Renowned international guidebook company, Lonely Planet, has named Ghana as one of the best places to visit in 2023.
This was in its 18th annual Best in Travel list.
In this year’s publication, the Lonely Planet used a different format than it has done in the past years. The list is revealed as a guide to help travelers in planning their subsequent trips.
The research is divided into five sections — Eat, Journey, Unwind, Connect and Learn. According to Lonely Planet, each country or city on the list is chosen for “its topicality, unique experiences, wow factor, and ongoing commitment to sustainability, community and diversity.”
Ghana is on the list as one of the best countries to visit and connect with in the world.
A statement published by Lonely Planet, said the ‘Year of Return’ contributed to Ghana making it to the list. The ‘Year of Return’ is one of the Akufo-Addo-led government’s initiatives launched in 2019.
The statement said that “as the world opened up after long Covid restrictions, many travellers felt the urge to connect or reconnect with others. One way to do that is by looking into our own backyards. People with African heritage may want to head to Accra, Ghana, for their own sense of connection. The country, also on the list, observed a Year of Return in 2019, which brought people from all over the diaspora to Ghana for fellowship and community. Just because the year has passed doesn’t mean that the sense of connection has gone: Ghana wants to hit a goal of eight million tourists per year”.has passed
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ghana Tourism Authority, Akwasi Agyeman, said he was happy Ghana was named as one of the best countries to visit and connect in 2023.
He explained that the objective of the ‘Year of Return’ and ‘Beyond the Return’ was to revive Ghana’s engagement with the African diaspora and the world at large.
“It is a great honour to see how, over the years, Ghana continues to receive accolades for our dedication to promoting ‘Year of Return’ and ‘Beyond the Return’. Indeed, we are immensely proud of the fact that Ghana has been named as one of the best places to visit and connect by Lonely Planet. I also recognize that we could not have come this far without the support of the government and all stakeholders. Heading to December, we have started seeing the numbers coming in and we are very positive that Ghana will host the world once again,” he said.
Meanwhile, the GTA under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, and Culture, has outdoored the schedule of events for the 2022 ‘December in GH’ campaign.
December in GH is the country’s biggest celebration of all things; Cultural, Entertainment, Adventure, Nightlife, Fashion, Gastronomy, Tours and Community service. Since 2019, the ‘December in GH’ event schedule is one that many travellers look forward to when planning their activities for their holiday trip to Ghana.
Below is the list of all the countries on the list.
Eat
Lima, Peru
Umbria, Italy
Fukuoka, Japan
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Montevideo, Uraguay
South Africa
Journey
Istanbul to Sofia night train
Nova Scotia, Canada
Bhutan
Zambia
Western Australia
Parque Nacional Naturales, Colombia
Unwind
Halkidiki, Greece
Jamaica
Dominica
Raja Ampat, Indonesia
Malta
Jordan
Connect
Alaska
Albania
Accra, Ghana
Sydney, Australia
Guyana
Boise, USA
Learn
Manchester, UK
New Mexico, USA
Dresden, Germany
El Salvador
Scotland
Marseille, France
