An Econometric Analysis of Internal Travel Patterns in Ghana and the Implications for Domestic Tourism

Abstract

This paper examines the general travel patterns of Ghanaians and, based on these, explores the implications for domestic tourism. Employing discrete choice models, data from the Ghana Statistical Service (specifically, the fifth round of the Ghana Living Standard Survey) are used for the analysis. In addition to providing a quantitative analysis of the determinants of travel propensity, which had not previously been examined for Ghana, the authors test two hypotheses. First, they assert a three-way (positive–negative–positive) relationship between age and travel propensity. Second, they argue that the mother's education is more likely to influence the decision to travel than the father's education. The travel patterns of Ghanaians were found to bear the inherent hallmarks of domestic tourism. The authors also observe that, although the degree of travel is low, the frequency of repeat visits is high. Social imperatives dominated the motives for travel, while key socio-demographic variables (especially the respondent's age) were found to influence travel propensities significantly.