Branding Ghana For Tourism: Its Main Objectives And Corresponding Measures

Country branding is a new phenomenon that involves the building and maintenance of a strong country image. "It refers to a consistent and all-embracing national brand strategy which determines the most realistic, most competitive and most compelling strategic vision for the country, and ensures that this vision is supported, reinforced and enriched by every act of communication between the country and the rest of the world." (Yin Fan 2005) Like corporations, countries must define and streamline their personalities in order to be more marketable in today's competitive world. In a world where countries compete for scarce resources, it means that a country must clearly distinguishing itself by putting their best foot forward and showcasing their best attributes in order to attract more investment, tourists and increase its exports. Thus if a country wants to attract more tourists, it must send out a clear and differentiating message about what makes it an ideal tourist destination. The focus of this paper is how to incorporate country branding into Ghana's long term tourism goals. The paper addresses key problem areas affecting Ghana's worldwide image as a tourist destination, whiles analyzing some existing socio-economic problems that are intrinsically linked to the country's image. Finally it suggests ways the government can address such issues in order to sustain a successful country branding scheme, which would invariably place Ghana favorably in the hearts and minds of tourists.