Traditional Cultural Festivals and Socio-economic Boost: Evidence from the Ankos Masquerade Festival in Ghana
Cultural events are largely associated with several socio-economic benefits for tourism destinations and host communities. This article explores the case of the Ankos Masquerade Festival (AMF), which takes place annually in Sekondi-Takoradi (Ghana). Although this area is known for its tourism potent...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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AfricaJournals
2023-08-01
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| Series: | African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.ajhtl.com/uploads/7/1/6/3/7163688/article_18_12_3_1071-1084.pdf |
| _version_ | 1797304044223463424 |
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| author | Richmond Fordjour Ana Rita Cruz |
| author_facet | Richmond Fordjour Ana Rita Cruz |
| author_sort | Richmond Fordjour |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Cultural events are largely associated with several socio-economic benefits for tourism destinations and host communities. This article explores the case of the Ankos Masquerade Festival (AMF), which takes place annually in Sekondi-Takoradi (Ghana). Although this area is known for its tourism potential, it still needs development to attract international tourism. The COVID-19 pandemic brought additional challenges as it stopped international travel and necessitated the cancellation of all types of events. In this context, the main objective of this article is to present a case study of the AMF to: (i) identify the profile of the foreign visitors/participants of the festival, their perceptions and their satisfaction level; (ii) understand the perceptions of stakeholders about the socio-economic potential of this event for the local community; and (iii) elaborate policy recommendations to inform and support the local authorities' decision-making. The AMF case study revealed new evidence about the
relevance of this type of event for the development of cultural and creative tourism, for attracting international tourists, for improving the destination's image and for creating socio-economic benefits for local communities. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T00:02:40Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0ca2bc9db46e4949886f01577d396cf4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2223-814X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T00:02:40Z |
| publishDate | 2023-08-01 |
| publisher | AfricaJournals |
| record_format | Article |
| series | African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure |
| spelling | doaj.art-0ca2bc9db46e4949886f01577d396cf42024-02-17T16:46:09ZengAfricaJournalsAfrican Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure2223-814X2023-08-0112310711084https://doi.org/10.46222/ajhtl.19770720.417Traditional Cultural Festivals and Socio-economic Boost: Evidence from the Ankos Masquerade Festival in GhanaRichmond Fordjour0Ana Rita Cruz1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3723-4682Faculty of Economics, University of Algarve, PortugalFaculty of Economics, University of Algarve; CinTurs - Research Centre for Tourism Sustainability and Well-being, Faro, Portugal; DINÂMIA’CET-Iscte, Centre for Socioeconomic and Territorial Studies, Iscte-University Institute of Lisbon, Lisbon, PortugalCultural events are largely associated with several socio-economic benefits for tourism destinations and host communities. This article explores the case of the Ankos Masquerade Festival (AMF), which takes place annually in Sekondi-Takoradi (Ghana). Although this area is known for its tourism potential, it still needs development to attract international tourism. The COVID-19 pandemic brought additional challenges as it stopped international travel and necessitated the cancellation of all types of events. In this context, the main objective of this article is to present a case study of the AMF to: (i) identify the profile of the foreign visitors/participants of the festival, their perceptions and their satisfaction level; (ii) understand the perceptions of stakeholders about the socio-economic potential of this event for the local community; and (iii) elaborate policy recommendations to inform and support the local authorities' decision-making. The AMF case study revealed new evidence about the relevance of this type of event for the development of cultural and creative tourism, for attracting international tourists, for improving the destination's image and for creating socio-economic benefits for local communities.https://www.ajhtl.com/uploads/7/1/6/3/7163688/article_18_12_3_1071-1084.pdftraditional festivalscultural tourismtourist perceptionssocio-economic impacts |
| spellingShingle | Richmond Fordjour Ana Rita Cruz Traditional Cultural Festivals and Socio-economic Boost: Evidence from the Ankos Masquerade Festival in Ghana African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure traditional festivals cultural tourism tourist perceptions socio-economic impacts |
| title | Traditional Cultural Festivals and Socio-economic Boost: Evidence from the Ankos Masquerade Festival in Ghana |
| title_full | Traditional Cultural Festivals and Socio-economic Boost: Evidence from the Ankos Masquerade Festival in Ghana |
| title_fullStr | Traditional Cultural Festivals and Socio-economic Boost: Evidence from the Ankos Masquerade Festival in Ghana |
| title_full_unstemmed | Traditional Cultural Festivals and Socio-economic Boost: Evidence from the Ankos Masquerade Festival in Ghana |
| title_short | Traditional Cultural Festivals and Socio-economic Boost: Evidence from the Ankos Masquerade Festival in Ghana |
| title_sort | traditional cultural festivals and socio economic boost evidence from the ankos masquerade festival in ghana |
| topic | traditional festivals cultural tourism tourist perceptions socio-economic impacts |
| url | https://www.ajhtl.com/uploads/7/1/6/3/7163688/article_18_12_3_1071-1084.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT richmondfordjour traditionalculturalfestivalsandsocioeconomicboostevidencefromtheankosmasqueradefestivalinghana AT anaritacruz traditionalculturalfestivalsandsocioeconomicboostevidencefromtheankosmasqueradefestivalinghana |