s tourism activity across international travel and domestic attraction visitation.