Ghana’s flagship digital tourism marketplace is becoming a surprising global success story—yet a new proposal from the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) is stirring debate about the future of the country’s digital tourism ecosystem.
The Ghana Tourism Marketplace (GTM), developed by the Ghana Tourism Development Company (GTDC), has quietly evolved into a thriving hub where international travellers are booking tours, events, and experiences ahead of the country’s high-profile December festive season. Visitors from Portugal, the U.S., France, Germany, and several other regions are already using the platform for seamless bookings and cashless payments.
At the Volta Investment Summit, GTDC CEO Prof. Kobby Mensah highlighted the momentum. “The Ghana Tourism Marketplace is already facilitating real-time bookings and payments from inbound tourists,” he said, noting that over 90 percent of tickets for the “Accra by Night” tour have been sold through the platform, using bank cards originating from cities like Lisbon, New York, Paris, and Berlin.
But the platform’s success has coincided with an unexpected twist: the GTA—responsible for marketing Ghana’s tourism assets—is planning to build an entirely new app, “Visit Ghana,” that would offer virtual experiences, online payments, and booking capabilities. Its features closely mirror those already functioning on GTM.
Industry observers quickly raised concerns. Why create a second system when one platform has already proven effective, especially at a time when Ghana is competing globally for tourism revenue? Some fear a fragmented digital landscape could confuse travellers and dilute government investment.
With inbound travel expected to soar in December, the question of digital coordination between GTA and GTDC has taken on new urgency. Prof. Mensah confirmed that GTDC will meet with GTA to streamline their roles and safeguard the state’s investment in tourism technology. The goal, he emphasized, is to ensure maximum value—ideally through a single, unified GTM platform.
